Active Learning Clinics

The Office of Educational Improvement has created a new Active Learning Clinic (ALC). The goal of this clinic is to support educators in implementing active learning into their respective learning environments. Currently, the ALC has four programs: Urgent Care Clinics, Teaching Skills Labs, Facilitator Follow-ups, and 1:1 Consults.

Our Urgent Care Clinics operate as drop-in office hours to provide just-in-time support for active learning implementation. Interested participants can stop by virtually any time during the hour to seek support, learn about helpful resources, receive feedback on activities, and ask any questions they have on active learning. These virtual clinics are offered on a bi-monthly basis and support development of a range of activities, including Patient-Based Discussions, Team-Based Learning exercises, and interactive lectures.

The Teaching Skills Labs are active workshops where experienced educators guide participants in creating their own active learning experiences. The skills labs provide background information on various active learning strategies, templates for implementing activities, and support in getting started so that you can leave the session with a tangible product. These sessions are offered monthly, often involve a small amount of pre-work, and registration is required.

We offer Facilitator Follow-ups for our MCWfusion Patient-Based Discussion facilitators. These sessions also operate as drop-in office hours where participants can stop by to ask questions, debrief a recent facilitation experience, and confer with other facilitators. The ALC can also provide direct facilitation observations and feedback upon request. These sessions will be offered on a bi-monthly basis beginning in July 2023.

Finally, the ALC offers 1:1 consults for any educators hoping to implement more active learning in their sessions. Numerous educators are available to provide support and coach colleagues through development of their own active learning experience. Active learning can be a bit time-consuming to implement but sharing the experience with colleagues can alleviate much of that load. You can email Chelsea Weaver or Kerrie Quirk if you’d like a consult or coaching in any active learning strategy.

We wish to thank the following individuals for their support and contributions to the Active Learning Clinic: Kristina Kaljo, PhD, Natalia DeLaat, MEd, Denise Cook-Snyder, PhD, and Amy Beierle, MEd.