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Abstract

This study is an attempt to analyse the active learning practices among students and lecturers in a higher learning institute in the United States. This study is a qualitative study with five undergraduates, five postgraduates and five instructors as the informants. The instruments used were classroom observations, interviews, open-ended section in the questionnaires and relevant document research. The high level of agreement among students indicated that active learning had been practised widely in higher education. The finding indicated students in higher education were fond of active learning to achieve optimum learning outcomes. The findings indicated that active learning is best conducted through group discussion, project and case study and is best used with strategies such as assigned reading, project paper, case study and reflective writing. The findings proposed that strategies promoting active learning be defined as instructional activities involving students in doing things and thinking about what they are doing.

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Acknowledgements

This paper is part of a research project funded by Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), Ministry of Education, Research Management Institute, Universiti Teknologi MARA and Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange (MACEE).

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Correspondence to Yuen Fook Chan .

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© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore

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Chan, Y.F., Sidhu, G.K., Lee, L.F. (2015). Active Learning in Higher Education: A Case Study. In: Tang, S., Logonnathan, L. (eds) Taylor’s 7th Teaching and Learning Conference 2014 Proceedings. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-399-6_47

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