Dialing up the Active Learning in your Classroom

Active learning has been shown to improve outcomes [1]. In this workshop, we will share our experiences with active learning in four core computer science courses from CS1 [2] to third year and with class sizes from 120 to 470. We will discuss fully flipped courses, as well as others that were "semi-flipped", and why. We will address practical issues such as doing active learning in ill-suited lecture halls, getting student buy-in, deciding what course activities to grade, and using TAs to assist in the classroom. We will provide specific examples of our own active-learning activities, including some that have been very effective, and others that have not. We will also address the challenge of designing the out-of-class activities that prepare students and create time for active learning in class.

Participants will have a chance to participate in some activities from our own classrooms, to share some of their own, and to identify and discuss principles on which we can base decisions such as what course content is best suited to be learned in class vs outside of class, and what topics to prioritize for active learning.

This workshop is suitable for those who want to simply dial up the amount of active learning in their classroom, as well as those interested in investing in a more significant course redesign to a semi or fully flipped format.