Active & Collaborative Learning

Collaborative Learning

Collaborative learning encourages students to effectively work with peers, help each other learn, and feel a sense of belonging to a learning community. These benefits for students extend to in-person, online, and hybrid settings. You can design collaborative learning activities for pairs, small groups, or larger groups. Peer learning, or peer instruction, is a type of collaborative learning that involves students working in pairs or small groups to discuss concepts or find solutions to problems.

Active Learning

Active learning methods engage students and help them learn more effectively in person, online, or hybrid settings. Instructors can adapt many active learning strategies in online courses. Online active learning can also provide new ways for students to interact, participate, and collaborate.

Group Work

Students working in small groups often learn more and demonstrate better knowledge retention. Group work provides students with a sense of shared purpose that can improve morale and increase motivation. Explore ways to create and manage groups, design group work assignments, and evaluate group work. In addition, view examples of collaborative learning and group work activities, and a group work rubric.

Discussions

Meaningful class discussions teach students how to express concepts and ideas in their own words, develop reasoning skills, examine diverse perspectives, and purposefully respond to others.  View this resource "Tips for Teaching in Person with a Mask" for helpful strategies.