Fulbright Faculty Explore Active Learning Techniques That Guide Student Success

Faculty from across the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences gathered last week for an energetic, hands-on workshop dedicated to one central question: What does meaningful learning look like when artificial intelligence can complete many traditional assignments? At least one answer to that question was that teachers could engage students in active learning opportunities in the classroom.

The session, part of the newly launched Fulbright Learning Community pilot, invited instructors to explore practical active learning approaches that make engagement visible, authentic, and that promotes engagement. Designed as both demonstration and dialogue, the event showcased strategies that faculty could immediately adapt to their own classrooms.

Session facilitator and teaching associate professor Lynn Meade said, "Active learning isn't just a technique—it's a way to create curiosity, deepen thinking and help students see their own progress in real time."

Learning By Doing

Participants didn't just hear about active learning, they experienced it. After learning a featured technique, they were asked to collaborate in groups and brainstorm applications tailored to their disciplines.

Meade said, "I wanted faculty to experience what it felt like to participate in an active learning strategy so they could understand the experience of our students. First, they experienced it, then they learned about it, and, finally, they discussed how they might apply it."

The format resonated with attendees. One faculty member noted, "I liked how interactive it was. It reminds me of the importance of doing the same with my students." Another commented, "I could FEEL and then UNDERSTAND how to create a more comfortable classroom culture."

One important aspect of the training was considering what Meade called the "swimming pool analogy" that she learned from the Lily Teaching and Learning Conference. "In a swimming pool, some people go to the deep end, and others stay in the shallow end. Faculty should design activities that let students go deep or hover safely in the shallow end. There are different ways to participate, and we need to consider the complexity of student experiences." Session participants experienced what it might mean to participate deeply, and then they brainstormed how an apprehensive student might still participate but do so in a slightly different manner.

Building Community Across Disciplines

For many, the opportunity to share ideas across departments was just as valuable as the workshop content itself. As one participant wrote on the exit ticket, "The most valuable thing was talking with other people and learning about the things they are doing."

The Fulbright Learning Community was created to provide exactly that type of cross disciplinary connection. "One of our goals was to build a space where Fulbright faculty could get to know each other and learn from one another," Meade said. "Our faculty are full of great ideas; it is important to give space where they can sit down and share."

The learning community is part of Fulbright Student Success because it is important that faculty center the conversation around ways that we can reach students. How can we help them to be successful. One part of that is talking about teaching with others in a way that helps create enthusiasm for teaching and learning.

Tools to Support Teaching Excellence

The event offered more than just fellowship and good ideas; each attendee took home a deck of cards created by the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Georgia. Each deck provided over 30 actionable active learning strategies.  

Assistant Dean of student success and strategic initiatives Romona West thought it was important to provide faculty with tools for classroom success, so participants also had their choice of books on the scholarship of teaching and learning that they could take home. "Time and time again, research shows that faculty success equals student success. The more you know, the more you grow, and the more you grow leads to our students being a great benefactor!" West said.

 About the Fulbright Learning Community: The Fulbright Learning Community is a faculty development initiative supporting teaching effectiveness, peer engagement and student success across the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.