Overview
Active learning encompasses a wide spectrum of instructional approaches that position learners as engaged participants in the construction, application, and integration of knowledge. While active learning often includes structured classroom strategies, such as collaborative problem-solving, discussion-based activities, or reflective exercises, it also extends to broader experiential and high-impact educational practices. These may include community-engaged learning, undergraduate research, internships, global learning, project-based learning, and other experiences that require students to actively make meaning, apply concepts, and connect learning to authentic contexts.
Across this range, the aim of active learning is to cultivate environments where students take an intentional, participatory role in their learning process. Whether through brief in-class activities or extended experiential opportunities, active learning supports deeper understanding, skill development, and the ability to transfer learning to new situations.
The Drake Institute supports the integration of active learning principles across diverse instructional settings. Our events, programs, and services assist instructors in designing, implementing, and assessing a wide range of active and experiential learning practices that promote student engagement and success.
Expected Learning Outcomes
- Participants will be able to describe the connection that exists between student engagement in the learning process and construction of new knowledge and development of skills.
- Demonstrate the application of an evidence-informed approach that actively engages students in the learning process within their own instructional context.