Prenskey (2005) asserted that a major problem within education is not that the information being taught lacks "relevance" to students lives, but that there is a lack of engagement with educational tasks. When attempting to engage classes, tutors are aiming to draw students into learning activities--to involve them--and thus promote active learning…

The purpose of this article is to reveal ways to provide the opportunity for students to have aesthetically engaged learning experiences. Using John Dewey's ideas from "Art as Experience" as a framework, the author uses aesthetic theory to show how such ends can be reached. In addition, he suggests six themes that teachers can draw upon to help…

This note describes the use of a student poster session as an innovative approach to student learning. The local context for the assignment is provided, followed by a description of the course for which the poster was prepared, details about the assignment including its evaluation, and practical considerations for planning a poster session. The…

The value and the pitfalls of project and group work are well recognized. The principles and elements which apply to projects in general, apply to project-based courses. Thoughtful and detailed planning, understanding of the stakeholders and their needs, a good design, appropriate testing, monitoring and quality control and continual management…

To address the challenge of increasing opportunities for active learning into a medical physiology course with 190 students enrolled, we chose an integrated approach. This was facilitated by the availability of a patient simulator facility at the School of Nursing at the Medical College of Georgia, and an 20-min simulation of acute hemorrhage on…

At Glendale School in the Calgary Board of Education, Grade 1 students worried that they were too distracted with their studies and other activities to remember to water their plant. So they made other arrangements. The students invented and built Ralph, a robot that waters the plant, as part of their study of robotics, a subject that all Glendale…

Many academics see themselves primarily as experts in their discipline and hold content-oriented conceptions of teaching. It can then be difficult to persuade them to adopt forms of teaching incorporating active student engagement, even though there is evidence for the effectiveness of such forms of learning. This article describes a…

This study considers the effectiveness of a "balanced amalgamated" approach to teaching graduate level introductory statistics. Although some research stresses replacing traditional lectures with more active learning methods, the approach of this study is to combine effective lecturing with active learning and team projects. The results of this…

Projectile motion, a cornerstone topic of introductory physics, is usually a student's first exposure to the problem-solving techniques used in this subject. Often, this is an inactive learning experience--students work with pencil and paper to read and solve projectile motion problems (e.g., diagrams and descriptions of balls being hit, kicked,…

This article presents a study on using the PAIR-up model to evaluate active learning spaces. The PAIR-up model takes advantage of interdisciplinary partnerships, assessment, innovation, and reevaluation of current views to support learning space design. Using PAIR-up, the University of Minnesota designed, constructed, and assessed two pilot Active…

Recognizing that traditional classrooms do not facilitate active learning, colleges and universities are increasingly converting traditional classroom space into studio space. Research indicates positive effects on student learning when studio classroom space is combined with active learning pedagogy, but the research does not separate the effect…

As the world of work becomes increasingly dynamic and complex, career courses must shift to reflect the growing diversity of those in the beginning stages of career exploration. Constructivist career development has emerged as one way to help young adults meet the challenges of the 21st century. Yet, there is a dearth of constructivist career…

The goal for library media specialists and teachers is to lead students to use technology to communicate, in a powerful and meaningful way, and to creatively display what they have learned. With these ideas in mind, this article details several projects using Microsoft PowerPoint XP. The activities, with simplified instructions, can be adapted to…

Action learning (AL) has been called the "engine of the learning organisation". It has been demonstrated that it can help individuals adapt to, and be more effective in, the fast-changing world. This article reports on a one-day conference held at Henley Business School. The conference was jointly organised by Henley Business School and…

This paper explores the utility of interactive lecture podcasting in LAMS and the impact of structured dialogue design. It reports how curriculum renewal and innovation were greeted with scepticism by teacher education students enrolled in a compulsory curriculum unit at an Australian university. An analytic induction methodology in conjunction…