A look at an active learning strategies for deeper understanding - a case study in Mechanics of Materials

Active learning encompasses anything students might be called on to do in class besides watching and listening to an instructor and taking notes (Felder & Brent, 2016).The purpose of this study was to incorporate active learning strategies into Mechanics of Materials, a core engineering course, in order to provide a more meaningful and deeper learning experience for students.The active learning strategies incorporated in this case study include individual and group problem-solving, peer interaction, and live polling with immediate feedback to both the instructor and the learners.A few problem-based instructional activities were piloted in the Fall Semester of 2015 with full-scale implementation in the Spring Semester of 2016.After a successful implementation with increased student scores and positive feedback, the course was further enhanced and converted into a flipped model in the Spring Semester of 2017.The flipped model allows for a much greater amount of active learning during class time.Positive results, both statistically and anecdotally, have warranted to continued use of the active learning strategies developed within this course. 1-IntroductionA search of active learning on the Internet returns hits on theory, definitions of, strategies, examples, and activities.In a broad sense, this is a great place for any instructor who is a novice to active learning to begin when determining what active learning is and which strategies may work.Active learning, as defined by Felder and Brent, is a teaching approach that encompasses anything students might be called on to do in class besides watching and listening to an instructor and taking notes (Felder & Brent, 2016).Many strategies have been developed to promote active learning in the classroom.A few such strategies include sketches of form, critiques of various samples, brainstorming activities, and determining calculation errors (Felder & Brent, 2016).Additionally, student-to-student collaboration or peer instruction (PI) engages students during class through activities that require each student to apply the core concepts being presented, and then to explain those concepts to their fellow students.Unlike the common practice of asking informal questions during lecture, which typically engages only a few highly motivated students, the more structured questioning process of PI involves every student in the class (Crouch & Mazur, 2001).Even with this enhanced student involvement, however, many instructors in higher education are reluctant to adopt active learning strategies.