Analyzing student engagement: a case study of active learning in two biology courses from a three-point perspective

Active learning is being encouraged in higher education as alternatives to a lecture-based approach. This study investigates the impact of active learning on student engagement across the three-dimensional construct (emotional, behavioral, cognitive). A mixed-methods design was employed with data drawn from four cohorts of undergraduate biology students (n = 131) from two biology courses at a French university that use active learning as an instructional approach. Engagement was analyzed through a three-point perspective: non-participant observation (timeline analysis), teacher interviews, and student questionnaires including open-ended questions. Results showed that students reported higher motivation and collaboration; the teachers expressed satisfaction with the instructional approach and the level of interaction during the sessions; and the timeline analysis revealed sustained engagement throughout class sessions. Findings indicated that triangulating these perspectives provided valuable insights into how active learning fosters student engagement. Future research should investigate the use of different measuring tools when it comes to active learning approaches to teaching at the university level.