Whereas passive learning seeks to transfer information directly to students (often via a lecture or a reading list), the principles of active learning suggest that students better develop skills by engaging directly in an activity themselves.  The activity then creates an engaging opportunity to develop higher order thinking skills by requiring students to solve a problem through process application or information recollection.   As educational scholar Terry Doyle puts it, “the one who does the work does the learning” (Doyle, 2008). If you’re wondering if an activity you offer in class is “too passive,” ask yourself - “am I doing all the work?” 

Classes that offer a wide variety of activities that can be accomplished in a wide variety of ways are more likely to reach a wide variety of learners.  This principle, often referred to as Universal Design Learning (UDL), suggests that strong, accessible activities:

• Use multiple ways to capture students' interest, sustain their effort, and help them stay motivated. This is done by tailoring activities to foster autonomy, collaboration, and resilience. 

• Present information in diverse formats, including visuals, audio, and language support, to ensure all learners can understand and process content effectively. 

• Provide flexible options for students to interact with materials and demonstrate their learning, such as through varied communication tools or assistive technologies (CAST, 2018). 

In an ideal learning environment students arrive at assessments (tests, presentations, papers, etc.) with a high degree of familiarity with both the content they are addressing, as well as the medium in which they are addressing it. In other words, when they arrive at a graded activity meant to measure their learning for significant point value, they should not be completing any aspect of that task for the first time.  Following that logic, powerful instructional activities support the students in their preparation for such assessments by allowing them to practice both the content and how they will apply it in a low stake's environment (i.e., corresponding with a smaller percentage of their grade).   

Educational psychologist David Kolb (1984) introduced a framework that captured the ideal learning cycle as one that allows for a constant cycle of experimentation, reflection, and re-application. In other words, powerful learning occurs when students are able to experience new information, apply it, reflect on their experience through feedback and personal reflection, and then try the application again using what they have learned.  Their learning process, therefore, is benefited by as many opportunities to execute this cycle as possible.  Well-designed instructional activities create this “loop” of learning and allow for as instructor feedback opportunities as possible to maximize reflection – and in doing so, learning (Kolb, 1984).   

Finally, strong instructional activities consistently communicate what students are expected to achieve.  While seemingly simple in theory, the introduction of mastery bias (the skewed way in which we view the challenge level of difficult concepts we ourselves have already mastered), causes instructors to frequently ‘under-explain’ instructional activities.  To address this, resources like TILT’s Checklist for Designing Transparent Assignments can be applied to most instructional activities.  According to TILT, we should outline most student-facing instructions beginning with a simple “Purpose, Task, and Criteria” structure. While the exact way in which you go about ensuring transparency may differ, consideration can result in cultivated trust, reduced frustration, and higher outcomes for your students (TILT, 2009-2023).