If you build it, will they come?

Abstract

INTRODUCTION. Active learning has been demonstrated to lead to better learning outcomes for students within education, but within higher education institutions, there are still a wide range of barriers that prevent active learning from taking place. METHOD. In this article, I discuss some of the key barriers, including the design of the teaching space, the use of new technologies (such as lecture capture), and challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS & DISCUSSION. Much of the literature suggests that, whilst there are structural barriers that discourage the use of active learning (such as the built environment), it is not sufficient to merely remove these barriers, but it is also important to create a demand from educators (and students) for newer, active pedagogies.