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 (learn more here). These workshops are open to all UGA faculty, staff, and post-doctoral scholars.
Active Learning is a fundamental feature of effective teaching and learning. But what does an active learning course look like from the instructor’s perspective, or across various disciplines? How does active learning support student learning and engagement? This workshop will provide you with the chance to explore how and why active learning facilitates student engagement, collaboration, and reflection.
Setting the Stage for an Engaged Semester
1:15 pm – 2:30 pm, Friday, January 16, 2026
(Zoom link will be provided after registration)
Facilitated by Meg Mittelstadt, CTL Director & Assistant Vice President for Learning Initiatives
How can we help students remain engaged and enthusiastically learning – and do so without draining our own bandwidth? In this interactive workshop, participants discuss concrete practices for the first day(s) of class that promote a positive learning environment and foster connections between students, between students and instructor, and between students and course content.
Facilitating Productive Group Work
2:55 pm – 4:10 pm, Wednesday, January 28, 2026
(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 in which all students have the opportunity to succeed.
Got it?! Assess Student Learning Just in Time
1:15 pm – 2:30 pm, Friday, February 6, 2026
(Zoom link will be provided after registration)
Facilitated by Terri Dunbar, Assistant Director for Teaching Engagement
Have you ever wondered how much your students are learning from what you just covered? How do you know whether your students are ready to 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 alike 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.
Designing and Facilitating an Effective Learning Environment
2:55 pm – 4:10 pm, Thursday, February 26, 2026
(Zoom link will be provided after registration)
Facilitated by Terri Dunbar, Assistant Director for Teaching Engagement
As an instructor, you have more control over the learning environment in your classroom than you might guess. Research tells us that when students feel a sense of belonging in your classroom, and sense that their instructor is invested in their success as learners, they are more likely to attend class, participate in discussions, and engage in learning activities. Importantly, there is also a great deal of reciprocal synergy between the use of active learning strategies and the cultivation of an effective and engaging classroom environment. In this workshop, we will explore concrete strategies that instructors can use to shape a learning environment that promotes student motivation, intellectual focus, and a sense of belonging.
Supporting Neurodivergent Students in Active Learning Classrooms
1:15 pm – 2:30 pm, Wednesday, April 8, 2026
(Zoom link will be provided after registration)
Facilitated by Terri Dunbar, Assistant Director for Teaching Engagement
Active learning environments evidently enhance student learning; however, some student groups (such as neurodivergent students) may experience these benefits differently. This workshop explores hidden barriers that neurodivergent students may face in active learning classrooms (e.g., challenges with staying focused, information overload, and anxiety stemming from ambiguity and social interaction) and provide participants with practical strategies for designing a neuroflexible learning space that supports neurodivergent students and benefits all students. Instructors will acknowledge and value neurological variation as a key dimension of human difference that enriches their teaching approaches.
Asynchronous Active Learning Workshops
The eLC asynchronous workshops offer an experience equivalent to our in-person or virtual workshops, providing you with flexibility to complete them at your own pace.
You can self-enroll into the course via this direct link to participate now or follow the steps below:
– Navigate to the eLC homepage. From the navbar, click “Discover.”
– In the search bar, enter “Active Learning Workshop Series” or click “Browse ALL” to view all available courses.
– Select the course and click “Enroll in Course” from the course details page.
Active Learning 101
Active Learning is a fundamental feature of effective teaching and learning. But what does an active learning course look like from the instructor’s perspective, or across various disciplines? How does active learning support student learning and engagement? This workshop will provide you with the chance to explore how and why active learning facilitates student engagement, collaboration, and reflection.
How Learning Works: Engage Your Students in Active Learning
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 how learning works to give these strategies a boost? Drawing upon the science of learning, this session will provide you with strategies to transform your classroom into an engaging and transformative learning environment that is conducive to student learning.
Small Teaching, Big Impact: Integrating Lectures with Active Learning
Did you know that some comparably small (but powerful) changes can have a big impact on student engagement and success? Drawing upon James Lang’s “Small Teaching” book, participants will explore an inventory of small teaching practices that can be used in classes of all sizes (including high-enrollment courses). Participants will then customize a combination of small teaching practices to incorporate into their own teaching.
Active Learning Workshop Tracker
Below is a guide to help you track the Active Learning Workshops you have attended. 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 (learn more here). Please click on the link below to download the Workshop Tracker document.