Module 3: Preparing to Facilitate Active Learning

Congratulations!

You've reached the end of Module 3: Preparing to Facilitate Active Learning. In this module, you built on your designs by planning how to put active learning into practice, preparing your teaching team and students, and anticipating common challenges.

By completing this module, you have:

Planned active learning activities with attention to timing, flow, and facilitation;
Prepared your teaching team (e.g., TAs, co-instructors) to support active learning;
Communicated expectations to students and built buy-in for active learning;
Anticipated challenges and identified strategies for addressing them; and
Considered ways to evaluate your teaching and close the feedback loop.

References and Resources

The following list includes references cited in this module as well as optional additional resources for further exploration. Reviewing these resources is not required but may help you deepen your understanding of active learning. You are welcome to explore them at your own pace.

Angelo, T. A., & Zakrajsek, T.D. (2024). Classroom assessment techniques: Formative feedback tools for college and university teachers (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Barkley, E. F., & Major, C. H. (2018). Interactive lecturing: A handbook for college faculty. Jossey-Bass.
Barkley, E. F., & Major, C. H. (2022). Engaged teaching: A handbook for college faculty. The K. Patricia Cross Academy.
Deslauriers, L., McCarty, L. S., Miller, K., Callaghan, K., & Kestin, G. (2019). Measuring actual learning versus feeling of learning in response to being actively engaged in the classroom. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(39), 19251–19257.
Finelli, C. J., Nguyen, K., DeMonbrun, M., Borrego, M., Prince, M., Husman, J., Henderson, C., Shekhar, P., & Waters, C. K. (2018). Reducing student resistance to active learning: Strategies for instructors. Journal of College Science Teaching, 47(5), 80–91.
Murphy, M. P. A., Phillipson, A., McRae, K. E., & Leger, A. B. (2024). The experience of teaching in an active learning classroom: A positive/negative perception study. Learning Environments Research, 27(3), 939–953.
Salvatore, S., White, C., & Podowitz-Thomas, S. (2024). "Not a cookie cutter situation": How neurodivergent students experience group work in their STEM courses. International Journal of STEM Education, 11(1), Article 47.
Tharayil, S., Borrego, M., Prince, M., Nguyen, K. A., Shekhar, P., Finelli, C. J., & Waters, C. (2018). Strategies to mitigate student resistance to active learning. International Journal of STEM Education, 5(1), Article 7.
Zakrajsek, T. D., & Nilson, L. B. (2023). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college instructors (5th ed.). Jossey-Bass.

U of T Resources

CTSI Active Learning at the University of Toronto
CTSI Active Learning Spaces: Assessment Video (02:46)
CTSI Active Learning Spaces: Preparation Video (02:30)
CTSI Active Learning Spaces: Teaching Video (02:46)
CTSI Gathering Formative Feedback with Mid-Course Evaluations PDF
CTSI Peer Observation of Teaching PDF
CTSI Reflecting on Your Teaching at U of T
CTSI Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
CTSI Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Hub [Enrol link]
CTSI Student Response Systems
Identify, Assist, Refer Training
Materials for Accessible Communication Resources
Sexual Violence Prevention & Support Centre Training and Workshops
TATP Active Learning
TATP Job Training
TATP Working with Your TAs

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University of Toronto, Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation