Active Learning: Enhancing Student Performance and Engagement

Active learning is an educational approach that directly involves students in the learning process, encouraging active participation rather than passive absorption. This method has not only demonstrated superior efficacy compared to traditional classroom settings, but also proven benefits in enhancing student performance and engagement. In this article, I will delve into the concept of active learning, discuss its proven benefits, and share a recent example from IFP School .

Introduction

Almost all teachers and trainers face the same problem: how to retain learners' attention. This has always been a challenge, but it has become even more daunting in an age where learners have instant access to all possible answers. While banning cell phone use might seem like a solution, data shows that attention spans naturally decline during lectures.

It is well known that attention declines during a lecture , even though the exact length of the average attention span has yet to be determined. Recent research has also proven that feelings of contempt, anger, fear, and confusion increase while feelings of happiness, sadness, and disgust decrease in the first stage of the lecture. Moreover, insisting that learners remain passive recipients of top-down knowledge makes less and less sense in an era of hyper-information. Instead, engaging learners through interactive and participatory methods is essential to maintain their interest and foster a deeper understanding of the material. Active learning is a critical strategy to address this challenge, keeping students engaged and motivated throughout the learning process.throughout the learning process.

What is Active Learning?

Active learning is a pedagogical approach that empowers students through activities and discussions rather than having them passively receive information. It's an umbrella term that includes various learning activities such as group work, problem-solving exercises, peer teaching, and interactive simulations, just to give some examples. According to the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University , active learning strategies place the responsibility for learning on the students themselves. This method contrasts with traditional teaching methods, which often involve lectures where students passively absorb information.

Traditional methods, such as lecturing, can simultaneously deliver large volumes of information to numerous students. However, they often fail to engage students deeply and do not encourage the development of critical thinking or problem-solving skills. Students in traditional lecture settings may retain less information and struggle to apply what they have learned to new situations.

In active learning, students engage in group discussions, problem-solving tasks, case studies, and hands-on projects. These activities promote higher-order thinking skills, such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, which are crucial for deep understanding and long-term knowledge retention. Most teachers and trainers have likely implemented these strategies through learner interactions, often without formally identifying them as active learning techniques but simply referring to them as "practical activities."

What Science Says About of Active Learning

Probably because we have learned all our lives, we tend to forget that learning is a science. Scientific studies provide robust evidence supporting the efficacy of active learning over traditional methods.

One of the most robust studies about active learning , a meta-analysis of 225 studies, reveals that student performance in undergraduate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) courses significantly improves with active learning compared to traditional lecturing. Students in active learning environments performed better on exams and were less likely to fail. These benefits were consistent across different STEM disciplines and class sizes, with the most significant improvements seen in smaller classes.

The study strongly supports active learning as a more effective teaching practice than traditional lectures.

Cognitive research shows that knowledge is constructed in the learner's mind through experiences and interactions with the environment. Active learning facilitates this by providing opportunities for students to discuss ideas, receive meaningful feedback, and identify and correct misconceptions. Traditional lecturing often fails to engage students deeply and does not effectively promote critical thinking or problem-solving skills.

Active learning, on the other hand, fosters a sense of belonging, promotes self-efficacy, and helps close achievement gaps for students.

Additionally, active learning helps students develop essential career skills such as problem-solving, teamwork, communication, and ethical considerations. It is a superior approach for cultivating a comprehensive and inclusive educational experience.

How to implement?

To shift from being the teacher who knows all the answers to the one who asks the best questions, we can follow this:

1. Define Clear Objectives

• Set specific, achievable goals for what students should learn and be able to do.

2. Select and Prioritize Content

• Focus on the most important concepts without worrying about covering "everything."

3. Choose Effective Active Learning Strategies. Some examples:?

• Problem-Based Learning: Present real-world problems for students to solve.
• Case Studies: Analyze and discuss relevant scenarios.
• Interactive Lectures: Combine short lectures with interactive discussions.
• Group Projects: Facilitate teamwork on practical, collaborative projects.

4. Arrange the Room for Active Learning

• Create a flexible seating arrangement that supports group work and discussion.

These are just simplified examples to help start small. There are hundreds of active learning techniques available. Over time, improvements can be made by collecting student feedback and comparing different methods.

Transforming Learning at IFP School: A Practical Case

One of the most well-known examples of active learning is the flipped classroom, where students review lecture content outside class and use class time for engaging activities. In the Petroleum Engineering and Project Development (PEPD) and Petroleum Geosciences/Reservoir Geoscience and Engineering (PGS/RGE) programs at IFP School, a variation of the flipped classroom was implemented by Carla Castillo , a teacher at the Georesources and Energy Center. Her course included an introductory cycle of 4 to 5 days of theoretical lectures. She noted that students often struggled with key concepts by the end of this cycle.

To address this, I, on behalf of Lab e·nov? team ( Olivier Bernaert Marie de la Villèsbrunne Jérémy Demolliens ), collaborated with Carla to redesign her course. We designed a variation of the flipped classroom that involved giving the students the role of the teacher and asking them to conduct the course. To do this, Carla provided students with incomplete slides, requiring them to reconstruct and reorganize the information in groups. Each group presented their work, summarized the previous presentation, and engaged in Q&A sessions. In the end, she verified understanding, supplemented the course with additional elements, and provided feedback—all during class time (take a look at the video here ).

This method enhanced student engagement, allowing them to explain concepts, ask questions, and communicate effectively. Student feedback was very positive, highlighting improved concentration and a new approach to classroom dynamics that made complex subjects easier to understand. As science has already proved, we could test and confirm the effectiveness of active learning methods in our practice at IFP School.

Conclusion?

Active learning is not a magic pill, and changing long-established practices can be challenging. Even though this method has proven to yield better results, students may resist it for various reasons. The most obvious reason is that it requires more effort from the students, which can be difficult if they are used to a top-down knowledge transfer. Other reasons include not understanding the rationale behind the active learning approach and struggling with writing questions, critically thinking, and critiquing peers' ideas.

Transforming a lecture-based course into an active learning course for the first time also demands significant effort. We are accustomed to our slides and presentations, and having to prioritize content, rethink the learning goals, and reorganize all the pedagogical strategies is a challenge. However, once this stage is completed, the benefits become evident.

Active learning fosters a deeper understanding of the material, enhances student engagement, and develops critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Educators can create a more dynamic and effective learning environment by incorporating active learning strategies, such as those successfully implemented at IFP School. This not only improves academic outcomes but also better prepares students for real-world challenges.

References:

Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the national academy of sciences, 111(23), 8410-8415.

Kovarik, M. L., Robinson, J. K., & Wenzel, T. J. (2022). Why Use Active Learning?. In Active Learning in the Analytical Chemistry Curriculum (pp. 1-12). American Chemical Society.

Owens, D. C., Sadler, T. D., Barlow, A. T., & Smith-Walters, C. (2020). Student motivation from and resistance to active learning rooted in essential science practices. Research in Science Education, 50, 253-277.

Tongu?, G., & Ozkara, B. O. (2020). Automatic recognition of student emotions from facial expressions during a lecture. Computers & Education, 148, 103797.

Wilson, K., & Korn, J. H. (2007). Attention during lectures: Beyond ten minutes. Teaching of Psychology, 34(2), 85-89.

https://bokcenter.harvard.edu/active-learning

https://www.celt.iastate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/CELT226activelearningtechniques.pdf