You know it, you like it – student appreciation of active learning methods

Abstract

ABSTRACT Active learning methods increase student learning, despite potential ressentiment of students towards these methods, based on the lack of knowledge, experience, exposure, or cultural ressentiments regarding social interactions with people perceived as strangers, which hamper the success of these methods. We investigated the student appreciation of five active learning methods among students and PhD candidates at the University of Bergen, Norway. The results indicate that exposure may increase the appreciation for these methods and that Norwegian students show appreciation compared to Non-Norwegians. Group Work was the most experienced and appreciated method, whereas the Jigsaw Classroom was the only method less appreciated than the average. The appreciation differed based on the method and the faculty of the students and implies that students in discussion-based “soft” sciences have different methodological appreciation than students in fact-based “hard” sciences. We present recommendations for the choice of active learning methods at different faculties.