Active Learning Quiz

Click on the letter corresponding to your response to each of the questions that follow.

1. Which of the following definitions best reflects this module's definition of active learning?

(a) Students taking notes on a lecture
(b) All students in class being asked to speak, write, or reflect on something
(c) All students in class working in groups on an assigned activity
(d) All students being physically active in class

Incorrect. Reread the definition of active learning and try Question 1 again.

Correct! Make sure you understand why the other responses are incorrect, and if you’re not sure about any, click on their letters. Go to Question 2.

Incorrect. Active learning exercises are often done in small groups but nothing in the definition says they must be, and it’s a good idea to sometimes have students work individually. Try Question 1 again.

Incorrect. Students sitting quietly and thinking about a question posed by the instructor counts as active learning, and physical activity may have nothing to do with course material. Reread the definition of active learning and try Question 1 again.

Would each of the following classroom events qualify as a good active learning practice, a questionable active learning practice, or not active learning as defined in this module? (Some of these questions are matters of opinion — we’ll just give you our take, and if it differs from yours, no worries.)

2. Instructor asks a question and calls on a student to respond.

(a) good active learning practice
(b) questionable active learning practice
(c) not active learning

Incorrect. To qualify as active learning, all students in the class must be called upon to think about something and given time to do it. In this example, the students (including the one called on) have no time to think, and many won’t. Try Question 2 again.

Correct! To qualify as active learning, all students in the class must be called upon to think about something (and then possibly do something with what they have thought of). In this example, the students (including the one called on) have no time to think, and so they don’t. Go to Question 3.

3. Instructor asks a question, gives the students 10 seconds to work on it individually, and calls on a student to give his/her response.

(a) good active learning practice
(b) questionable active learning practice
(c) not active learning

Correct! Go to Question 4.

Incorrect. All students in the class have been called on to do something and have been given time to do it. Try Question 3 again.

4. Instructor asks a question, gives the students 10 seconds to work on it individually, then has them form pairs and gives the pairs 30 seconds to try to reach consensus on the correct answer, and finally calls on a student to give the pair's response.

(a) good active learning practice
(b) questionable active learning practice
(c) not active learning

Correct! Go to Question 5.

Incorrect. All students in the class have been called on to do something and have been given time to do it. Try Question 4 again.

5. Instructor poses a problem, gives students two minutes to work in pairs on beginning the problem solution, and calls on students in several pairs to report on what their pairs did.

(a) good active learning practice
(b) questionable active learning practice
(c) not active learning

Correct! Go to Question 6.

Incorrect. All students in the class have been called on to do something and have been given time to do it. Try Question 5 again.

6. Instructor poses a problem, gives students 10 minutes to work in groups of five to solve the problem, and calls on students in several groups to report on their groups' solutions.

(a) good active learning practice
(b) questionable active learning practice
(c) not active learning

Incorrect. Check the recommendations for time limits on activities and group size, and try Question 6 again.

Correct! 10 minutes is too long (about three minutes should be an upper limit), and groups of five are too large (two or three is ideal, and four should be an upper limit). Go to Question 7.

Incorrect. The students have all been asked to think about something and have been given time to do it, so the activity qualifies as active learning. Try Question 6 again.

7. Instructor lists several superpowers (ability to fly, ability to see through walls, etc.), gives students a minute to work in groups of three to reach consensus on which power they would choose, and calls on a student to give his/her group's selection and the reasons behind it.

(a) good active learning practice
(b) questionable active learning practice
(c) not active learning

Incorrect. This activity is almost certainly not course-related, and so does not qualify as active learning as it is defined in the module. The correct answer is therefore (c) not active learning. Some instructors like to use this sort of activity as an ice-breaker, hoping to relax and amuse the students. Our advice is, don’t. Even if it were counted as active learning, it would be seen as a childish waste of time by many students and could do more harm than good to student-instructor relations. Go to Question 8.

Correct! This activity is almost certainly not course-related, which rules it out as active learning as defined in the module. It is also frivolous and wastes the students’ time, which many of them would resent, and so even if it were counted as active learning, it would be a questionable practice. Go to Question 8.

8. Instructor puts up a multiple-choice conceptual question, students use their cell phones to record their answers and the instructor displays the distribution of responses, then the students discuss their responses with each other in pairs and revote. The instructor gives the correct answer and the class discusses why the other answers were wrong.

(a) good active learning practice
(b) questionable active learning practice
(c) not active learning

Correct! This activity is commonly called a ConcepTest, and is a powerful way to overturn strongly-held student misconceptions. Go to Question 9.

Incorrect. All students are given course-related tasks and time to complete them, which meets all the conditions of the definition of active learning. This activity is commonly called a ConcepTest and is a powerful way to overturn strongly-held student misconceptions. Go to Question 9.

9. The optimal class session contains

(a) mostly lecturing
(b) mostly activities
(c) an equal blend of lecturing and activities
(d) a variable blend of lecturing and activities

Incorrect. Look through the module and try Question 9 again.

Correct! Activities may take up anywhere from a few minutes in a class of 50 minutes or greater to the better part of the class period. How much time they take depends on the content of the class session and the comfort level of the instructor with active learning. Go to Question 10.

10. You want to show a complex problem solution to your class in a way that best equips the students to solve a similar problem themselves. The technique recommended for this purpose in the module is

(a) showing the step-by-step solution in class, giving students the chance to ask questions after every step
(b) thinking-aloud pair problem solving (TAPPS)
(c) think-pair-share
(d) using personal response system (clicker) technology

Incorrect. Look at the descriptions of different active learning formats and try Question 10 again.

Correct! Go to Question 11.

Incorrect. Look at the descriptions of different active learning formats and try Question 10 again.

11. An advantage of think-pair-share over small-group active learning is

(a) it takes less class time
b) it provides the learning benefits of both individual reflection and interactivity
(c) it leads to greater acquisition of critical thinking skill
(d) all of the above

Incorrect. Think-pair-share takes more time than small-group active learning for the same question or problem. Look again at its definition and try Question 11 again.

Correct! Go to Question 12.

Incorrect. Think-pair-share might lead to greater critical thinking skill if an activity is specifically designed to require critical thinking, but it is not guaranteed to do so and it does not do so for other types of activities. Look again at the definition of think-pair-share and try Question 11 again.

Incorrect. Only one of Responses (a)-(c) is true by the definition of think-pair-share. Look again at the definition and try Question 11 again.

12. Listed below are five suggestions for carrying out active learning. The tutorial recommends some of them and either warns against or doesn’t mention the others. On a piece of scrap paper, note whether or not you believe a suggestion is recommended. Look through the tutorial for any you are not sure about. Then click on each suggestion and see if your judgment about it was correct and what’s wrong with the non-recommended ones.

(a) Explaining the benefits of active learning to students before using it in a course
(b) Proactively putting reluctant students into active learning groups on Day 1
(c) Calling on non-participating students for responses to questions
(d) Ejecting non-participating students from class
(e) Not worrying about non-participating students after the first few days of class

Answer (a) is correct. Click on any other responses that you think are correct.

Answer (b) is correct. Click on any other responses that you think are correct.

Answer (c) is incorrect. This practice would lead to resentment and would not accomplish anything useful. Deselect (c).

Answer (d) is incorrect. This practice would lead to resentment and would not accomplish anything useful. Deselect (d).

Answer (e) is correct. Click on any other responses that you think are correct.

Active Learning Quiz

Active Learning Quiz

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