Students engage with and benefit from active learning when this is appropriately embedded in curriculum design

Abstract

The present investigation sought to evaluate the influence of active and blended learning approaches to teaching on student engagement, learning gains, confidence, and sense of belonging in their psychology course. Two-hundred and eighty-four students took part in an online survey between March 2022 and March 2023, examining their perspectives, experiences, and barriers to engagement with teaching and learning approaches in their course. Findings from our qualitative content analysis of the open responses provide evidence that students experience some benefit from active learning, as opposed to more traditional didactic methods often seen in large cohort courses. Benefits are qualified, however, by the extent of active learning and how it is presented. Our work, therefore, points towards some considerations on how active learning can be embedded within a technology-enhanced curriculum to support student engagement and learning experience.