Active Learning at John Brown University: Student Engagement

Active learning at John Brown University: The challenges

The John Brown University (JBU) team has been implementing an active learning design to provide an authentic education that stimulates engagement, skill transfer, and improved academic performance. 

Read more about active learning: https://feedbackfruits.com/blog/what-is-active-learning

However, active learning implementation can sometimes feel like a hassle for the JBU team. More effort and time are required to prepare for active learning exercises while there are insufficient support resources and budget. Another challenge lies in maintaining engagement and interaction across different modalities (hybrid, online, in-person). 

To address these challenges, the JBU team adopted FeedbackFruits’ solutions to help them implement and scale effective active learning designs across the faculties. 

Using FeedbackFruits to increase student engagement with content

The JBU team utilized many different FeedbackFruits tools to design and implement several active learning strategies, namely: syllabus review and flipped classroom

The upcoming section will share how the JBU team used FeedbackFruits to design and facilitate these two active learning strategies 

Activity 1: Active syllabus review 

Course: Gateway course and others

Objective: Students become familiar with the course and policies

Tool(s): FBF Interactive Document

Activity design: 

Using FeedbackFruits Interactive Document, teachers posted the course syllabus and added questions (multiple-choice or open-ended) and/or discussion threads. Students then reviewed and responded to these prompts. 

Results: 

Using the tool encouraged students to actively get familiar with the course and policies. 

Access to real-time learning analytics allowed instructors to identify what was important to the students, making it easier to establish rapport at the beginning of the course. 

Trisha Posey, Dean of Undergraduate Studies, was one of the instructors using Interactive Documents for the syllabus review activity. She highly praised the tool for allowing her to “learn more about and connect with her students right from the start of her class.”

Activity 2: Flipped Classroom to enhance pre-class preparation 

Departments: Engineering, Computer Science, Family and Human Services, Graduate Counseling

Objective: Students come to class prepared for discussion or activities after engaging with content.

Tool: FeedbackFruits Interactive Study Materials

Activity design: 

Teachers uploaded study materials (video, document, audio) to FeedbackFruits Interactive Study Materials and then enriched them with questions or discussion threads to draw students’ attention to certain parts of the content. 

Students studied these materials and responded to the annotated prompts.

 Results: 

Using the tool to support flipped classroom has increased student accountability and engagement with the study materials, encouraging them to be well-prepared to work with in-class activities. 

Students coming to class well-prepared can significantly help lessen instructors’s fatigue. Instead of spending time explaining the materials again, instructors can focus on facilitating meaningful interactions and activities for students. 

It was also highlighted that FeedbackFruits helps create meaningful conversation moments between teachers and students. As the teachers read through students’ responses, they can leave comments or clarify misunderstandings, showing that they do check on students’ progress throughout the activity. 

Further reading

• What is flipped classroom?
• Template | Flipped classroom learning journey
• Template | Introduction to course syllabus

By integrating FeedbackFruits, John Brown University successfully enhanced student engagement and preparation through active learning strategies. The Interactive Document tool fostered early student connection, while Interactive Study Materials improved pre-class readiness. These innovations reduced instructor fatigue and facilitated deeper in-class discussions. Real-time analytics allowed teachers to tailor interactions based on student responses. JBU’s experience underscores the power of technology in transforming learning engagement.