Active Learning Institute (Online) – Summer 2024
Looking for ways to increase student engagement in your face-to-face or online classroom? Our hands-on Active Learning Institute helps Columbia and affiliate faculty transform their undergraduate and graduate-level courses into environments for participatory learning. For Summer 2024, the four-day Institute takes place online from Monday, June 10 – Thursday, June 13, 2024.
Who is the Active Learning Institute open to?
The Active Learning Institute is open to all faculty from Columbia and its affiliate institutions who are interested in increasing active learning in their courses.
Faculty must be able to attend all four days of the Institute and complete a two-hour pre-institute online module to qualify.
What happens at the Active Learning Institute?
In this four-day immersive online experience, Columbia and affiliate faculty will explore the purposes and benefits of active learning and learn how to apply these research-based practices by developing their own active and learner-centered (face-to-face or online) course units.
Faculty will engage in a series of hands-on activities and discussions over Zoom and CourseWorks (Canvas) in order to:
- Design active learning experiences that align with course unit learning objectives
- Apply a holistic active learning framework to help students encounter and engage with ideas and reflect on their learning
- Sequence in-class and out-of-class activities and assessments to guide and focus student efforts
Each day of the online institute comprises:
- A two-hour (1–3 PM) synchronous Zoom session for interactive group activities
- Three hours of self-paced online lessons, course planning, and peer review
- 15-minute virtual office hours (optional)
The total time commitment of participating in the Active Learning Institute is approximately 20 hours.
By the end of this online institute, faculty will leave with a detailed map of their redesigned course unit, and one carefully-planned multimedia-based active learning experience. Faculty will also join a supportive network of Active Learning Institute alumni.
The Institute is facilitated by John Foo, Jamie Kim, and Sam Sadeh from the CTL.
Who should I contact for more information?
Should you have any questions about this program, contact John Foo at CTLfaculty@columbia.edu.
Join Us!
The Active Learning Institute application for Summer 2024 is now open. Columbia and affiliate faculty are invited to apply via the link below. Admission to the Institute is rolling, and applications received by Monday, May 13, 2024, will be given priority.
“The Active Learning Institute changed the way I approached teaching because it taught me how to correctly gauge and incorporate student feedback. Before ALI, I would rely on participation to get formative feedback. In ALI, I learned that this kind of feedback was often biased towards students who understood the material or those who were comfortable engaging in classroom discussion. After ALI, I had the tools to adjust pedagogy as the course progressed. These tools increased the overall engagement, learning and success of my courses.“
The CTL is here for faculty.
The Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning provides an array of support for faculty in both their work and their professional development.