Active Learning Library

It has been exactly five years since I shared the first SoTL blog article! I hope that my goal of sharing timely, easy to implement teaching ideas into your current approach has been helpful. This week, I would like to share a new tool for helping instructors incorporate diverse learning activities into their teaching. The Active Learning Library was developed by McCreary (2022), a doctoral Candidate at Johns Hopkins University. The tool is a free online resource that lets instructors browse over 40 different learning activities and filter them according to their own goals and interests. The tool allows for efficient integration of active learning strategies, many of which are from the USF list of 289 active methods. For example, instructors can search for activities that provide formative feedback, support small group engagement, build metacognitive skills, work well in online classes, or do not take long to prepare.

This is a great tool for instructors of all disciplines and experience levels, including those just starting to integrate active learning techniques into their classes. It provides links for facilitating each activity type to ground instructors in evidence-based best practice. It also allows the instructor to use filters such as difficulty, prep time required, Bloom’s taxonomy, active learning, inclusive learning, formative feedback, time and modality.

The tool makes it easier to plan effective college-level class sessions. It uses evidence-based strategies to foster structured, engaging, complex, and inclusive classes that maximize learning for all students. The tool streamlines the learning design process to support an instructor's own goals for their class.