WVU Potomac State College (Keyser)
Engage. Inspire. Transform.
Community on Implementing Active Learning Strategies
Community Leader: Andrea Schafer, Associate Professor of Education, Liberal Arts Division
Eligibility: Those who area teaching at WVU Potomac State College.
Ready to join this community?
To join the membership of this Community or for additional information, please contact Andrea Schafer at agschafer@mail.wvu.edu. Community membership will be finalized on Monday, Oct 13.
Engage. Inspire. Transform.
You are invited to join the Community on Implementing Active Learning Strategies as we explore proven techniques that are easily implemented and have the potential to enhance engagement, comprehension, application, and critical thinking in your classroom.
First Meeting : Wednesday, October 22, 2025 at 12:00 pm in Administration Building Room 11 (Those whose course meets at 12:50 PM on Wednesdays will be able to leave the group early to teach their course.)
Time Commitment:
- This group will meet for approximately hour-long sessions on Wednesdays at 12:00 pm beginning on Wednesday, October 22.
- Participants should plan to meet for three to four total sessions in October-early November (with exact dates to be determined by the group of participants). The group will reconvene for follow up sessions in early Spring 2026. (5-7 total sessions)
Timeline and Activities:
- This Community’s first action will be exploring what makes “active” learning effective and investigating best practice strategies (possibly by discipline).
- Next, participants will conduct detailed research on a chosen strategy thought to be well suited to a particular content area or discipline, ultimately deciding on a strategy for implementation during the teaching of upcoming content in a course taught in the fall 2025 semester (ideally, by mid-November).
- Participants should then engage in the traditional teaching of topic/content (lecture, for example) in the selected course and then revisit that course content several course sessions later with implementation of the targeted active learning strategy (again, by mid-November). Small, informal assessments will be used to gauge student mastery of material.
- As the Community takes on the study and implementation of active learning strategies, Community members will participate in ongoing professional development in the form of reflection and exploration activities. Each participant will produce a final document that includes discussion of the chosen strategy, description of the content, methods of implementation, and results.
Dedicated time during Community meeting sessions will be used for discussing logistics of strategy implementation and possibilities to customize strategies for particular disciplines.
A small stipend (amount to be determined) is available through Potomac State College Title III Grant Initiative funds for those participants who attend sessions and complete all professional development activities/documentation.
To join the membership of this Community or for additional information, please contact Andrea Schafer at agschafer@mail.wvu.edu. Community membership will be finalized on Monday, Oct 13.
This opportunity is made possible by the WVU Teaching and Learning Center with support from WVU PSC Title III Grant Initiatives.