Active Learning Activities

Editing Exercise: Mock Academic Conference

Research, writing & editing activity that builds interpretive skills and the ability to incorporate research.

Biologist Says: Mini-Game for Recalling Biology Terms

A familiar and easy to implement game to help students with recall of biological terms.

BioQuest: Mini-Game for Categorizing Biology Terms

A fun consolidating activity at the end of a topic or unit to help students categorize and consolidate biological terms.

Hemoglobin Hustle: An Adaptation of Race for the Hat

Used the Race for the Hat activity to create a Jeopardy-style session on blood & blood disorders for a pathophysiology class.

Electron Odyssey: Journey through the Mitochondria’s Electron Transport Chain

Students play the roles of protein complexes to see how electrons, protons, and energy moves through the ETC to produce ATP.

Don’t go NUTS: A Case Study on the Physiology of Stress

Interrupted Case Study in Material Engineering

This activity uses real life case study examples to give students a more in-depth look at analytics.

Case Study: Anophthalmia

Case Study: Malignant hyperthermia

Case Study: Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa

Case Study: Discovering the Structure of DNA

Solving World Issues: One Smartphone at a Time

The purpose of this activity is to familiarize students with the potential of online tools for problem-solving.

Rock Paper Scissors Lizard

“Light, Camera, Action” Starring Reactions in Photosynthesis

Dictation: Read and Run

Don’t leave it to chance! Testing Biology Data Right the First Time

In this activity students learn how to apply statistics to biological data through a series of mini case studies.

Cytoskeletal Proteins in Amoeba

Taking the role of a biologist, students statistically determine how different drug treatments can affect amoeba cell shape.

A Case for Cystic Fibrosis (CF): A Québec Perspective

In this activity students take on the role of a geneticist helping an individual recently diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.

Disappearing Sea Otters

Students take the role of an ecologist and try to analyze species behaviours and predict population change.

Brazil Nut Tree

Students take on the role of ecologists, tasked with saving the Brazil nut tree from the effects of deforestation.

Darwin’s Finches: Natural Selection

In this game-based activity, students learn about natural selection, evolution of traits, and data collection and analysis.  

Poetic Literary Jeopardy

Students learn literary and poetic elements that will be part of their fundamental 'toolbox' for the rest of the course.

Alien Cell Dissection

Students learn to apply their knowledge of normal "terrestrial" cells to a new scenario (an alien cell).

National Building Code Jeopardy