Resources to incorporate active learning into lecturers
These resources offer practical, evidence-informed strategies for incorporating active learning into lectures. They support a move away from content-heavy delivery towards more participatory, student-centred approaches that build engagement and foster a sense of cohort.
Resources developed across the University
- Engaging and interactive lectures
This e-booklet, developed by the Centre for the Study of Higher Education, provides real-world examples for engaging lecture delivery while also discussing the matter of what ‘engagement’ really means.
- Reinvigorating and reinventing the lecture Reinvigorating Lectures in Higher Education
This resource was developed by academics from the Faculty of Arts. It acts as an invitation to examine the place and value of lecturing in teaching practice and students’ learning.
- Cohort building through active learning in lectures
This guide, developed by Teaching and Learning Innovation (TLI), outlines strategies to foster student engagement and a sense of belonging through active learning in lectures. It includes practical suggestions for embedding interaction and collaboration into lecture formats.
- Pair and group work exercises
This TLI guide provides a structured approach to incorporating pair and group activities into teaching. It includes a range of examples that can be adapted for different class sizes and learning contexts, with a focus on promoting meaningful student collaboration.
- Padlet: A Tool for Collaborative Engagement
Padlet is a digital bulletin board that allows students to post text, images, links, and files in real time. It supports interactive learning by enabling students to contribute to shared content during or after a lecture. Padlet is accessible across devices and is particularly effective in large-class settings where individual contributions may otherwise be limited.
Common use cases in lectures include:
- Live brainstorming in response to a question or case study posed during the lecture
- Crowdsourcing examples or applications of key concepts introduced in the session
- Real-time reflection on a lecture topic to gauge understanding or surface questions
- Collaborative annotation of a text, image, or diagram shared during the lecture
- Poll Everywhere: Real-Time Student Feedback and Interaction
Poll Everywhere is a web-based audience response tool that enables live polling, Q&A, quizzes, and word clouds during lectures. It is designed to encourage active participation and provide immediate insight into student understanding.
Common use cases in lectures include:- Live brainstorming in response to a question or case study posed during the lecture
- Crowdsourcing examples or applications of key concepts introduced in the session
- Real-time reflection on a lecture topic to gauge understanding or surface questions
- Collaborative annotation of a text, image, or diagram shared during the lecture