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In-Class Activities

Element · All elements
Evidence · 8 claims (7 for, 1 mixed) · 14 studies (5 quant-synthesis, 3 design, 2 causal, 2 theoretical, 1 review, 1 associational), q1–q4 · 8 of 14 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description

In-class activities are structured tasks — problem solving, discussions, simulations, peer instruction, case analysis — that require learners to actively generate, apply, or critique content during class time rather than passively receive it. They shift class time from information transmission to supervised application, with the instructor acting as facilitator and feedback source.

Design Implications

Structured in-class activities improve exam performance and reduce failure rates compared with lecture-only formats Active learning improves exam performance and reduces failure rates. [+S]. Effectiveness depends on the activity requiring genuine cognitive engagement — predicting, explaining, deciding — rather than merely being physically busy [~M]. Activities work best when paired with timely instructor feedback at the task and process level Feedback is most effective at task and process levels. [+S], and when preceded by preparation (e.g., pre-class reading in a flipped format) so class time is spent applying, not first encountering, content.

Context

Requirements

  • A task with a clear goal and deliverable, aligned to the session's learning objective
  • Sufficient prior knowledge or preparation to attempt the task (Activation or pre-class work)
  • Instructor circulation for real-time feedback and misconception correction
  • Accountability structures (individual writing before group talk, random reporting) that prevent free-riding in group formats

Constraints

  • Unstructured "activity" without clear goals or debriefing produces no advantage over lecture and can waste scarce class time [-M]
  • Activities on content learners have not yet encountered overload working memory; novices need Demonstration or worked examples first [~M]
  • Poorly designed group activities allow social loafing; individual accountability is required Cooperative learning requires group rewards paired with individual accountability. [+S]
  • Students accustomed to lecture may initially perceive active formats as less effective even while learning more [~S] — instructors should explain the rationale and use early check-ins

Target Learners

  • Undergraduates across disciplines; effects are consistent in STEM, business, and applied fields Active learning improves exam performance and reduces failure rates. [+S]
  • Novices benefit most when activities are tightly scaffolded; experts may find structured activities redundant [~M]
  • Large-enrollment classes benefit particularly, since activities enable peer interaction at scale

Target Learning Goals

  • Application and transfer: using concepts in novel problems rather than restating them
  • Conceptual change: confronting and resolving misconceptions through prediction-and-feedback tasks
  • Procedural fluency: repeated supervised practice with corrective feedback

Affordances

  • Active Learning — in-class activities are the primary vehicle for this principle, converting class time from reception to generation
  • Constructivism — learners build understanding by working with content, testing predictions, and resolving discrepancies rather than receiving finished explanations
  • Inquiry-Based Learning — activities such as prediction tasks and case analysis enact inquiry by having learners pose, test, and revise ideas before or alongside instruction
  • Collaborative Learning — pair and small-group activities structure peer explanation and negotiation, which elicits elaboration
  • Assessment for Learning — in-class tasks double as low-stakes formative assessment, surfacing misconceptions the instructor can address immediately

Claims

The evidence by question

  • Peer Collaboration — the social structure most in-class activities run on; peer explanation drives elaboration
  • Problem-Based Learning — an extended activity format organized around an authentic problem
  • Hands-on Learning — the physical-manipulation variant of in-class activity
  • Class Discussion — the discourse-based activity type
  • Case Studies — a common content structure for in-class analysis tasks
  • Check-In — quick formative probes that punctuate and steer activities

Patterns That Use This Element

  • Flipped Classroom — class time is reserved for activities because content delivery moves to pre-class materials
  • Problem-Based Learning — the entire pattern is an extended, problem-anchored in-class activity cycle
  • Peer Instruction — a highly structured predict–discuss–revote activity cycle

Examples

Peer Instruction (Mazur) — Students answer a concept question individually, discuss with neighbors, then revote; the discussion is the activity that drives conceptual change.

Think-Pair-Share — Individual reflection, paired discussion, whole-class reporting; adds individual accountability to group talk.

Interactive lecture demonstrations in physics (e.g., PhET simulations) — Students predict the outcome of a simulation run, observe, and reconcile discrepancies.

Harvard Business School case method — Entire class sessions structured as case discussion and decision-making under ambiguity.

Key Sources

  • Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. PNAS, 111(23), 8410–8415. doi:10.1073/pnas.1319030111
  • Deslauriers, L., McCarty, L. S., Miller, K., Callaghan, K., & Kestin, G. (2019). Measuring actual learning versus feeling of learning in response to being actively engaged in the classroom. PNAS, 116(39), 19251–19257. doi:10.1073/pnas.1821936116
  • Chi, M. T. H., & Wylie, R. (2014). The ICAP framework: Linking cognitive engagement to active learning outcomes. Educational Psychologist, 49(4), 219–243. doi:10.1080/00461520.2014.965823
  • Bonwell, C. C., & Eison, J. A. (1991). Active learning: Creating excitement in the classroom (ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 1). George Washington University.
  • Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (2009). An educational psychology success story: Social interdependence theory and cooperative learning. Educational Researcher, 38(5), 365–379. doi:10.3102/0013189X09339057
Page metadata
Field Value
type element
id in-class-activities
title In-Class Activities
description Learners engage in active, structured tasks during class to apply knowledge.
status review
canonical True
generated by claude/unspecified on 2026-08-29
trust unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content

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