“The only way a skill is developed—skiing, cooking, writing, critical thinking, or solving problems—is practice: trying something, seeing how well or poorly it works, reflecting on how to do it differently, then trying it again and seeing if it works better.”¹

This statement effectively summarizes active learning--a learning process in which learners play an active role in their learning experience.

The term active learning is often used in contrast with the term passive learning. The passive learning experience is one where learners do not actively engage in the learning process, but rather sit back, and is supposed to absorb the information being presented. Examples of passive learning would be attending a lecture, reading a paper, or watching a video.

E-learning is passive if learners can only view what is being presented to them, and not interact with it in any meaningful way. E-learning is active if trial-and-error exercises are built into the material. Though most people don't deny the advantage of active learning over passive learning, the definition of what makes learning active is often debated, and unfortunately most of today's e-learning is not truly active.

PowerPoint type presentations, no matter how dressed up with audio, animations, quiz questions, or click-to-learn more interactions are still fundamentally passive learning experiences.

Simulations, games, and interactive exercises where a learner can practice a skill or apply knowledge are inherently active, and thus more effective.

1) Source: http://www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/Columns/Active.pdf R.M. Felder and R. Brent, "Learning by Doing." Chem. Engr. Education, 37(4), 282-283 (Fall 2003). The philosophy and strategies of active learning.

To successfully implement active learning, you need to be able to build content with which your learner can interact in a meaningful way. Click-to-learn-more exercises are not enough. You need to be able to capture learner responses, and tailor feedback based on their responses, and then allow them to try again. Delaying feedback, or displaying feedback intrinsically are two examples of how SmartBuilder gives you the power to build active learning content.