One of the main motivation of the whole CDIO (Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate) approach is to make engineering more interesting, to increase students’ motivation and to make engineering education more working life relevant. Active learning is one answer to support students’ motivation, but also to engage students more on their learning. Student-centred learning is emphasized highly in various reports on higher education too.
Active learning is one of the key elements in the CDIO approach – there is a standard for active learning (standard 8). Active learning methods engage students directly in thinking and problem solving activities. Active learning means less emphasis on passive transmission of information, and more on engaging students in manipulating, applying, analyzing, and evaluating ideas. Active learning engages students in thinking about concepts, particularly new ideas, and requires them to make an overt response. While they learn more, they also recognize for themselves what and how they learn. Active learning is a step to student-centred learning where student takes a central role in his/her learning.
During this workshop the participants will familiarize themselves to the active learning standard and study different active learning methods such as: • Muddy Cards, • Recitation, • Gallery Walk, and • Formulate-Share-Create-Revise. Furthermore, the workshop itself applies active learning method, Jigsaw Classroom method, to learn other active learning methods. In addition, electronic voting devices – clickers – are used during the workshop to activate participants and to test understanding of concepts.
After the workshop, the participants have learnt a number of different active learning methods that are easy to implement in their own classes. The participants will work using the active learning methods and thus they will have own experience on these methods too. As an outcome of the workshop the participants have deeper understanding of active learning and a number of active learning methods to be applied in practice.
Proceedings of the 11th International CDIO Conference, Chengdu, China, June 8-11 2015