Active Learning supported by FeedbackFruits
Turn passive listeners into active participants—empower your students to think, collaborate, and engage deeply with every lesson.
Author: Natalie Berkman, Quest Education Group
Natalie Berkman, Ph.D. is a higher education professional currently serving as the National Academic Director at Quest Education Group. In her current role, she pilots a unique project-based and active learning strategy, training future video game and cybersecurity professionals. See Natalie’s publications here.
What is active learning?
Contrary to traditional lecture-based approaches, active learning is a student-centered approach that involves learners in tasks like discussion, problem-solving, reflection, and collaboration. Rather than passively receiving information, students participate directly in their own learning process—testing ideas, exchanging feedback, and applying concepts to real-world scenarios. This level of engagement fosters deeper understanding, critical thinking, and long-lasting retention.
Why active learning?
Research consistently finds that when students actively collaborate, discuss, and apply course concepts, they gain stronger mastery and higher motivation. They become more invested in the learning process and more adept at transferring knowledge to new contexts. This not only increases performance on exams and projects but also nurtures important skills such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving.
55% lower failure rate
Active learning in STEM courses reduced fail rates substantially compared to those in traditional lecture settings, underscoring the powerful impact of student engagement.
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Freeman et al., 2014
Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics
Improved conceptual understanding
Multiple classroom interventions reveal significant gains in conceptual test scores for students engaged in group discussions, problem-solving, and other active tasks.
Prince (2013)
Does Active Learning Work? A Review of the Research
x2 learning gains
Interactive-engagement methods nearly doubled average learning gains over traditional lecture formats, and you can do the same!
Hake, 1998
Interactive-engagement versus traditional methods: A six-thousand-student survey of mechanics test data for introductory physics courses
How does FeedbackFruits support active learning?
Active learning thrives on continuous engagement and structured interaction, which FeedbackFruits facilitates through learning activities like Interactive Study Materials and Peer Review.
Instructors can embed questions, discussion prompts, and collaborative tasks directly into course materials, transforming passive consumption into dynamic interaction.
By tracking individual and group engagement, educators gain real-time insights to adjust instruction and foster deeper learning. Ultimately, this seamless integration spares instructors time on manual coordination and boosts student motivation through frequent, meaningful feedback.
Instructors can embed questions, discussion prompts, and collaborative tasks directly into course materials, transforming passive consumption into dynamic interaction.
By tracking individual and group engagement, educators gain real-time insights to adjust instruction and foster deeper learning. Ultimately, this seamless integration spares instructors time on manual coordination and boosts student motivation through frequent, meaningful feedback.
Get started with active learning using our pre-made learning templates
These templates—designed by experienced educators—offer proven structures for implementing active learning. Simply select a template, customize it, and launch engaging activities in minutes.
Browse all templates
Active learning, directly within your LMS
FeedbackFruits integrates seamlessly with your Learning Management System, making it simple to incorporate active learning activities into your existing courses. Whether you teach online, hybrid, or face-to-face, FeedbackFruits ensures that activating student participation is just a few clicks away—no additional overhead, no steep learning curve.
Explore our free resources about active learning
AI and active learning
This blog explores how AI can help scale active learning in three key stages: Designing, Delivering, and Assessing
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A guide to active learning
Download our comprehensive ebook to explore insights, practical strategies, and technology suggestions to implement active learning design.
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Active learning at John Brown University
This use case shares how instructors at John Brown University leveraged active learning and technology to enhance feedback skills and critical thinking.
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Experiential Learning for real-world sustainability solutions
A template to empower students to develop collaboration and feedback skills
Read moreFrom passive to active: Learning through student inquiry
From passive to active: Learning through student inquiry
Read more5E Model of Instruction
A template to design activities that encourage engagement, feedback skills, and teamwork
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Developmental portfolio for lifelong learning
Using developmental portfolio to ensure competency development and student autonomy
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Student-centered syllabus
A framework to create an interactive, inclusive, and student-centered learning experience
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Self-assessment for learner engagement
A framework to design effective peer and self-assessment that promotes reflective, collaborative, and meaningful learning
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Gamified peer review
A framework to integrate game design elements into peer review for enhanced engagement and critical thinking
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Self-generated feedback for critical thinking
A 4-step journey to empower critical thinking through comparisons and self-generated feedback
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Social Learning through feedback
A 10-step journey to nurture interactions and collaboration
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Collaborative thesis writing
A 10-step journey to help students write a quality thesis through the use of multi-layer feedback, AI technology, and interactive presentation.
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Boost student engagement
A learning journey to help create activities that stimulate deeper understanding, meaningful interactions and feedback opportunities
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Asynchronous discussion
A 4-step journey to foster asynchronous collaboration and problem-solving
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Multi-layer feedback on collaborative writing
A 4-step journey to promote collaboration and writing skills
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Stimulate discussions
A learning journey to help create a learning community that stimulates meaningful interactions and dialogues
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Deepen understanding
A learning journey to stimulate deeper understanding and comprehension of the course content
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Skills development
Nurture lifelong skills and a growth mindset with a 6-step learning journey
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Collaborative problem-solving
A 4-step journey to leverage group discussions for developing transferable skills
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Authentic group project
A 5-step journey to empower students to solve a real-world problem collaboratively
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ChatGPT and digital literacy
The ChatGPT journey details how to incorporate generative AI tools for digital literacy development
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Authentic assessment
A 7-step journey detailing how to facilitate a quality authentic assessment activity with technology support.
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Flipped feedback
The flipped feedback journey outlines how faculties can develop feedback skills with technology support
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Critical reading
Stimulater deeper understanding and critical reading skills with technological tools
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AI-assisted writing assignment
Facilitate a quality writing assignment in 4 steps with technology support
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Regular and substantive interaction (RSI)
A framework to help faculties design courses compliant with the RSI regulations on teacher engagement.
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Feedback literacy
The feedback literacy journey outlines how faculties can incorporate multi-layer, holistic feedback throughout a writing activity.
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Writing with ChatGPT
The ChatGPT journey details in 6 steps how to incorporate AI generative tools in writing assignments.
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Collaborative learning
The collaborative learning journey outlines how faculties can develop activities that nurture collaboration and engagement.
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Flipped classroom
The flipped learning journey details in 10 steps how to increase engagement and active learning with technological aids.
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Team-based learning
A 9-step framework on how to optimize the team-based learning process with technology
Read moreSee what FeedbackFruits learning activities can be used to support
active learning
Active learning is hard. FeedbackFruits makes
it easier.
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