Open Educational Resources From the Innovative Resources for Instructional Success Center

Active learning

Active learning requires students to engage in the learning process (Weiman, 2014). In contrast, under passive learning conditions, students have the option of engaging with content (e.g., thinking about lecture content, writing reflective notes while watching a film), but the delivery of content (i.e., lecture, film) does not require engagement. Under active learning conditions, the learning circumstances compel students to think, perform, or affectively engage (i.e., associate feelings) with the content (Ismail & Groccia, 2018). Engagement with the material promotes recall, a necessary condition for the retention of content (Pyc & Rawson, 2010). Thus, the more students recall, reflect, elaborate, perform, and respond to content, the more likely they are to gain knowledge and/or skills.

Commonly used forms of active learning in higher education include (a) questioning techniques (e.g., quizzes, online games like Kahoot!, think-pair-share, Socratic methods, reflective journals), (b) direct practice (e.g., role-playing, jigsaw, presentation, peer-teaching), and (c) applied problem-solving (e.g., case studies, application activities, project-based learning; Barkley, 2009; Ismail & Groccia, 2018). Although IRIS STAR Legacy modules have elements of active engagement such as embedded questions and interactive games, and other IRIS OERs are specifically designed for active engagement (e.g., case studies, application activities), instructors can further enhance learning outcomes by designing lessons that include both IRIS-developed and instructor-created active-learning elements. Instructors can mix and match these active-learning elements when designing IRIS OER-based instruction (see Figure 2).

OPEN IN VIEWER

Figure 2.

Active learning techniques.

Distributed practice

Distributed practice refers to repeated, spaced engagement with material over a specified period of time (Dunlosky, Rawson, Marsh, Nathan, & Willingham, 2013). The term practice can refer to physically engaging in a particular skill (i.e., practicing the piano or free-throws) or participating in activities more commonly associated with academic learning (e.g., solving mathematics problems, answering questions, flashcard drills). Regardless of whether a skill is physical, cognitive, or both, researchers have consistently found that the distribution of learning across days, weeks, or months results in stronger learning outcomes than massed exposure even when massed exposure (e.g., one session of 40 min of studying) is longer in duration than total amount of distributed sessions (e.g., three 10-min sessions distributed over 5 days; Cepeda, Pashler, Vul, Wixted, & Rohrer, 2006; Gerbier & Toppino, 2015). In other words, distributing engagement over time typically results in greater learning (Cepeda et al., 2006) with fewer learning trials (i.e., less time). More importantly, distributed practice results in stronger retention of learning (Dunlosky et al., 2013; Pashler et al., 2007). Given the efficiency of distributed practice and its capacity to enhance long-term retention, instructors should plan for repeated exposure to IRIS-related content. As noted previously, the grouping of IRIS OERs by topic facilitates the selection of activities that can be distributed over time. For example, assigning a STAR Legacy module for homework, providing a case study activity during class, and quizzing students on the content over subsequent class sessions is one way an instructor can plan for distributed practice when using IRIS OERs.

Integrated assessment

A strong relationship between testing and learning exists (Roediger, Putnam, & Smith, 2011). Specifically, the testing effect, the finding that learning and memory are aided by the retrieval of content from memory, is a well-established principle of learning (Pyc & Rawson, 2010; Roediger et al., 2011). Although assessment (i.e., testing) involves elements of active learning (i.e., recall of content) and distributed practice (i.e., spacing between initial presentation and delayed recall), the utility of assessment goes beyond these elements. Specifically, in addition to aiding retention, engaging in assessment helps students (a) identify gaps in learning, (b) enhance how information is organized within memory, (c) transfer learned material to novel conditions, and (d) retrieve nontested material. In addition, assessment data can provide important feedback for instructors (Roediger et al., 2011).

Educators frequently differentiate between formative and summative assessment. Formative assessment occurs before or during the learning process for the explicit purpose of informing the delivery of future instruction to improve performance. Summative assessment occurs after the learning process and is used as a gauge of overall achievement. Under both formative and summative conditions, students can benefit from being tested (Wininger, 2005). In addition to student gains, integrating assessment within the delivery of IRIS OERs can provide teacher educators with valuable information. Teachers often overestimate what their students know (Roediger et al., 2011); however, assessment of students can provide direct feedback on student learning, which can be used to inform future instruction. Given the benefits of frequent assessment, teacher educators should make use of assessment tools embedded within IRIS OERs. In addition, as found in the 2019 survey of IRIS users, many educators create their own assessments (e.g., concept maps, performance assessments, quizzes) to complement existing IRIS-provided assessments.