Fill the gap: active learning strategies for traditional and online classrooms – teachers focus

I was there, standing in front of my face to face psychology course on a sunny Monday afternoon in the spring of 2025. I looked at that some of my students took notes while the remaining students were passively seated, perhaps hoping that my animated gestures and my rhythms in some way osmotically transfer my explanation of the classic conditioning in their brain. Meanwhile, in my online section of the same course, students worked through modules carefully designed at their own pace, their participation in discussion forums to cool and flow unpredictable. It was at this point that it struck me – despite years of experience in teaching, I am always looking for ways to trigger the same level of engagement, that I interact with students face to face or through carefully designed asynchronous activities. These parallel but distinct teaching environments require intentional strategies that can adapt while maintaining their power to actively engage students in the learning process.

Rethink active learning for asynchronous spaces

Traditional active active learning techniques that work wonderfully in my face -to -face lessons often fall flat in the asynchronous online environment. Take the classic prompt “Turn to your neighbor and discuss” which energizes my traditional lessons – there is no direct equivalent when the students connect at different times throughout the week. However, the abandonment of these proven commitment strategies is not the answer. Instead, we must reinvent active learning for the two spaces, maintaining the main principles while adapting execution. The key is to find techniques that preserve what makes active learning so powerful – student commitment, peer interaction and immediate concepts – while recognizing the unique constraints and opportunities of each learning environment.

One of the most powerful techniques in my traditional classroom is the format of discussion of reflection on the share of pairs. Students have these precious moments to collect their thoughts before turning to a classmate to discuss concepts such as confirmation or the impact of classic conditioning on daily behavior. Students are dynamic while the pairs merge into small groups, based on the ideas of the other before sharing with the whole class. But how to capture this same collaborative energy in an asynchronous environment?

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I found success by structuring online discussions in three separate phases that reflect experience in person. First, the students display their initial response to a stimulating prompt (the “think” phase). Then, they must respond significantly to the messages of two classmates, relying on their ideas rather than simply agree (the “pair” phase). Finally, students return to their original position and reflect on how their understanding has evolved after committing themselves with the prospects of their peers (the “sharing” phase). The key is to make prompts that require critical thinking – instead of asking “what is classical conditioning?” I could ask “how do you use the classic conditioning principles to help someone overcome their fear of speaking in public?”

Timing is also important. In my face -to -face class, I authorize two to three minutes for individual reflection, five minutes for pairs discussions and 10 minutes for group sharing. Online, I found success with a similar proportional structure: two days for initial positions, three days for peers responses and two days for final reflections. This creates a rhythm that maintains the moving discussion while arranging various hours.

Design collaborative learning experiences

The creation of interactive content transforms the way students engage with the course equipment in both environments. In my traditional classes, I divide students into small groups to create concept cards exploring the relationships between the different psychological disorders. Armed with markers and paper, they work in collaboration to connect concepts such as anxiety, depression and traumatized responses, discovering links that they could have failed to study alone. The energy is palpable because the groups share their cards, debating links and relying on everyone's ideas.

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For my online students, I adapted this activity using collaborative digital tools. Students work in small groups throughout the week to build their concept cards using shared online work spaces. Each student must add at least three concepts and establish significant links with the contributions of his group comrades. The asynchronous format actually offers an advantage here – students have time to think deep about their contributions and can look at the card of their group evolve over several days. I provide specific deadlines for initial contributions and peers comments to maintain momentum.

I found that the key to success in one or the other environment lies in the supply of clear examples of solid concept cards at the start, establishing specific criteria for significant connections and forcing students to explain their reasoning for each link they create. The deadlines for each phase maintain the momentum, while the integration of the peer assessment in the final note guarantees coherent participation. The resulting cards often reveal ideas that surprise me and my students, demonstrating how collaborative learning can deepen understanding regardless of teaching modality.

Measure the commitment and refining strategy

One-minute articles serve as powerful self-assessment tools in my traditional classes. For example, at the end of our discussion on memory training, I ask students to quickly write the most important concept they have learned and a question they still have. This simple exercise reveals gaps in understanding and helps students consolidate their learning. In our next class, I answer the most common questions, creating a feedback loop that keeps everyone engaged.

For my online students, I transformed this into structured reflection reviews. After completing each module, students must identify their main dishes to remember and ask a substantive question on the equipment. The asynchronous format allows a deeper reflection, and I noticed that online students often establish fascinating links with their personal experiences. Each week, I compile the most stimulating questions in a FAQ document, creating a collaborative resource that benefits the whole class.

Success in the two formats requires clear guidelines on what constitutes a significant reflection compared to the surface observations. Students saying that “the limbic system deals with emotions” will not be enough – they must explain how this knowledge changes their understanding of human behavior. This approach reinforces not only learning, but also develops critical thinking skills that serve students far beyond our course.

The measurement of commitment in different learning environments requires that I use a systematic approach. In my traditional class, I am in the process of following participation by observation and collecting rapid comments via files. For my online students, I monitor the frequency not only, but the quality of their discussion publications and their collaborative work. The key measurements that I use remain coherent in the two spaces: analysis depth, quality of peer interaction and conceptual application.

I use a simple framework that examines three elements: initial commitment (participation in discussions or activities), sustained interaction (significant responses to peers) and a learning application (connection of concepts to real world scenarios). For each component, I am looking for reviews of critical thinking rather than simple complements. This approach helps to identify the strategies that work and which require an adjustment.

Beyond quantitative measures, I pay attention to qualitative indicators such as the sophistication of students' questions and the complexity of peer discussions. This information guides my refinement of teaching strategies in both environments, ensuring that active learning remains effective, regardless of the delivery method.

As the spring semester progressed, I saw the impact of adapted strategies in my traditional and online psychology courses. These initially passive students of my traditional class began to participate in our active learning exercises, while my online students built an active learning community through their thoughtful asynchronous interactions. According to my experience, the key is not to choose between traditional and online teaching methods – it understands how to preserve active learning while adapting strategies to adapt to each unique environment. By reimaginating rather than simply transplanting these strategies, we can create engaging learning experiences that effectively work in the two spaces.

Dr. Dunja “Dee” Trunk, professor of psychology at the Bloomfield College of Montclair State University, has a passion for teaching and a real belief in the transformative power of education.