Active Learning in Large Classes

Mary McKenzieSociology

UNC Charlotte

Passive Learning:◦ What type of learning experience do you think of

as being passive?

Active Learning:◦ What type of learning experience do you think of

as being active?

Active vs. Passive Learning

Students stay awake!

Students participate in their educational experience.

Students can interact with the course material.

Students can collaborate with other students to explore course material.

Benefits of Active Learning

Moodle

“Clickers”

Blogs

Wikis

How Do I Involve Active Learning in Large Classes?

Moodle

• the visual layout• the ease of moving from one

activity to another• the ability to contact me from the

home page• the ease of contacting each other• the calendar of class events• the upcoming events box

Students like:

Moodle Benefits

Click on Activity

Click on Participant you want to contact, or on my link to contact me

You can also click on the hyperlinks throughout the page to take you to activities or people.

Calendars allow students to enter dates for their own reminders

Course dates and group dates can also be entered

These dates show up in the upcoming events box

You can message anyone online

• Many different activities available• Forums and Blogs• Wikis• Journals• Chats• On-line quizzes and exams• Databases• Surveys• On-line and offline assignments

Faculty

Benefits:

More Moodle Benefits

Clickers

Everyone turns on the clicker with the power key on the bottom left. Your clicker should say that it is searching for the class.

Click on the green send key to enter the set up mode so you can enter your NinerNet ID (first part of your email before the @uncc.edu)

When entering your NinerNet ID, use the scroll buttons to move up and down the alphabet to enter you ID. (Like primitive

texting)

Click on the * to exit set up mode and you are ready to answer questions.

For True/False questions, click either the T or the F at the bottom right of the clicker.

Always click the send button after every response.

Clicker Set-up

•Come to class because the clicker will take attendance•Stay awake because they have to answer questions throughout the class session•Receive instant feedback on questions asked during the class session to indicate concepts they need to review•Can work together to understand the concepts

Students:

•Have real-time feedback on whether students understand the concepts

Faculty:

Clicker Benefits

I would find it very useful to know when students are in class.

True

False

It would be nice to know, during my lecture, if students understood the concepts.

True

False

Active learning continues outside the classroom as well.

We want the students to read class material and work with the concepts

more than only taking notes.

We want students to interact with one another to enrich their

learning experience.

Students post explanations of concepts to the class blog or forum to further explore the

concepts as they are presented in the class readings.

This allows them to think about the connections between the class

examples and the concepts in the text.

This also gives them a place to explore questions they have about the concepts and class

readings.

Students can reply to postings to add to a discussion of the concept.

This is very useful as students add examples to clarify the concepts in everyday terms.

This is also a useful way for students to “correct” misunderstandings of

the concepts for classmates.

The blogs become an interactive study guide and study group for students as they prepare for exams.

Blogs, Forums, or Discussion Boards

They give faculty insight into how students are understanding the class material.

Faculty can clarify misunderstandings in the following class.

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Students have people, other than the course instructor, from whom they can learn and question.

Students have to actively consider the conceptual meanings and be able to express them in writing.

Blog Benefits

I could use a blog as a quick check to see if students have understood what they have read before class.

True

False

It would not be effective to have separate groups be responsible for posting concepts, for specifically assigned chapters, to limit the number of blog postings in large classes.

True

False

Wikis are on-line spaces where students can collaborate on projects or upload their own work for class projects.

It would be necessary for students to meet to work on group projects that would be uploaded to the wiki.

True False

Wikis

• Students explore class concepts and apply them to real world situations.

• Students can chat with each other about class material, blog and query about class material in postings, and collaboratively complete class assignments.

Activities in and outside of class create a more active learning environment for

students to master course material.

• These can sometimes be difficult to manage, but are easier with interactive technology.

Active learning can occur

through in-class activities.

• The active learning outside of class occurs through written communication technology activities.

• Technology allows students to peer review classmates’ or group member’s work to more easily allow revisions before final submission of work.

Active learning can also occur through assigned

activities in which students interact with each other outside of

class.

Active Learning