In alignment with IUB’s 2030 Strategic Plan, the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) has awarded five faculty members with Active Learning Grants. These grants support faculty who are implementing evidence-based teaching strategies that foster deeper engagement, critical thinking, and improved learning outcomes.

Active learning is when students engage directly with course materials through discussion, problem-solving, and other collaborative activities. Active learning is deeply supported by evidence: it fosters better student performance (Freeman et al. 2014), promotes critical thinking (Costes-Onishi and Kwek 2023), and active learning students outperform compared to students who learn via lecture (Freeman et al. 2014; Prince 2004).

Meet This Year’s Grant Recipients

Five exceptional instructors received funding to redesign aspects of their courses to incorporate active learning strategies.

Annie Edwards, Mathematics

Project Focus: Collaborative Problem-Solving in Algebra

Professor Edwards is focusing on Math M124, a foundational algebra course typically taught by graduate student instructors. By developing structured problem-solving activities for each lesson, they aim to increase student engagement and collaboration. “If successful, this model could be expanded to other coordinated courses within the mathematics department,” notes Professor Edwards.

Dr. Jessica Hollenbeck, Chemistry

Project Focus: Flipped Classrooms for Biochemistry Connections

Dr. Hollenbeck is implementing flipped classroom activities in CHEM-C 383 (Biochemistry) to help students connect basic chemical principles to complex biochemical concepts. Rather than encouraging memorization, her project develops three interactive flipped classroom modules. “Students in CHEM-C 383 are assessed on both their mastery of the content as well as their ability to communicate their understanding effectively,” notes Dr. Hollenbeck, “Implementing flipped classroom activities will provide much-needed opportunities for students to practice articulating their reasoning clearly and persuasively.”

Dr. Tatiana Saburova, History

Project Focus: Board Games as Creative Final Projects

Dr. Saburova is developing an innovative group final project for HIST D308 “Empire of the Tsars.” Building on the course’s already integrated discussion formats, her project challenges students to design a board game about Russian imperial history. This assignment requires students to analyze, apply, and create. “This 300-level course aims to develop students’ competencies;” Dr. Saburova explains students will focus on “critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity.”

Dr. Elizabeth Yao, Jacobs School of Music

Project Focus: Enhancing Active Learning in Beginning Piano

Dr. Yao is enhancing MUS-P 110 (Beginning Piano for Non-Music Majors), which serves 460-500 students each semester. Her project re-arranges musical works to match students’ skill levels, implements interactive tools like PlayPosit, and develops discussion questions for lab sections. “These innovations aim to improve student engagement, critical thinking, and the connection between theoretical and practical components, “explains Dr. Yao.

Dr. Amber Yount, School of Medicine

Project Focus: Interactive Video Content for Human Physiology

Dr. Yount is transforming HSL-P225, a foundational Human Physiology course, by incorporating interactive elements into pre-recorded lecture videos. Using PlayPosit, she’s creating embedded interactions that encourage spaced repetition and active recall while developing critical thinking skills through application-based questions. “[Students] have some control over speed of delivery of new content and that can be used again for practice” explains Dr. Yount.

Impact on Teaching and Learning

By embracing active learning strategies, these instructors exemplify the approaches championed in the IUB 2030 Strategic Plan. If you know these instructors, wish them congratulations! Faculty interested in learning more about active learning strategies or applying for future grant opportunities should contact the CITL at citl@iu.edu

Works Cited

Costes-Onishi, P., & Kwek, D. (2023). Inquiry-Based Learning in Music: Indicators and Relationships between Key Pedagogical Practices and the Quality of Critical Thinking. Research Studies in Music Education, 45(2), 362–378.

Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), 8410-8415.

Prince, M. (2004). Does active learning work? A review of the research. Journal of Engineering Education, 93(3), 223-231.