Gayle Pringle Barnes (College of Social Sciences International Learning Officer, University of Glasgow)

Micaela Levesque (Glasgow University Student Representative Council Vice-President Education)

Aleix Tura Vecino (Effective Learning Adviser, University of Glasgow)

How can we work with students so that they get the most of the active learning activities in their courses? Students’ prior experiences of active learning can be very varied – and, despite their potential benefits, active learning activities are not always considered enjoyable or valuable (Deslauriers et al, 2019). In a recent meeting of the University of Glasgow ALN satellite group we explored ways of onboarding students to active learning.

We took an applied approach in the session, where we each focused on active learning in a course which we designed, taught or supported. This allowed us to work through the benefits and challenges for students in the active learning approaches we employed and to share our strategies for effective onboarding.

Our first step was to consider the active learning practices students would encounter in our chosen course. These included approaches such as the flipped classroom, Team-Based Learning and group work, as well as smaller, ad hoc activities such as short ‘buzz group’ discussions. A wide range of intended benefits were identified by the group, including increased engagement, opportunities for reflection, more workplace-relevance and community-building.

But we are also aware that introducing active learning in the classroom is not an easy task. The second part of the session centered around the challenges students might experience when asked to engage in active learning. We engaged participants in an open discussion, about the set of barriers students might encounter in their approach to active learning.

Interestingly, some of the challenges identified, such as lack of classroom time or students’ expectations, matched those highlighted in the literature (Børte et al. 2020), but others complemented existing findings, including the three main three main difficulties that were foregrounded: ‘fear’ towards adopting a new way of studying; lack of ‘motivation’ to engage with active learning techniques; and ‘unclear’ ideas about what active learning is and what are its benefits. The group also talked about the “risks” students take when they engage in active learning, be it social or emotional, and how those risks are felt differently by various student groups.

The group then shared strategies for addressing these challenges. These focused on designing in onboarding – thinking carefully about how to scaffold each of the active learning approaches used during the course design process. Key factors included:

• Effective induction to active learning, with a focus on not just explaining the rationale but also involving students in discussion about the approaches employed.
• Building up gradually by starting with smaller, ‘no-stakes’ activities.
• Adopting a flexible approach which allowed students to engage with the activities in different ways, including online, anonymous and written options.
• Assessment design which reflected the active learning ethos and clear links to learning outcomes and graduate attributes.

A consistent theme throughout our discussion was working in partnership with students to reflect and feed back on learning. Overall, the session offered a great space for reflection and discussion of ideas, and generated recommendations that we will seek to incorporate in our practice and encourage others to adapt!