Teachers of college students have known for a long time that active learning works better than lecturing to students.1-2 Their students get better grades, and more students pass their classes when teachers use active learning strategies in their classrooms. But what does “active learning” mean?
Learning is active when the learner joins in activities that help them practice working with the information. Sometimes, teachers use group discussions, debates, or problem-solving in class to help students practice their new learning material. This practice helps them use the new information that they learned and understand it better.3
But how can health education be active? And does it matter if it is?
Most people (at least 65%) learn best when they can follow along visually with what they are learning.4 Some people learn better by listening to information, while others need to interact with information. These are called learning styles.4 People remember information longer when they learn it the way they learn best. Health education can be fun! The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center uses video games to deliver some of their health education.5
Interactive online learning can help people with chronic health conditions.6 These tools teach people how to better care for themselves. One example is eLearning courses. The COPD Foundation has created online lessons focused on topics important to people with COPD. They offer interactive information for people with different learning styles. This helps to make complicated topics easier to understand. eLearning courses provide ease of learning anywhere, anytime, and at your own pace. And they take less than 15 minutes to complete!
Check out the eLearning courses available now, and stay tuned for more to come! What would you like to see us make an eLearning course about next? What else would you like to see?
Resources
- Freeman S, Eddy SL, McDonough M, et al. Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014;111(23):8410-8415. doi:10.1073/pnas.1319030111
- Theobald EJ, Hill MJ, Tran E, et al. Active learning narrows achievement gaps for underrepresented students in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and math. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020;117(12):6476-6483. doi:10.1073/pnas.1916903117
- Active learning. Derek Bok Center, Harvard University. Accessed August 30, 2024. https://bokcenter.harvard.edu/active-learning
- Bradford WC. Reaching the Visual Learner: Teaching Property Through Art. The Law Teach. 2004;11: https://ssrn.com/abstract=587201
- Stretch R. How Interactive Patient Education is Changing Health Care. Rendia. Accessed August 30, 2024. https://rendia.com/resources/insights/how-interactive-patient-education-is-changing-health-care/
- Schooley B, Singh A, Hikmet N, Brookshire R, Patel N. Integrated Digital Patient Education at the Bedside for Patients with Chronic Conditions: Observational Study. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2020;8(12):e22947. Published 2020 Dec 22. doi:10.2196/22947