Speed Learning: Maximizing Student Learning and Engagement in a Limited Amount of Time

Active learning has warranted great promise in improving student engagement and learning. It is not a new thought and has been promoted and encouraged as early as the 1980s. Due to the many benefits of active learning it is being practiced by many faculty in their classrooms. Faculty are urged to self-reflect on their teaching styles and work on improving the pedagogies to capture and maintain student interest by increasing student engagement. Although active learning has been used as an instrument to engage students and ultimately increase learning, it has seldom been implemented to directly impact learning relative to time. This paper explores the application of active learning pedagogy to help achieve maximum learning in a limited period of time. The active learning method employed in this study is grounded in classic pedagogies that have been developed based on various psychological theories of learning, motivation and engagement. After the employment of a series of this active learning technique a survey of the students revealed an increase in student learning.