The Active Learning Toolkit Series has been developed by teaching academics for teaching academics, tutors and sessional staff. Browse through resources, tools and exemplars to help you actively engage and support your students both in the virtual and physical classroom.
Toolkit 1. Introducing Active Learning
New to active learning or need re-familiarising? This collection will help you get started or re-introduce it back into the classroom.
Suggested Activities to ‘activate’ learning in your class
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Classroom Debate |
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Flipped Classrooms |
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Group Work |
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Leading Discussions |
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Polling |
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Problem Solving in groups |
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Teaching with Cases |
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Teaching Diverse Groups |
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Supporting Students to Reflect on their Group Work |
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Guide to integrating Flexibility Week as part of active student learning |
| Healthy Universities Course Coordinator Manual | |
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Course Coordinator Manual |
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UNSW Healthy Universities Initiative |
| Curricular Approaches to Student Wellbeing, Academic and Career Success Guidelines | |
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Guidelines Document |
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UNSW Healthy Universities Initiative |
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Fostering a sense of Community with your Students Dr Daniel Mansfield (UNSW School of Mathematics and Statistics) talks about fostering a sense of community with his Maths Students through social streaming platform Twitch.tv. ‘Twitch.tv is a streaming platform dedicated to live video. What it does really well is help people create interactive live content. In 2016 I began exam revision live streams during the study break, and I chose twitch.tv to foster a sense of community and interaction with my students. When the COVID lockdown came in 2020, I used the same platform to run a Friday night social stream for my students. The aim was to replicate, as much as possible given the circumstances, the social aspects of university learning by creating a relaxed place where students could chat with each other and their lecturer. I stream Friday nights from about 8:30pm AEST on twitch.tv/danielfmansfield. We are currently reading "Fantastic Mr. Fox" by Roald Dahl.’ |
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The dawning era of Peer to Peer Education Assoc Prof. Julien Epps (UNSW School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications) talks about a case study of remote mentoring applied to second-year electrical engineering course, and reflects on nearer-term insights into how students can be assisted in the context of formative self-directed learning. |
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From Studio to Microsoft Teams in 48 hours Karin Watson (UNSW Art & Design) discusses in her lecture some of the strategies used to minimise disruption and avoid potential technology roadblocks. It also highlights the importance of using visuals, enhancing teaching presence, structuring time differently, Scaffolding peer feedback and introducing drop-in sessions to enhance the collaborative learning experience. |
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Building, Gaming and Mentoring: students’ learning in construction Dr Benson Lim (UNSW Built Environment) presents a teaching model which integrates the concepts of scaffolding, experiential learning, problem- & game-based learning and mentoring, which has been developed to facilitate students’ learning in construction courses. Find out how scenario-based team brainstorming games helped enhance students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills and, more importantly, how they built team camaraderie for their subsequent scenario-based group assignment. |
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Making tutorial preparation engaging: The role of case video quizzes Dr Veronica Zixi Jiang discusses how pre-tutorial preparation is essential for tutorial learning success. In the tutorials for her course ‘Elements of Marketing’, Dr Jiang discusses how using real marketing cases encourages students to engage in active problem-based learning. |
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Active Learning in Curriculum / Course Design Cristina Ramos Jaime (UNSW Built Environment) discusses ‘What Knowledge do I want my students to be able to apply when they have completed my course?’ and the inclusion of active learning concepts within the curriculum/course design of the three courses she teaches. |
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UNSW Active Learning Initiative: Supporting academic staff in Active Learning Spaces Joanna Kartheritsas (Learning Environments, PVCESE) presents on how active learning is supported in both the virtual and physical classroom. Joanna shares tips on how to ‘activate’ your virtual classroom through the use of Blackboard Collaborate tools and the resources which have been developed through the Active Learning Initiative that support Active Learning in a physical teaching space. |
Getting Started
Technology
Engage and Support your Students
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Teaching Diverse Groups |
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Supporting Students to Reflect on their Group Work |
 |
Guide to integrating Flexibility Week as part of active student learning |
| Healthy Universities Course Coordinator Manual | |
|
Course Coordinator Manual |
|
UNSW Healthy Universities Initiative |
| Curricular Approaches to Student Wellbeing, Academic and Career Success Guidelines | |
|
Guidelines Document |
|
UNSW Healthy Universities Initiative |
Getting Started
Technology
Engage and Support your Students
Getting Started
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Exploring Physical Teaching Spaces – CATS Rooms |
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360 Interactive Tour of Active Learning Spaces |
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Furniture Layout Ideas for Active Learning Spaces |
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Using Effective Educational Videos in your course |
Technology
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UNSW Centrally Supported Education Technology Tools |
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Learn Office 365 |
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Get Started with MS Teams |
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Zoom Video Tutorials |
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Teaching Technology Toolkit developed by UNSW Medicine |
Toolkit 2. Active Learning Online
This collection highlights ideas, tips and ways to get your students actively engaged when they are learning virtually.
Template Slides to download for your Virtual Class by Dr Victoria Clout
 Standby Slide for Students |
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Welcome Slide Pack |
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Netiquette Slide |
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EF Thought Leadership: Online Teaching Experiences A/Prof Jayashri Ravishankar focuses on the online delivery of an advanced analytical electrical engineering course that was in a 100% flipped mode since 2018 Click to see link |
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Course Planning and Time Management for Online Teaching in Term 2, 2020 A/Prof Jayashri Ravishankar covers essential details for an online class including planning and various time management strategies to make your course interesting for your students Click to see link |
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Building a Student Online Community in Large Classes Dr Natalie Oh discusses building an e-team teaching spirit, the use of a performance management tool and coordination & delivery for quality community building in large classes Click to see link |
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How to activate your ‘virtual classroom’ in Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Joanna Kartheritsas (Learning Environments, PVCESE) presents on how the ‘virtual classroom’ is activated through the use of tools available in Blackboard Collaborate Ultra. In this presentation, Joanna shares tips on how to start your virtual ‘active’ class as well as Active Learning resources developed through the Active Learning Initiative that support Active Learning in both the virtual and physical classrooms. Click to see link |
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Electrical Engineering: ‘Reimagining education from the lab to the living room’ Read how Electrical Engineering students have been able to access the same hands-on lab experience whilst learning remotely thanks to their tech-savvy teachers. Article |
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UNSW Art & Design: Digital Learning with Karin Watson Watch how Karin explains how she is embracing digital learning with her first-year students studying Bachelor of Design at Art & Design. Video Presentation |
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Student Perspective on the Student Experience Watch Education Focussed academics spoke to six UNSW students about their experience with online learning and how they're adjusting to new ways of learning. Video Presentation |
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EF Academics in the Faculty of Engineering share their experiences in online teaching and helping students stay on track Read the experiences of three Education Focussed academics in Engineering as they share their thoughts on teaching their ‘flipped’ classes virtually Article |
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The EF Community of Practice (CoP) ‘Online Education Resources’ shares resources for Online Roleplay in the virtual classroom Explore the resources collated for ‘Online Roleplay’ using online experiential learning and implementation including a guide on using Online Roleplay for assessments Resource |
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The EF Community of Practice (CoP) ‘Online Education Resources’ shares resources for Interactive Virtual Reality Explore the resources collated for ‘Interactive Virtual Reality’ as a method to deliver lessons thereby immersing the student in computer generated environments, pre-recorded 360 deg videos or panoramas enabling them to explore and interact Resource |
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Learning Maths through Virtual Reality Watch Dr Daniel Mansfield demonstrate the Virtual Reality program developed in collaboration with the Immersive Technologies team for his first year Maths students. The program enables students to investigate the course topic of Vectors for themselves Video |
Getting Started
Technology
Engage and Support your Students
Teaching Cohorts Online
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Scaling Education – EF Community of Practice (CoP) Guide |
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Session Settings in Blackboard Collaborate Ultra for Large Classes |
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Managing Large Classes in Zoom |
Getting Started
Technology
Engage and Support your Students
Technology
|
UNSW Centrally Supported Education Technology Tools |
|
Learn Office 365 |
|
Get Started with MS Teams |
|
Zoom Video Tutorials |
|
Teaching Technology Toolkit developed by UNSW Medicine |
Engage and Support your Students
Template Slides to download for your Virtual Class by Dr Victoria Clout
|
Standby Slide for Students |
|
Welcome Slide Pack |
|
Netiquette Slide |
Teaching Large Cohorts Online
Toolkit 3. Enhancing student engagement through Active Learning
This collection is designed for who are familiar with active learning, this toolkit has advanced strategies to further build the student’s active classroom experience.
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Planning for Success in Remote, Hybrid and Online Classes: A Handout for Students |
|
Teaching Diverse Groups |
|
Supporting Students to Reflect on their Group Work |
|
‘Summary and Checklists: How do I help students engage productively in active learning classrooms?’ |
| Healthy Universities Course Coordinator Manual | |
|
Course Coordinator Manual |
|
UNSW Healthy Universities Initiative |
| Curricular Approaches to Student Wellbeing, Academic and Career Success Guidelines | |
|
Guidelines Document |
|
UNSW Healthy Universities Initiative |
|
Active Learning in Curriculum / Course Design Cristina Ramos Jaime (UNSW Built Environment) discusses ‘What Knowledge do I want my students to be able to apply when they have completed my course?’ and the inclusion of active learning concepts within the curriculum/course design of the three courses she teaches. Presentation Video Presentation |
|
Building, Gaming and Mentoring: students’ learning in construction Dr Benson Lim (UNSW Built Environment) presents a teaching model which integrates the concepts of scaffolding, experiential learning, problem- & game-based learning and mentoring, which has been developed to facilitate students’ learning in construction courses. Find out how scenario-based team brainstorming games helped enhance students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills and, more importantly, how they built team camaraderie for their subsequent scenario-based group assignment. Video Presentation |
|
Making tutorial preparation engaging: The role of case video quizzes Dr Veronica Zixi Jiang discusses how pre-tutorial preparation is essential for tutorial learning success. In the tutorials for her course ‘Elements of Marketing’, Dr Jiang discusses how using real marketing cases encourages students to engage in active problem-based learning. Presentation |
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Dove, Peacock, Owl or Eagle – What do birds have to do with scaffolding students for online teamwork Dr May Lim presents an auto-ethnographic journey and reflection on the design of a level 3 engineering design course to enhance the students’ team experience. The detailed exploration of the context, the reaction from students and the teacher, as well as the approaches to address the development of effective and appropriate team interaction provide a valuable insight for others approaching a similar redevelopment or ways of addressing team activities online. Video Presentation DOPE Bird 4 Personality Type Test Tools for Remote Collaboration |
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Building a Student Online Community in Large Classes Dr Natalie Oh discusses building an e-team teaching spirit, the use of a performance management tool and coordination & delivery for quality community building in large classes Video Presentation |
|
How to activate your ‘virtual classroom’ in Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Joanna Kartheritsas (Learning Environments, PVCESE) presents on how the ‘virtual classroom’ is activated through the use of tools available in Blackboard Collaborate Ultra. In this presentation, Joanna shares tips on how to start your virtual ‘active’ class as well as Active Learning resources developed through the Active Learning Initiative that support Active Learning in both the virtual and physical classrooms. Presentation |
Advanced Active Learning Strategies
Technology
Teaching Large Cohorts
Engage and Support your Students
|
Planning for Success in Remote, Hybrid and Online Classes: A Handout for Students |
|
Teaching Diverse Groups |
|
Supporting Students to Reflect on their Group Work |
|
‘Summary and Checklists: How do I help students engage productively in active learning classrooms?’ |
| Healthy Universities Course Coordinator Manual | |
|
Course Coordinator Manual |
|
UNSW Healthy Universities Initiative |
| Curricular Approaches to Student Wellbeing, Academic and Career Success Guidelines | |
|
Guidelines Document |
|
UNSW Healthy Universities Initiative |