Examples of Active Learning Online

In this section we have used examples of active learning experiences and applied them to the online course format.  Most of these activities were obtained from the excellent web sites of the University of Minnesota and the University of Texas at Arlington.  The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) website presents content adapted from earlier sources such as Angelo & Cross (1993), Paulsen and Faust (2002), and Barkley, Cross, & Major (2005), and categorizes activities by level of complexity.   The activities list below follows their categorization.

Low Complexity Activities

Icebreakers

Icebreakers are an important way to establish contact at the beginning of a course.  Helping people talk about their goals, fears, and expectations allows for a more meaningful interchange once the class has started.  This is particularly important in an online setting where students are unable to read body language or obtain visual clues about their classmates.  Online students can discuss what they hope to gain from the course, and what they have to offer.  Strategies used: Discussion board, reflective journal, or blog post.

Reflective Journaling or Blogging

Students can be encouraged to think more deeply about a subject or issue by blogging and reflective thinking exercises.  Blogging is a good way to help students reflect on the feelings they may have about situations they are facing.  These writings can be private, or publicly shared with other students.  By allowing students to comment on another individual student’s response a shared learning can occur.  Strategies used: Individual student wiki or blog.

Fish Bowl

Students are asked to write down one question of clarification regarding some aspect of the course material which they do not fully understand; or application of course material to practical contexts.  These questions can be discussed with other members of the group or class as a whole.  Strategies used: Facebook, Twitter, discussion board, course blog.

Muddiest (or Clearest) Point

Ask, “What was the “muddiest point” in this weeks lecture?” Use this method to identify points that may need clarification.  Strategies used: Facebook, Twitter, discussion board, course blog.

Quiz/Test Questions

Involving students in the process of test construction can help them feel actively involved with the course.  This is important in an online course where developing connections to the content and other students is helpful for the learning process. Strategies used: email, discussion board.

Think – Pair – Share

Have students work in pairs to complete an assigned task.  This might be a summary of a learning experience or answering questions.  These can be pre-assigned to students of the same on-line group.  The pair then shares their assignment with other members of the group or larger class.  Strategies used: Discussion board, Facebook, Twitter, blog, or wiki.

Medium Complexity Activities

Audience Response Questions

Audience response systems are used to encourage interaction between the presenter and the audience.  It can also be used to promote decision-making within a larger group.  Audience response software collects the responses to true/false or multiple-choice questions; the aggregate data is then graphically displayed within the PowerPoint presentation for all to see.  Strategies used: Several online meeting programs include audience response options or have polling capabilities.

Concept Mapping

Using a concept map can show students the complex connections between ideas.  As students construct the map they learn how concepts are related.  This method is useful in helping students organize information.  Strategies used: Concept mapping software or PowerPoint.  Concept mapping is more difficult in online groups but can be used during synchronous meeting in programs such as Adobe Connect.

Active Review Sessions

In an active review session the instructor poses questions and the students work on them in groups.  The students are asked to share their solutions to the whole group and discuss any differences among solutions proposed.  Use this method to encourage students to problem solve a question or address an issue.  This activity works well with concept mapping software or PowerPoint.  Strategies used: Meeting programs and forms of synchronous communication such as Adobe Connect are very important for review sessions.  Strategies used: Facebook, Twitter, discussion board, course blog,

Affinity Grouping

Students post ideas related to a topic on Facebook, Twitter, discussion board or blog.  They must then sort the ideas into meaningful categories and create a concept map.  Use this method to assist students to think about broad topics in more specific and related terms.  Strategies used: Facebook, Twitter, discussion board, course blog, and concept mapping software or PowerPoint.

Debates

Students are asked to take a role in a discussion and develop the arguments they have been assigned.  By using the debate structure of presenting the argument, and rebuttal to the opposing team, they learn to examine all sides of an issue.  Strategies used: Facebook, Twitter, discussion board, course blog, YouTube, or face-to-face-interaction using video teleconferencing, Adobe Connect, CMA client, or Skype.

Evaluation of Another Student’s Work

Evaluation of another students work is helpful in many ways.  Students learn to both think critically and to better express their own ideas.  Strategies used: Facebook, Twitter, discussion board, course blog, or face-to-face-interaction using video teleconferencing, Adobe Connect, CMA client, or Skype.

Puzzles and Paradoxes

Presenting students with a puzzle is an active learning exercise.  Students can be involved in preparing the puzzle, solving the puzzle, or both.  Each part is important in developing an understanding of the content.  Teamwork is involved as each member defines and explains their part of the puzzle.  This method can be helpful to encourage individuals in a group to interact.  Strategies used: Facebook, Twitter, discussion board, course blog, YouTube, or face-to-face-interaction using video teleconferencing, Adobe Connect, CMA client, or Skype.

Role Playing

Students are asked to “act out” a part.  This method is particularly helpful when you are trying to get students to see an issue from another point of view.  The role-play can either be actively watched in a video or take place in a written format.  Strategies used: Discussion forum, video teleconferencing, YouTube, Adobe Connect, CMA client, Skype.

High Complexity Activities

Case Study

Provide students with an example of a concept/theory/issue/topic being covered in the discussion.  Students analyze the case scenario, applying the information presented to material presented in the course.  Students can briefly present their findings to other small groups, to the whole group, or simply record ideas on the discussion forum or blog.  Students can also develop their own case studies from their clinical experiences and exchange them with others for discussion and analysis.  Strategies used: Facebook, Twitter, discussion board, course blog, YouTube, or face-to-face-interaction using video teleconferencing, Adobe Connect, CMA client, or Skype.

Cooperative Groups in Class

Group work is an excellent way to capture the natural learning experiences found in a face-to-face classroom.  Students can be encouraged to discuss content among them and bring back their comments to the larger student group.  This is a good tool for problem solving exercises.  Strategies used: Video teleconferencing, Adobe Connect, CMA client, or Skype.

Send-A-Problem

This is a more sophisticated version of group work.  Each group works on a problem and then shares their individual group solution with the rest of the class.  Comparing solutions in is helpful for understanding problem resolution.  Strategies used: Facebook, Twitter, discussion board, course blog or face-to-face-interaction using video teleconferencing, Adobe Connect, CMA client, or Skype.

Simulation

Simulation is an event or situation made to resemble clinical practice as closely as possible.  Simulation can be used to many different topics but is most important for leaning skills.  Simulation allows learners to function in an environment that is as close as possible to an actual clinical situation and provides them an opportunity to work out solutions in a less threatening environment.

Students can participate in both low fidelity and high fidelity simulation.  Low-fidelity mannequins provide anatomical representations only, whereas high-fidelity mannequins complement anatomical representations with human-like physiological and vocal responsiveness.  There are many types of simulation mannequins; however, we use the Laerdal SimMan® Universal Patient Simulator (Laerdal Medical Corporation, Wappingers Falls, NY) because it includes realistic weight distribution and joint articulation; realistic heart, lung, and bowel sounds; vocalization; realistic airway and pulmonary mechanics; and carotid, femoral, brachial, and radial pulses.  We use a video technology called “Bee Line” to provide students with online feedback regarding their performance.

Strategies used: Simulation by nature requires some on direct hands-on experience; however, online students can participate in the evaluation and review of recorded simulation experiences.

Additional resources:

Angelo, T.  A.  & Cross, K.  P.  (1993).  Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers.  San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Barkley, E.F., Cross, K.P., & Major C.H.  (2005). Collaborative Learning Techniques.  San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Paulson, D.R., & Faust, J.L.  (2002).  
Active learning for the college classroom.  California State University Los Angeles.  Retrieved June 29, 2006, from http://www.calstatela.edu/dept/chem/chem2/Active/index.htm.

University of Minnesota Center for Teaching and Learning. (2010).  Some basic active learning strategies. Retrieved from  http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/teachlearn/tutorials/active/strategies/.

University of Texas at Arlington. (2010). Active learning techniques. Retrieved from http://activelearning.uta.edu/facstaff/ALtechniques.htm#minute

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