How Theory, Research and Instruction Come Together in Active Learning

Engaging Students through Active Learning Strategies in a Medicinal Chemistry Course

“…In a traditional lecture-style classroom, students are often passive, and it is challenging to engage them intellectually with the course material. However, previous work on the ICAP taxonomy has suggested that constructive and interactive activities in the classroom are effective in student engagement and learning. , With this in mind, the active learning sessions that we designed for our medicinal chemistry course included problem-solving sessions, analyzing and explaining concepts (constructive activity), interactive discussions, and student group presentations (interactive activity). The goal of this work was to understand student perceptions of engagement in an active learning environment and their feedback on the overall effectiveness of these strategies.…”

Revitalizing the Muddiest Point for Formative Assessment and Student Engagement in a Large Class

“…ngaging students in large-enrollment classes is often challenging for nurse educators due to class size, increased student anxiety, and feelings of anonymity. [1][2][3][4] The literature indicates that meticulous course design with active learning strategies to promote student engagement is essential to the quality of the class and mitigates student anxiety and their sense of anonymity. 1,3,5 Active learning strategies, which involve student participation in class activities rather than passive consumption of lectures, result in enhanced learning experiences and improved learning outcomes and are therefore considered best practices for teaching.…”

“…1,3,5 Active learning strategies, which involve student participation in class activities rather than passive consumption of lectures, result in enhanced learning experiences and improved learning outcomes and are therefore considered best practices for teaching. 1,2,6 One active classroom teaching strategy used to promote student engagement is called the muddiest point (MP). In this teaching strategy, an instructor asks students at the end of a learning activity to describe one point or topic that is still unclear or "muddy."…”