When classes meet in an online, remote, or hyflex setting, the thought of how to also make that learning “active” comes up. There are many strategies one can use to incorporate active learning in an online environment.

Recently, Inside Higher Education posted an article called “Making Online Learning Active.” In this article, they outlined several methods to infuse active learning into online environments. Some of the suggestions offered include:

  • Annotation: students can annotate a written text or document either individually or collectively, using a tool like Hypothes.is
  • Collaboration: students create documents and presentations with Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets. Microsoft Whiteboard offers a digital whiteboard on which students can collaborate. Canvas Groups facilitate team communication and collaboration, while a free website like Trello offers project management tools.
  • Curation: students can bookmark websites with Symbaloo.com or Diigo.com or aggregate content with Google Keep. Google Keep offers a simple way for students to curate visual as well as textual resources.
  • Polling: instructors can engage students during synchronous meetings by using PollEverywhere
  • Survey Tools: Consider conducting a survey using Google Forms or Microsoft Forms to collect anonymous survey data and explore attitudes, interests, and opinions.

We explored some of these and other tools in a session that included a Canvas course you can also participate in asynchronously. Want to join the conversation? The slide deck, discussion conversations, and follow up resources are now available. Email canvas@chapman.edu and ask to be added to the “Asynchronous Activities” course.