Background: Enabling teaching approaches that promote active learning can require a certain amount of organisational reorientation. For example, structural and cultural shifts may be needed to accommodate moves towards student-centred learning. In higher education environments, lecturers can play a significant role in supporting students'…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to propose an alternative approach to the think-pair-share active learning method and assess it for outcomes. Design/methodology/approach: This paper evaluates student knowledge of the course content presented in the study (data analytics and artificial intelligence) using a pre- and post-test process with…

The goal of this research was to test the effectiveness of a new science curriculum focused on increasing awareness and knowledge of microplastic pollution in middle school students. The curriculum utilized three teaching methods including lectures, object-mediated learning, and peer collaboration to enhance student engagement and learning. The 84…

Investigating student engagement in active learning activities could provide valuable insight into variations of student learning outcomes when active learning is included in a course. This study sought to explore students' engagement in relation to active learning activities incorporated in a general chemistry lecture course using the Activity…

This paper focuses on a UK higher education institution (HEI) which redesigned three lecture theatres as 'Collaborative Lecture Theatres' (CLTs). Using Radcliffe's framework for designing and evaluating learning spaces and using his three related components; pedagogy, space and technology it will explore how the redesigned rooms (space) and the…

Urban universities with a predominantly commuting student population face distinct challenges in fostering social connections. Commuting students spend less time on campus and have fewer opportunities for organized and spontaneous social interactions with other students. The campus experience for commuter students tends to center around the…

The well-known benefits of collaborative learning have prompted the development of active learning classrooms that are designed to facilitate peer interaction. Given the expense of designing active learning classrooms, examining student perceptions of these learning spaces is critical. Furthermore, it is not well understood how the type of…

In-class activities that use a collaborative learning approach were developed for a one-semester biochemistry course as a way to achieve higher student engagement. The redesign of this course from a traditional lecture to a format that incorporated a significant active learning component without reducing the amount of content is described. These…

This study assessed the impact of an "active learning" strategy employed alone or in combination with traditional lectures on the learning of mammalian physiology by undergraduate students. The study investigated the impact of three teaching strategies, namely (1) traditional lecture, (2) group discussion alone, and (3) combination of…

Physiology students grapple with large amounts of subject content and hence memorize facts to pass examinations. In parallel, students display limited critical-thinking and creative skills, integration abilities, and/or a deeper engagement with subject content. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of introducing active learning methods…

The COVID-19 pandemic required a shift to online learning that posed particular challenges for the education of dental students. Basic science courses were presented in an online, asynchronous format to facilitate small group rotations through preclinical work. The success of active learning was previously examined in a Dental Physiology course,…

Team-based learning is an instructional method of specifically structured in class team activities that has been proposed as an alternative to traditional lecture methods. Proponents of TBL claim that it promotes aspects of learning that traditional lecture methods do not. There have been numerous studies examining the benefits of TBL; however,…

This three-paper dissertation addresses the experience and the implementation of evidence-based learning practices in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)/biology education. Study 1 explored instructional strategies and student perceptions and preferences for various teaching practices in graduate and undergraduate classrooms…

As calculus instruction moves further from lecture-based instruction toward student-centered pedagogy, support services must align with the changing goals for the course. This paper describes the work of a department as they collectively design and redesign a co-requisite Calculus I course, in an effort to better promote students' academic and…

Students find it hard to understand acid-base homeostasis and the mechanisms involved in compensating for acid-base imbalances, including the role of the lungs and kidneys in this process. We have developed a laboratory activity based on collaborative problem-based learning and human patient simulators (HPSs) to teach this topic. Students (n=50)…