In 2025, the Faculty Senate at the University of Washington approved the adoption of a set of core elements of effective teaching into Section 24-32 of the UW Faculty Code. One these elements of effective teaching is “active and engaged:”
Active and engaged: Effective teaching creates opportunities for learners to critically engage ideas and each other
Active and engaged teaching builds on constructivist learning theory, which posits that people learn by connecting new ideas and experiences to what they already know. As Tabitha Kirkland, Associate Teaching Professor at UW, notes,
“If learners don’t get a chance to really actively grapple with contradictions between what they already thought they knew and the new information they are taking in, they won’t really grasp that there is a discrepancy, they won’t fully learn the new information.”
This type of teaching contrasts sharply with how the media often depicts teaching – where the instructor stands at the front of the room talking at students for the entire class. (This resonates with many of our own college learning experiences as well). In reality, students learn best when they have opportunities to apply what they are learning through a hands-on activity or small group discussion.
Research shows that, when it is incorporated intentionally, active learning has positive impacts on student learning and success—particularly for underrepresented students. Moreover, engaging students through active learning can also increase instructional efficiency – when students are engaged during class, they are less likely to seek supplemental help outside of class.
Active learning can be incorporated in a number of ways. Here we focus on in-class active learning activities, leading dynamic discussions, and group work.
Strategies for active and engaged teaching
Use active learning activities
Active learning activities can be used even in large lecture halls. Common strategies include in-class polls, minute papers, think-pair-share, interactive lectures, and exit tickets.
Learn more about active learning activities
Facilitate dynamic discussions
While “good” discussions can be a powerful tool for encouraging student learning, successful discussions rarely happen spontaneously. Preparing ahead of time will help you delineate a clear focus for the discussion and set well-defined parameters.
Learn more about leading discussions
Design effective group work
Although it can be challenging, group work improves student learning and builds students’ self-efficacy and collaborative skills. Explore strategies for designing effective group work for any class size and modality.
Learn more about group work
Practicing and demonstrating active and engaged teaching
Because active and engaged teaching is one of UW’s core elements of effective teaching, it is important that UW faculty members know how to demonstrate and recognize it. Below is a list of practices and materials that might indicate that an instructor’s teaching is active and engaged. Developed by members of the UW Faculty Senate Council on Teaching and Learning, the list is neither required nor exhaustive, but may be a good starting point for instructors and reviewers preparing to engage in a collegial review process. Your department may also have discipline-specific examples to consider.
- Classroom culture and course materials promote psychological safety and respect regarding voicing individual points of view and questions
- Instructor encourages students to voice questions and request clarifications routinely throughout class
- Syllabus and/or learning objectives clearly define expectations regarding student engagement and participation during class
- Students have the opportunity to work/learn from other students (e.g., in groups, class debates, or think-pair-share)
- Instructor strategically invites all students to remain engaged during class using evidence-backed teaching methods such as random calls, polls, Q&A, etc.
- Assessments encourage students to engage in critical thinking and self-reflection
Note: Instructors might consider providing their reviewer(s) with annotated copies of key artifacts (e.g., course syllabus or other course materials, samples of student work) to highlight how they are integrating active and engaged practices into their teaching.