Teaching in Active Learning Classrooms at a Canadian University
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| Title: | Teaching in Active Learning Classrooms at a Canadian University |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Hedieh Najafi, N. Carol Rolheiser, Kelly Gordon |
| Source: | Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. 2024 15(2). |
| Availability: | University of Western Ontario and Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Mills Memorial Library Room 504, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L6, Canada. Tel: 905-525-9140; e-mail: info@cjsotl-rcacea.ca; Web site: http://www.cjsotl-rcacea.ca/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 19 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Active Learning, Teaching Methods, Foreign Countries, Classroom Design, Classrooms, Audiovisual Aids, Decision Making Skills, Technical Support, Classroom Techniques, Curriculum Development, School Space, Higher Education |
| Geographic Terms: | Canada |
| ISSN: | 1918-2902 |
| Abstract: | This article describes an evaluation of a campus wide Active Learning initiative to examine instructors' experiences teaching in Active Learning Classrooms (ALCs) at a Canadian University. ALCs at this university differ in size, layout, and audio-visual equipment. The participants were 21 instructors from different disciplines who had taught courses in various ALCs who were interviewed to explore their pedagogical decision-making, teaching experiences, and their access to ALC-specific, pedagogical and technological support. Instructors explained their classroom management strategies specific to ALCs, discussed how physical and technological features of different ALCs impacted the extent of necessary revisions to their courses, and highlighted logistical issues in being assigned to ALCs that may fit the requirements of their courses. Based on the findings, we pose a series of recommendations to offices responsible for classroom assignment, academic departments, and centres for faculty support and development. Overall, instructors would benefit from advance notice of ALC room assignment, just-intime and self-directed opportunities regarding integrating Active Learning strategies in instruction, and access to orientation sessions and multimedia documentation developed for different types of ALCs. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1453531 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This article describes an evaluation of a campus wide Active Learning initiative to examine instructors' experiences teaching in Active Learning Classrooms (ALCs) at a Canadian University. ALCs at this university differ in size, layout, and audio-visual equipment. The participants were 21 instructors from different disciplines who had taught courses in various ALCs who were interviewed to explore their pedagogical decision-making, teaching experiences, and their access to ALC-specific, pedagogical and technological support. Instructors explained their classroom management strategies specific to ALCs, discussed how physical and technological features of different ALCs impacted the extent of necessary revisions to their courses, and highlighted logistical issues in being assigned to ALCs that may fit the requirements of their courses. Based on the findings, we pose a series of recommendations to offices responsible for classroom assignment, academic departments, and centres for faculty support and development. Overall, instructors would benefit from advance notice of ALC room assignment, just-intime and self-directed opportunities regarding integrating Active Learning strategies in instruction, and access to orientation sessions and multimedia documentation developed for different types of ALCs. |
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| ISSN: | 1918-2902 |
