The Center for Teaching and Learning is excited to announce the launch of the Active Learning Workshop Series, a key programming element of UGA’s Active Learning Initiative. This initiative aims to promote a university-wide culture of active learning. This flexible, à la carte workshop series aims to empower and equip instructors to successfully implement active learning practices and related evidence-based teaching practices in learning environments across UGA.
The Active Learning Workshop Series consists of four introductory workshops (Active Learning Fundamentals) and eight advanced workshops (Special Topics in Active Learning). Each academic year, the Center for Teaching and Learning will offer all four Fundamentals workshops and a rotating selection of Special Topics workshops. Although the workshops are numbered to help you track your participation, you can complete these workshops in any order you wish!
The Active Learning Workshop Series is one of two on-ramps to UGA’s Active Learning Leader Certificate program. Instructors who complete a minimum of eight Active Learning workshops, including all four Active Learning Fundamentals workshops and a selection of four Special Topics in Active Learning workshops, will be eligible to apply for the Course Redesign Experience (launching in Spring 2025, call for applications to be announced in Fall 2024).
How Learning Works: Engage Your Students in Active Learning
2:20 pm – 3:35 pm, Tuesday, August 27, 2024
9:00 am – 10:15 am, Wednesday, August 28, 2024
(Zoom link will be provided after registration)
Facilitated by Ching-Yu Huang, Associate Director for Active Learning Initiatives
As instructors, we accumulate key “tried-and-true” teaching strategies over time that work for us and our students. How can we leverage the empirical evidence behind learning to boost these strategies? Drawing upon the science of learning, this session will provide you with strategies to transform your classroom into an engaging and transformative learning environment conducive to student learning.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS – Fall 2024
PDF Overview of Workshops and Schedule Available Here
Got it!? Assess Student Learning Just in Time
1:40 pm – 2:55 pm, Wednesday, September 18, 2024
9:30 am – 10:45 am, Thursday, September 19, 2024
(Zoom link will be provided after registration)
Facilitated by Sheryl Meskin, Assistant Director for Teaching Engagement
Have you ever wondered how much your students learn from what you just covered? How do you know whether your students can apply what they have learned? Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) can help us to find out! CATs are simple and often ungraded in-class activities that help instructors and students monitor the teaching-learning process in real time. In this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to experience and discuss CATs and will gain practice selecting and integrating appropriate CATs into their teaching.
Overcoming Student Resistance to Active Learning
2:20 pm – 3:35 pm, Tuesday, October 8, 2024
(Zoom link will be provided after registration)
Facilitated by Meg Mittelstadt, CTL Director & Assistant Vice President for Learning Initiatives
Fear of student resistance can prevent instructors from deepening their commitment to active learning strategies. But what if you knew the important “instructor moves” that can be used to prevent and counter student resistance? In this workshop, we will explore the Integrated Model for Student Resistance (Tolman and Kremling, 2016) and apply what we learn to realistic case studies. Explanation and facilitation strategies that have been demonstrated to reduce student resistance to active learning will be discussed.
Facilitating Engaging Discussions
11:20 am – 12:35 pm, Friday, November 1, 2024
(Zoom link will be provided after registration)
Facilitated by Ching-Yu Huang, Associate Director for Active Learning Initiatives
How do we facilitate classroom discussions in which distinct ideas and multiple perspectives are shared? How can we prevent one or two voices from dominating the discussion? In this workshop, we will explore active learning strategies that establish built-in routines, support productive dialogue and active listening, and promote environments where all students can succeed.
Keep track of your attendance with this Active Learning Workshop Series tracking form:
For additional information, contact Dr. Ching-Yu Huang, Associate Director for Active Learning Initiatives at chingyu@uga.edu.