Apart from the fact that students actually learn more, active teaching and learning provides information to both students and teachers on how well students are doing. In a traditionally taught course, there’s some form of assessment at the end of the course. Only then do both students and teacher find out how well the students have grasped the content. For students who fail the assessment, it’s too late to put in more effort and study harder, they will have to wait for the resit. For you as the teacher, it’s too late to help students learn better.

By using active teaching and learning, students will be engaging with the material during the course, which will provide both them and you with feedback on how well they are grasping that material. As long as information is simply offered to students, it is very appealing for both parties to assume that students understand it. However, when they actually have to do something with the information, it will become clear whether they have really understood it.

Students receiving feedback on their learning during a course, is a key element of active teaching and learning. This doesn’t mean however, that you as a teacher have to assess everything every student is doing. Students can give feedback to eachother (peer feedback), it can be automated with the help of ICT or students can be provided with the right answers so they can check for themselves