Abstract

Active learning has gained growing political, instructional, and research interest. However, the definitions of active learning are wide. The learning outcomes related to it have been mostly positive but the measurement methods are not without problems. This review provides an overview of active learning, especially in the context of engineering higher education, by answering two research questions: (1) How is the concept of active learning defined and justified in engineering higher education research? (2) What are the learning outcomes connected to active learning and how is learning measured in engineering higher education research? Sixty-six empirical articles were analyzed inductively with qualitative content analysis. The analysis showed that active learning was defined in various ways, and in some articles, it was not defined at all. In addition, justification (theoretical or empirical) for the use of active learning was seldomly reported. Finally, the indicators used to measure the impact of active learning on students’ learning outcomes were mostly based on students’ self-report data and focused on course specific development in subject-related knowledge. More thorough descriptions and theoretical justifications, as well as the consideration of learning outcomes with appropriate research methods, could reinforce the transparency of empirical interventions and the application of active learning.

Highlights

  • The higher-education field has been facing a challenge to assess the traditional instruction practices and modify them to a more student-centered direction

  • This review study seeks to provide an overview of the current state of active learning research by investigating the use and justification of the concept of active learning as well as the measurement methods of learning outcomes in active learning research

  • What are the learning outcomes connected to active learning and how is learning measured in engineering higher education research?

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Summary

Introduction

The higher-education field has been facing a challenge to assess the traditional instruction practices and modify them to a more student-centered direction. The pressure for this has risen from the needs of students and working life, as well as from the broader economic and political changes [1]. Active learning is a wide concept, most often referring to student-centered and activating instructional methods and instructor-led activities [5,6,7,8]. It is generally not a concept of learning but a concept of instruction. Research has supported the role of active learning as a superior approach compared to traditional, more content-centered approaches, such as lecturing

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