Active Learning Activities

Group Work Project Contracting

For instructors planning student group work projects over many weeks or months.

Snowball Starter: Goals of Science Education

In this activity, the snowball strategy links students' prior beliefs to a deeper inquiry of science education goals.

Sensation and Perception Lab

The lab explores the senses of taste, smell, touch, proprioception and vision.

Nature of Science Ice-Breaker

A first class ice-breaker activity introducing the nature of science.

Cross-Disciplinary Synergy 101: Uniting Expertise for Success

In teams, students interact, share information on their profession, and create cases where each discipline is needed

Card Sorting Activities for Mechanics

Real-World Physics: Mini Video Projects

Peerwise Assignment: Human Body

Categorizing for Review

Interrupted Case Study in Material Engineering

Yeas and Nays: Using Smartphones for Gathering Data

Solving World Issues One Smartphone at a Time

Gender and Job Inequality

Family HiStories of Migration

Students interview two members of their family to collect information about their family history and present it in class.

Reflective Reading on Islam

Students use homework questions to prompt a deeper engagement with the reading material to generate better class discussion.

Identity Dot Exercise

Forget the Math! Draw Pictures to Learn the Wave Theory of Light

Who am I: (Mis)conceptions of Self

Holding Your Seat: A Mindfulness Exercise

Teacher for a Day: Defining a Definition

Museum Tour

Presentation skills: Conveying emotion

Engineering Poster Presentations with Peer Assessment

Problem Set Using Lightboard Video Recordings