Active learning: how to actually learn from online courses

Watching videos feels productive but often isn't. Active learning — doing something with the material — is what makes it stick.

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What is active learning?

In higher education, "active learning" usually refers to instructional activities that involve students in doing things and thinking about what they are doing, rather than passively listening. The term was popularised by Charles Bonwell and James Eison's 1991 report Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom (ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report).

Research since then has broadly supported the idea. A widely cited 2014 meta-analysis by Freeman and colleagues in PNAS found that students in STEM courses with active learning performed better on exams and were less likely to fail than those in traditional lecture courses.

Five techniques to use with any online course

1. Retrieval practice. After each lesson, close the video and write down what you remember, or quiz yourself. Testing yourself strengthens memory more than rereading (see Roediger & Karpicke, 2006).
2. Spacing. Short sessions spread over days beat one long binge.
3. Self-explanation. Explain each concept in your own words, as if teaching a friend.
4. Interleaving. Mix related problem types instead of practising one type in a block.
5. Build something. Projects force you to apply ideas and expose gaps.

Dunlosky and colleagues' 2013 review of study techniques rated practice testing and distributed practice among the most useful, and rereading and highlighting among the least.

Which platforms support active learning best?

Look for quizzes, graded assignments, coding exercises and projects. Structured platforms like Coursera and project-based ones like Skillshare build some of this in; with video-first platforms like MasterClass you'll need to add it yourself.

Further reading

• Bonwell, C. C., & Eison, J. A. (1991). Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 1.
• Freeman, S., et al. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. PNAS, 111(23).
• Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning. Psychological Science, 17(3).
• Dunlosky, J., et al. (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1).
• Prince, M. (2004). Does active learning work? A review of the research. Journal of Engineering Education, 93(3).

This domain once hosted an education-research resource on active learning. This page is our own, newly written summary and is not affiliated with the original authors.