Design a learning activity

Learning activities form the core of teaching. This page provides more information on designing learning activities that are active, effective, and fitting for your learning objectives.

Start from the learning objectives

The goal of a learning activity is to help students achieve (a part of) a learning objective. So when designing a learning activity, per the principle of constructive alignment, that is where we start from (Bonwell & Sutherland, 1996; Conole & Fill, 2005). Focussing on the level and the action of the learning objective is especially helpful. Let’s take the below learning objective as an example:

“The student is able to calculate the shear and bending moment resistance of pre-stressed concrete structures.”

This learning objective is on the level Analyse, and the action verb is Calculate, so the activity should involve students analysing a situation by performing a calculation.

Pick a format

Next, we pick a format for our learning activity. Many examples of formats are available, see the table below and the list of resources at the end of the page, or you can of course design a format yourself.

When picking or designing a format, remember to apply the guiding principles for education at TU Delft, like active- and student-centred learning: the learning activity should allow students to learn by doing and experiencing, preferably by working on a realistic problem, and by gathering all necessary information themselves.

In the case of the example learning objective (“The student is able to calculate the shear and bending moment resistance of pre-stressed concrete structures.”) the activity will not involve the lecturer explaining how to calculate the shear and bending moment resistance, or give information about pre-stressed concrete structures, as students should be allowed to Analyse the situation.

Instead, look for an activity that is realistic and allows the student to lead the activity instead of the lecturer. For the example, maybe students need to make sure a concrete bridge will not collapse during an earthquake. A lecturer could give them a case study and let the students work on this problem in groups, having them present the approach and outcomes of their analysis, with the lecturer observing and answering questions.

Adapt the activity to the learning situation

A format for a learning activity might need a couple of adaptations so it fits within the available time, and works well with the delivery mode (on campus, online, hybrid), group size and location.

Time

A learning activity will generally take up more time than a lecture. Students might need time to form groups, do the activity, reflect on or share the results, and receive feedback. Activities may take less time when instructions are provided beforehand or are (digitally) available, when groups are assigned beforehand (by working with neighbours or students seated at the same table, for example) or when the results are not shared with the whole class but with another group, or posted on the digital learning environment. It is also recommended to set clear expectations and time constraints, and show the time remaining for each activity.

In the case of the example learning objective, we might provide the case study digitally, so students can refer to it whenever they need to, and have students share their approach and calculations with another group. Students will be given 10 minutes for calculating and 10 for presenting (5 minutes per group), with the remaining time for each activity projected in the front of the classroom.

Delivery mode

Most learning activities for smaller groups work just as well in person as online, although we recommend planning activities that have a big social component, like introductions at the start of the course or feedback sessions, as in-class activities if possible. Refer to the 'Choose a delivery mode' page for more information.

Group size

Generally speaking, the larger the group of students, the harder it is to create meaningful interactions. Harder does not mean impossible though, and since active learning significantly improves learning outcomes, it is worth going the extra mile. Splitting up into smaller groups, working with neighbours, or having extra lecturers or teaching assistants available opens up many possibilities, even for the largest of groups. For our example learning activity, when working with a thousand or more students, students can form groups with their neighbour to make the calculations and share their results with the couple next to them. Two TA’s or lecturers could join to walk around the hall to answer questions and give feedback.

Location

The space that activities take place in can influence the energy in the room, and certain learning activities might need specific rooms or set-ups to work. If at all possible, try to schedule learning activities in a room that enhance the activity. When working in groups for example, a room with tables and whiteboards makes collaboration easier.

Have a plan B

Even the best plans fail. The projector might not work. The class might be rescheduled to a lecture hall. Maybe only a small number of students show up. Make sure you have a back-up plan in these cases. Would a scaled down activity still work? Can you share instructions on the digital learning environment so you do not need a projector? Being flexible and having a plan B helps delivering learning activities with confidence.

How to get help

Do you need help designing learning activities? Reach out to the educational advisors at your faculty or contact Teaching Support for 1-on-1 guidance.

References

• Bonwell, C. C., & Sutherland, T. E. (1996). The active learning continuum: Choosing activities to engage students in the classroom. New directions for teaching and learning, 1996(67), 3-16.
• Conole, G., & Fill, K. (2005). A learning design toolkit to create pedagogically effective learning activities. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 2005(1), 1-16.