This chapter considers the essential elements of collaborative learning, reviews research supporting the efficacy of this instructional practice, and argues that students can be more or less active according to the structure of the collaborative task.

This article views student engagement through the lens of a university wide blended learning initiative. Using the Community of Inquiry framework, student voices help us understand how professors and the institution can increase active learning. Attention is also given to the development of higher order thinking skills as a means of increasing…

This article describes the use of feedback-oriented online assignments in large classes of undergraduate students studying anatomy and physiology to promote active learning, critical thinking, and effective written communication skills.

This chapter shows how freshmen students entering at the university have to cope with a new life and face a variety of stress.

Higher education today is no longer what it once was. Once upon a time, students only had the option to attend classes in person. The first shift from this format happened when students began taking classes through correspondence, where materials were physically mailed out. Later, as technology increased, a new format led to students being able to…

This chapter explores three key features of integrative learning practice that play a vital role in fostering student success: guidance and support through critical transitions; entire development of the student; and engagement in project-based learning that connects learning to complex, real-world problems, and opportunities that can have…

This concluding chapter helps us look toward the future of active learning spaces as they enter the mainstream.

This chapter explores whether a new learning space, designed to be more like a café than a classroom, provides an environment that facilitates active and collaborative learning.

This chapter focuses on project-based learning in colleges of business, a concept that offers the student a "hands-on" approach to knowledge by working on actual projects with business community organizations. However, it may take more than such partnerships to assure graduates become "educated people" as well as those…

This chapter describes the processes and pedagogies used by one school in transitioning from lecture halls to collaborative learning environments.

A case study is described that examines the beliefs and practices of a university instructor who teaches regularly in an active learning classroom. His perspective provides insights into the pedagogical practices that drive his success in these learning spaces.

This chapter introduces a University of Iowa effort to enhance and support active learning pedagogies in technology-enhanced (TILE) classrooms and three elements that proved essential to the campus-wide adoption of those pedagogies. It then describes the impact of those professional development efforts on the curricula and cultures of three…

Marymount University is a midsized, independent Catholic university whose mission combines a liberal arts foundation with career preparation and opportunities for personal and professional development. The university is moderately selective with a highly diverse undergraduate student population. Approximately half of Marymount undergraduates are…

There are unique moments in curriculum development when an opportunity for a fresh start or a major turn in design fleetingly presents itself. These moments opened up in different locations across McMaster University at different times and eventually led to several quite different initiatives in inquiry-guided learning (IGL). Well-travelled…

A number of universities in the United Kingdom (UK) have launched institution-wide initiatives recently to embed inquiry and research more firmly into the student experience. Among these, the Centre for Inquiry-based Learning in the Arts and Social Sciences (CILASS) led a five-year development program at The University of Sheffield (TUOS) between…