Didactics in astronomy to engage your students and improve their learning

It has become a frequent phrase to say that a standard method of teaching, a lecture, has become an ineffective instructional method in modern, and especially large-enrolment university classes. If we are to educate all our students to be successful in their post-university careers, we need to teach our students how to become lifelong learners. Phrases like “active learning” and “student-centred learning” might sound like buzzwords, but they convey a simple message that we need to help our students to engage more actively in their learning process.

In this workshop, I will provide a brief overview of evidence-based active learning teaching practices in physics and astronomy. This will be followed by a discussion with participants on what impediments or reservations academics might have to engage with such teaching approaches, and which of the presented approaches they might be willing to try in their courses.