Active Learning Activities

Active learning activities are tailored to specific learning outcomes and content. They incorporate one or more of the evidence-based strategies. Structured to expose their theoretical underpinnings, the activities can be used by practitioners and researchers alike.

Active Learning Activities

20 Results

Applied arts

Let Me Draw You a Picture…

Students use visual thinking to diagram / illustrate a subject with the only criteria being they have expert knowledge of it.

Photo by Mira Kireeva from Unsplash
Social sciences

GoTestMe: Student-Generated Test Questions

In this test review activity, students create questions, exchange them with a peer, and answer each other's questions.

Photo by Richard Horvath from Unsplash.
STEM Biology

Actin Up! Molecular Mechanisms of Muscle Contraction

Students are assigned molecular roles, and the class acts out the molecular events of skeletal muscle contraction.

STEM Biology

Just One Clue: Biology Edition

A cooperative game to guess Biology terms using creative, unique clues. Great for learning and reviewing terminology.

Biology Environmental science Geography

Earth History Walk

A self-guided walk exploring how – and why – Earth changed over its 4.6 billion year history.

Photo by Ramon Salinero from unsplash
Languages and Literature

Constructive Commentary

This activity guides students through set steps and strategies to comment on their peers' creative writing.

Photo by Mira Kireeva from Unsplash
Languages and Literature

Peer Review for Beginners

This peer-review activity for English 101 aims to help students improve their essays, but also to develop evaluation skills.

Health science

PharmaPuzzle Relay Race: Match the Meds and Win!

In this fast-paced relay, teams match categories of information to finish first and win the game

Languages and Literature Interdisciplinary

It’s All in the Delivery: 6 Rounds to Effective Presentation

Groups of students orally present a poem six times, focusing on six key aspect of effective oral presentations

Health science

Mock Data Collection and Role Play for Health Disciplines In-Lab Practice

Students play the role of a client in a simulated clinical intervention to provide a more authentic context for lab practice

Health science

Rough Draft Workshop: Group Peer Assessment Jigsaw Activity for Case Study or Procedural Writing

Students bring a rough draft of a written group project for peer evaluation and feedback

STEM Physics

Model Building

Students learn to build a conceptual model describing a situation involving an accelerating charged particle.

STEM Biology Health science

Case Study: Anophthalmia

Students work together to answer a patient's questions and explain how the brain is organized and how parts communicate.

STEM Biology Health science

Case Study: Malignant hyperthermia

STEM Biology Health science

Case Study: Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa

STEM Biology Health science

Case Study: Discovering the Structure of DNA

Interdisciplinary

Yeas and Nays: Using Smartphones for Gathering Data

The overall aim of this activity is to help students learn new, efficient and flexible ways to collect a variety of datasets.

STEM Biology Chemistry Engineering

Building Effective Teams

STEM Chemistry

Organic Chemistry Flipped Classroom

STEM Engineering

Peer Review Calibration and Constructive Feedback Workshop

This activity's goal is to familiarize students with the peer review process and teach them how to accept peer criticism.