Module 3: Preparing to Facilitate Active Learning

On this page:

Facing Challenges and Using Feedback
Faculty Perspective: Preparing, Facilitating, and Evaluating Active Learning
Pause for Reflection: Case Studies of Common Challenges
Strategies for Moving Forward
Evaluating Your Teaching and Closing the Feedback Loop
Pause for Workbook Activity: Evaluation Plan

Facing Challenges and Using Feedback

Even well-designed active learning can encounter obstacles. Technology may fail, students may resist unfamiliar approaches, or group participation may be uneven—experiences echoed in recent research documenting the mix of positive and negative perceptions instructors report when implementing active learning approaches (Murphy et al., 2024). Studies of resistance show that students often push back when activities feel unfamiliar, expectations are unclear, or workloads seem greater, but that these barriers can be reduced when instructors are transparent, connect activities to outcomes, and provide structure (Finelli et al., 2018; Tharayil et al., 2018).

While students engaged in active learning learn more, they may sometimes feel like they learn less (Deslauriers et al., 2019). Addressing these perceptions through transparency and reflection is part of making active learning sustainable for both instructors and students.

Back to top

Faculty Perspective: Preparing, Facilitating, and Evaluating Active Learning

In the short videos below, Prof. Mayes‑Tang reflects on her journey of facilitating active learning in the classroom. She describes how she prepared for the space, introduced active learning strategies with her teaching team, and gathered feedback to assess and improve her approach. Taken together, these clips illustrate one instructor's thought process across preparation, teaching, and evaluation.

Back to top

Pause for Reflection: Case Studies of Common Challenges

In your ALDF Workbook docx:

Read the cases below, which describe real-world challenges that faculty often encounter when facilitating active learning.
Choose one or two cases that resonate most with your teaching context and reflect on the following prompts. Use the table provided to jot down your reflections.
- How could you prevent this scenario from happening?
- If it happened in your class, what could you do in the moment?
- What could you do afterwards to adapt or respond?

Case Studies of Common Challenges Reflections
Case Studies	How I could prevent this	What I could do in the moment	What I could do afterwards
Case 1: Technology Fails: You plan to use polling software in a 300-student lecture. Ten minutes into class, the polling tool crashes. Students are restless and some pull out their phones.	[My notes]	[My notes]	[My notes]
Case 2: Student Resistance: In a seminar, you introduce a role-play activity to help students practice analysis skills. Several students roll their eyes, and one asks, "Why can't you just lecture and tell us what we need to know for the exam?"	[My notes]	[My notes]	[My notes]
Case 3: Uneven Group Participation: During a group discussion, one student dominates the conversation while two others remain silent. The quieter students later tell you they didn't feel included.	[My notes]	[My notes]	[My notes]
Case 4: Time Management: You plan a Think-Pair-Share and give students 5 minutes. The discussions run long, and by the time you regroup, you are rushing to cover the rest of your material.	[My notes]	[My notes]	[My notes]

As you reflect, note whether certain strategies could help across more than one case. Identifying patterns will make your future planning more efficient and adaptable.

Back to top

Strategies for Moving Forward

While every situation is unique, some strategies cut across these common challenges:

Build Buy-In

Introduce active learning early, connect activities to learning outcomes, and explain its value for assessments. Reduces resistance and helps students connect activities to assessments.

Example: Show past data or a short research finding that demonstrates how group work improved exam performance.

Tip: Pair your explanation with evidence—share a study or example from a prior class so students recognize the benefits beyond your own course.

Structure Group Work

Assign roles, provide prompts, and rotate responsibilities to ensure equitable participation. Prevents inequities and ensures all students have meaningful roles. This is particularly important for neurodivergent students, who report barriers when group work lacks structure and explicit expectations (Salvatore, White, & Podowitz‑Thomas, 2024).

Example: Give groups a checklist with roles (facilitator, recorder, presenter) and rotate them weekly.

Tip: Check in with groups mid‑activity to ensure roles are being used as intended; small adjustments early prevent disengagement.

Manage Time Transparently

Use visible timers, keep debriefs concise, and plan buffers into lessons. Balances coverage and activity, reducing frustration.

Example: Display a countdown timer on slides and stick to 2‑minute debriefs to avoid running over.

Tip: Use a visible countdown and a verbal "two‑minute warning" to help students pace themselves and wrap up effectively.

Prepare Backups

Have low‑tech alternatives ready (e.g., paper slips for polls, verbal instructions if slides fail). Keeps the class running smoothly and reassures students that you are adaptable.

Example: If clickers fail, shift to a quick "turn to your neighbour" discussion, then gather responses with a show of hands.

Tip: Test your backup plan once or twice during the term, even if technology works, so students know you have alternatives.

Model Adaptability

When challenges occur, narrate how you are adjusting. This builds student trust and shows flexibility as a teaching skill. Demonstrates resilience and sets a positive example for students.

Example: Say, "Our poll isn't working, so let's switch to quick pair discussions—we'll try the poll again next week."

Tip: Acknowledge what's working as well as what's changing—this helps students see adaptability as proactive, not just reactive.

Back to top

Evaluating Your Teaching and Closing the Feedback Loop

Active learning works best when it is iterative. To improve over time, gather feedback and show students how you act on it. Effective evaluation considers both student experience (how activities feel to students) and learning effectiveness (how well activities support achievement of outcomes). Balancing these perspectives provides a clearer picture of how active learning is working in your teaching context.

Closing the loop means not just collecting feedback, but responding to it transparently. For example, if students note that group work felt rushed, you might start the next class by saying, "I heard your feedback, so today I've built in more debrief time." This acknowledgement builds trust and demonstrates that student voices matter. You can gather and use feedback in several ways:

Student Feedback

Gather input directly from students using both structured surveys and quick in‑class activities. Mid‑term surveys provide broad perspectives, while activities like Minute Papers, Muddiest Points, or polls double as feedback tools that reveal how students are experiencing the course.

Sample questions: Which activities were most helpful for your learning? What made them valuable? Which activities were least helpful? How could they be improved?

Tip: Be mindful of survey fatigue. Space out requests for feedback so students don't feel over‑surveyed. Share back what you learned ("Many of you noted the pace felt fast last week—today we'll pause for short check‑ins").

Resource: CTSI's Gathering Formative Feedback with Mid-Course Evaluations PDF provides practical approaches and sample tools.

Peer or Team Input

Invite a colleague or TA to observe and provide feedback on facilitation or student engagement. External perspectives help identify dynamics you may miss in the moment and can validate or contrast with student feedback.

Tip: Give observers a short guide (e.g., note how many students spoke in each group, or how clearly instructions landed) so feedback is specific and actionable.

Resource: CTSI's Peer Observation of Teaching PDF offers approaches for structuring feedback.

Self-Reflection

Engage in ongoing reflection after class to capture what worked well, what barriers arose, and what you would adapt next time. Reflection helps you connect immediate observations with longer‑term teaching goals.

Tip: Keep a simple teaching journal with three prompts: What worked well? What was challenging? What will I try differently next time?

Resource: CTSI's Reflecting on Your Teaching at U of T identifies resources and services to support reflective practice.

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)

For some instructors, reflection grows into formal inquiry. SoTL involves systematically studying student learning, analyzing evidence, and sharing findings publicly. Conducting SoTL in an active learning contexts can deepen your teaching practice, contribute to your field, and provide evidence for teaching dossiers.

Tip: Start small by framing a question (e.g., How does peer discussion affect student confidence in problem solving?) and gathering evidence from your own class.

Resource: Enrol in CTSI's SoTL Hub to receive announcements of SoTL events, programming, and resources.

Back to top

Pause for Workbook Activity: Evaluation Plan

In your ALDF Workbook docx, draft a short plan for how you will evaluate and reflect on the active learning method you planned earlier. Use the table provided to map out your approach.

My Active Learning Evaluation Plan
Prompts	My Notes
How will I gather student feedback (formal or informal)?	[My notes]
How will I gather peer or teaching team input?	[My notes]
How will I engage in self‑reflection after the activity?	[My notes]
Will I take this further into a SoTL inquiry? If so, what question or evidence might I explore?	[My notes]
How will I close the loop and communicate back to students what I learned and changed?	[My notes]

Evaluation is iterative. Start small—use one or two strategies at first—and expand over time as you refine your practice.

Back to top

Select the "Next" button in the bottom right to access Module 3 References and Resources.

University of Toronto, Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation