Active Learning to Unlock Higher Order Learning Skills in Public Health Students

Abstract

Despite extensive research showing that students learn more and achieve higher order learning outcomes when they are actively engaged, large class lectures with a single instructor teaching, which encourages more passive forms of learning, are still a widely used format at universities. In this paper, I present insights from an experiment where I changed a classic lecture into more student-centered learning to promote higher order learning at the course Organizational Analysis and Philosophy of Science taught at the third semester of the bachelor programme of Public Health. I did so by replacing the lecture with two exercises activating the students: one where I asked the students to stand up, move around and discuss with each other and one where students were asked to generate questions. Drawing on my own experience and interviews with two student representatives from the course I conclude that the intervention successfully activated higher order thinking among students. At the same time, the intervention highlighted how much extra energy and situational awareness is required for active learning, not only from students but also from the teacher. While substituting traditional lectures with student activating exercises might increase higher order thinking it also places greater demands on the teacher's experience and ability to manage the learning process.