Scaling Up: Active Learning in Information Literacy Classes with More Than 50 Students

Active learning, the idea that students should be active participants in the learning process rather than passive recipients of information, is a concept often employed in information literacy instruction. Active learning is generally considered to increase student engagement and to produce more significant and sustained learning outcomes. However active learning strategies used in a class with a typical enrollment of 20 to 30 can be difficult to implement in classes with more than 50 students. This presentation will include a discussion of the challenges of active learning in larger classes as well as suggestions for incorporating active techniques. Discussion and suggestions are based on successful experience working with three subject-specific classes, one session for first year pharmacy students (n=148), one for first semester nursing students (n=81), and the last for fifth semester nursing students (n=95). The active learning techniques discussed all require some pre-class preparation and vary in time and resources necessary to implement and assess