Abstract:

Active learning is hard to achieve in this day and age. As facilitators, we are faced with an increasing amount of obstacles that impede student engagement, participation, and overall learning. Research shows that participation and attention rates are declining in recent years. This is due to an overwhelming number of new stimuli, including but not limited to technology.

In order to combat the aforementioned problems, we partnered with a business school professor in France for more than a year. His participation allowed us to be on the field, at the heart of the problem. We tested several different engagement techniques, both digital and non-digital to see which techniques worked the best during each lesson. We also monitored students’ overall progress and compared grades in the other subjects with the subjects taught by the technology equipped facilitator. We were able to study the best techniques for an active learning environment in the digital era.

We will discuss current techniques and technology, how they may be best utilized and then delve into emerging and "just around the corner" technologies with examples of best practices, what to watch for, and ways to think about incorporating them into the classroom. We will use some of these interactive tools as examples during the session, allowing for participants to gain first-hand experience. Participants will leave with some next-step action items and things to consider for the near-term.

Keywords:

Engagement, retention, pedagogical tools, pedagogy, technology, active learning.