A majority of American adults value the role that art plays in education at the K-12 level. However, the potential benefits of arts-based, kinesthetic learning activities have not been well-documented at the college level. Twenty-three undergraduate students participated in passive learning, traditional active learning activities and arts-based…

Active learning increases student learning, engagement, and interest in STEM and subsequently, the number and diversity of graduates. Yet, its adoption has been slow, partially due to instructors' concerns about student resistance. Consequently, researchers proposed explanation and facilitation instructional strategies designed to reduce this…

Game-based learning offers a compelling prospect for innovative teaching and student engagement, but popular examples often involve either complex, time-consuming systems that invite high-order thinking, or simpler, quick versions that reward memorization. Far less common are games that fit low-stakes activities (such as concept review) but…

Teaching a business program capstone class presents a double challenge, requiring the educator to integrate different functional areas of business and evaluate student learning. This paper discusses concept maps as an active learning assessment tool in teaching a strategic management capstone course. Concept maps are used to meaningfully depict…

The primary purpose of this paper is to describe the variety of active engagements that characterize student behaviors in active learning classrooms (ALCs) across an undergraduate degree program. The number of different engagement types observed during a single class meeting varied between two and eight across 23 different courses. Three forms of…

Active learning involves students engaging with course content beyond lecture: through writing, applets, simulations, games, and more (Prince, 2004). As mathematics is often viewed as a subject area that is taught using more traditional methods (Goldsmith & Mark, 1999), there are actually many simple ways to make undergraduate mathematics…

Students in the Millennial Generation (late 20s and younger) have been raised in an environment in which individuality is highly valued and information, entertainment, and social interactions are unlimited and at their fingertips. As a result, these students may have different educational expectations and needs than previous generations. Class…

The author describes a classroom activity in which students generate and then analyze insulting words to gain insights into how gender is socially constructed. After discussing how and why undergraduate students struggle with the concept of gender, the author highlights the usefulness of an active learning pedagogy in clearing these…

We describe an active learning exercise intended to improve undergraduate students' understanding of statistics by grounding complex concepts within a meaningful, applied context. Students in a journal excerpt activity class read brief excerpts of statistical reporting from published research articles, answered factual and interpretive questions,…

Findings from a survey of undergraduates demonstrate links between students' experience level and their perceptions and expectations of large classes. The authors made a number of hypotheses, including that students prefer active-learning experiences but expect passive-learning experiences, that experienced students prefer large classes but…

This article evaluates the use of instructor-created crossword puzzles as a means of reviewing course material. Students completed one crossword puzzle in class to prepare for an exam, and then they had the opportunity to complete a second crossword puzzle outside of class to prepare for the second exam. Students generally rated the crossword…

The research methods unit of survey psychology classes introduces important concepts of scientific reasoning and fluency, making it an ideal course in which to deliver enhanced curricula. To increase interest and engagement, the author developed an expanded research methods and statistics module to give students the opportunity to explore…

By creating a space for fun, interaction, and trust, teachers and students together can build a learning environment that promotes engagement, deep learning, and meaning. Such a space emphasizes process, not product, personalizes learning, and contributes to whole person development. To facilitate the creation of this space, the teachers show…