This is not the front page

active learning

Ac·tive / learn·​ing 

/ˈak-tiv/  / ˈlər-niŋ/

Noun

a system of learning that requires students to be actively engaged in constructing their own knowledge and learning through discussions, problem-solving, case studies, and other methods.

Utilizing 360 Video for Practice and Assessment

Image
barn with arrows indicating it is a 360 degree video
Photo Credit

Credit: © Penn State is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Veterinary and biomedical students are asked to watch a video of walking through a barn and to list the best practices for animal welfare and farm management shown in the video. They are also asked to list items that need to be improved. This offers a way to expand student experiences and allows them to practice evaluating without the time and expense of traveling. Further, this practice protects the biosecurity of the farm locations.

Using Professionally Produced Video Lectures

Image
screenshot of a video with an instructor with a PowerPoint
Photo Credit

Credit: T. Palmer © Penn State is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 

A presentation recorded in the studio produces a polished resource that can be used to share knowledge and content and provide an opportunity for students to review the material as often as needed to ensure comprehension. Professor Todd Palmer has recorded all his lectures for a course on Materials Science. Viewers can see the presentation and the instructor along with the laser pointer motion directing student attention.

Using a 3-2-1 Activity to Assess Student Understanding

Image
pyramid with 3 on top, 2 in middle, and 1 on the bottom
Photo Credit

Credit: Board, Chalk, Marketing by athree23 via Pixabay, licensed under CC0 

The 3-2-1 method is a student-centered formative assessment activity that can be used to gauge student understanding of course material and determine where students might need additional support. Students are asked to consider a lesson, video, lab, etc., and respond by describing three things they learned, two things they found especially interesting, and one question they still have.

Illustrating a Lab with a Video Explanation

Image
professor in a science lab with 2 tall clear cylinders in front of him
Photo Credit

Credit: © Penn State is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 

Video allows students to observe the behaviors of specific materials. Seeing the ball respond differently to materials which look alike illuminates the impact of underlaying structure, making it easier to grasp the concept. Even if the chemical structures involved were depicted in a drawing, the impact of the structures to dislocation in motion is not intuitive, so actually demonstrating the behavior helps us to understand and retain the concept.

Using Video-Based Asynchronous Discussions

Image
4 cartoon heads with a picture of a play button in the right corner.
Photo Credit

© Penn State is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 

Video-based asynchronous discussions are an excellent alternative, or addition to, text-based discussions. Video-based asynchronous discussions utilize an app to create a group discussion or sharing opportunity where students record short videos of themselves and respond to their peers' posts via video. Video discussions are very effective at creating social and teaching presence and increased collaboration.