Active Learning Activities

Keeping Up With the Trends

This activity is aimed at getting students to write sound, scientific rationales for observed phenomena.

Group Work Project Contracting

For instructors planning student group work projects over many weeks or months.

Put Your Theory on Trial

Scaffolded debate that explores the nuances of a belief that the teacher has introduced.

Nature of Science Ice-Breaker

A first class ice-breaker activity introducing the nature of science.

To Pass or Not to Pass: Acting out Membrane Transport

Aim of the activity is to increase students’ understanding of molecules’ movement through the cell membrane.

Card Sorting Activities for Mechanics

Can I Use the Internet?

Peer Review, Assessment & Feedback

Who are We? Class Demographics

In this icebreaker activity, students answer questions about themselves, which is included in a anonymous class profile.

Interrupted Case Study in Material Engineering

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

Model Building

Students learn to build a conceptual model describing a situation involving an accelerating charged particle.

Forget the Math! Draw Pictures to Learn the Wave Theory of Light

Peer Review Calibration and Constructive Feedback Workshop

This activity's goal is to familiarize students with the peer review process and teach them how to accept peer criticism.

Problem Set Using Lightboard Video Recordings

Circus Launch Clicker Questions

Chemicards

Using cards in a "Chemicard' deck, students determine which ionic compounds are most likely to form.

Explosives Detective

Momentum Photoproject

Home Wiring

Projectile Tracker

Students use the Tracker software to analyze projectile motion to determine which equations fit the plots produced.

Energy Tracker

Students learn to analyze data using spreadsheet programs and gain a deeper understanding of conservation of energy.

Problem Sorting