In backward design, learning activities are the experiences through which students practise, apply, and develop the knowledge and skills described in your learning outcomes, and prepare students to succeed in assessments.
Effective learning activities are intentionally connected to learning objectives and assessments.
Effective learning activities are:
- aligned with the intended learning outcomes and assessments
- appropriate for the course context and students
- supported by clear instructions and expectations
- designed to provide practice and feedback
- accessible to students with varied backgrounds, strengths, and needs
Active learning does not require eliminating lectures or redesigning every class session. Even a short, purposeful activity can help students retrieve prior knowledge, test their understanding, practise a skill, or make connections.
Getting started with active learning
Active learning occurs when students do more than receive information; nevertheless, its purpose is not simply to make a class more lively. An active-learning activity should help students practise something connected to the intended learning.
Before choosing an activity, ask:
What do students need to practice, apply, or make visible at this point of the lesson?
Choose a strategy based on its purpose:
| When you want students to… | Possible strategies: |
| Activate prior knowledge | Opening question, brainstorm, prediction, or quick poll |
| Explain their thinking | Think-Pair-Share or brief written explanation |
| Apply a concept | Case, problem, scenario, calculation, or worked example |
| Compare perspectives | Paired discussion, debate, ranking task, or comparison chart |
| Identify remaining questions | Exit ticket, muddiest-point prompt, or question collection |
Balancing direct instruction and active learning
You don’t need to eliminate lectures entirely. Instead, break up content delivery with active learning:
- Deliver 10-15 minutes of content, then pause for a brief activity
- Use mini-lectures to introduce concepts, then have students apply them
- Flip the classroom: assign readings or videos before class, use class time for activities
- Start with an engaging activity to activate prior knowledge, then build on it
Getting started
- Be patient as both you and students adjust to new approaches
- Start small—add just one active learning strategy to your next class
- Choose low-stakes activities that don’t require extensive preparation
- Explain to students why you’re using these strategies and how they benefit learning
- Give clear instructions and time limits
Designing an aligned learning activity
Select a learning activity that supports one of your course learning outcomes. Then consider how you will implement it in a way that helps students practise the knowledge, skills, or thinking they will later use in an assessment..
What: Set the purpose
Select a learning outcome you like to focus on and identify what practices your students need to achieve the learning outcome. You may refer back to the Wade level for suggestions.
How: Structure participation
Consider whether students should work:
- individually
- in pairs
- in small groups
- as a whole class
- through a combination of individual and collaborative work
The format should serve the learning. Individual thinking before group discussion, for example, can give all students time to develop an initial response.
How: Structure documentation
- Will their wok be gathered? Will it be used for grading?
- Should students prepare to share their thoughts and/or process? With the instructors, with each other, or with the whole class?
Clear instructions and expectations remove uncertainties and allow students to focus on their learning.
So What: Connect the learning
How will you help students connect the activity back to the course learning outcome? How will the activity help prepare them for a future assessment?
As James Lang reminds us in Small Teaching, you do not need an endless array of activities. Select a few that serve your purposes well. Students can learn well within familiar routines.
Designing accessible learning activities
Active learning does not automatically provide every student with an equitable opportunity to participate. An activity may be well aligned with the learning objective while still creating barriers related to communication, mobility, sensory access, processing time, prior experience, or social interaction.
Universal Design for Learning encourages us to anticipate learner variability and design activities with flexibility from the beginning. This does not mean removing meaningful challenge. You can use three UDL-informed questions to guide your review: how students engage with the activity, how they access and make sense of information, and how they participate or communicate their learning.
Review an activity through a UDL lens
What is essential?
Begin with the learning objective.
- What should students learn or practise through this activity?
- Which parts of the activity are essential for achieving that objective?
- Which features are simply part of the activity’s usual format?
For example, if students are comparing different interpretations of a text, exchanging and responding to ideas may be essential. Speaking spontaneously in front of the whole class may not be essential.
Where might students encounter barriers?
Consider what students must do to access, participate in, and respond during the activity.
- Are the instructions available in more than one format?
- Do students have sufficient time to understand the task and prepare?
- Does participation depend unnecessarily on speaking, moving around the room, seeing particular materials, or using a specific technology?
- Are there different ways for students to contribute meaningfully?
- Could expectations, group roles, or steps be made more explicit?
A barrier requires effort that is unrelated to the intended learning. A meaningful challenge requires effort that directly supports the learning objective.
How could you provide flexibility while maintaining the learning?
Consider whether you could offer multiple ways for students to:
- engage with the activity
- access and make sense of information
- participate or communicate their learning
The goal is not to create an entirely different activity for every student. It is to build enough flexibility into the activity that more students can participate without changing the intended learning.
Explore accessible active learning strategies
The Accessible Active Learning resource offers guidance for examining and redesigning common activities, including Think–Pair–Share, role play, jigsaw, group discussion, gallery walks, demonstrations, and concept mapping.
Explore the Accessible Active Learning resource and select one activity that you currently use or are considering for your course. What is one change you could make to reduce barriers while maintaining meaningful challenge?
Want to join a course design cohort?
The Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT) hosts two course design programs.
Course Design Intensive (CDI)
The CDI is for faculty members, including instructors and sessional lecturers, teaching credit courses at UBC, where you will work in a supportive atmosphere, both individually and collaboratively, to design or redesign a UBC credit course. The CDI is usually offered around mid-August and composed of two in-person sessions and two online sessions.
Journey into Course Design (JiCD)
JiCD is for faculty members, staff, and graduate students, who are designing courses, modules, and/or learning activities. This 2-part in-person workshop is usually offered in May/June and November/December.
Please check CTLT’s event page for the latest offerings of either CDI or JiCD.
