Most of today’s students have never known a world without technology, which significantly impacts their attention spans (“Digital Dementia: How Screens and Digital Devices Impact Memory” 2023). Microsoft found that attention spans in general have decreased from 12 seconds in 2000 to less than 8 seconds in 2013, which unfortunately for us as educators is shorter than that of a goldfish (McSpadden 2015).
In addition to the limited attention span, technology also impacts the brain’s craving for stimulation, training it to expect high-reward, fast-paced digital experiences. This makes concentrating on real-world tasks, such as paying attention to course content, listening to a lecture, or even completing a homework assignment, almost an unreasonable request (de Barros 2024). Students who are less engaged in their coursework experience lower grades, poor class attendance, lack of participation, difficulty retaining information, and increased dropout risk.
So how do we adjust what we are doing to capture the attention of our students and continue to instill a sense of academic rigor in our courses? To reach our students’ need for novelty and short bursts of information and meet the course learning objectives we can implement active learning strategies in our courses. Research shows that active learning increases content and information retention by up to 90% and engagement is directly correlated with career preparedness (Bachelor et al., 2012). Active learning also provides students with an opportunity to connect the material to their personal lives, which not only increases retention of information, but increases motivation to learn (Cornell University 2025).
Practical Steps to Implementing Active Learning Strategies
- Rethinking the curriculum: Shift from lecture-heavy formats to interactive, application-based learning. Introduce flexible, student-centered approaches like problem-based learning, flipped classrooms, group discussions, etc.
- Real-world relevance: Connect course material to industry trends, career pathways, and current events. Invite guest speakers from relevant fields for students to interact with. Encourage hands-on activities, projects or case studies.
- Create engaging and easily assessed activities: Use formative assessments like quizzes, peer reviews, reflections and in-class activities. Develop assignments that require problem-solving and critical thinking rather than rote memorization. Consider utilizing interactive tools like polls, discussion boards, or gamified learning.
- Keep it fun and interactive: Create a positive learning environment by encouraging student input and foster a space for open dialogue. Use humor, enthusiasm, and energy to create a dynamic classroom atmosphere. And gather regular feedback from students about what’s working for them in the class and adjust if needed.
Steps to Creating Active Learning Activities
1. Case Studies
- Ensure the case aligns with the content and meets the learning goals for that module.
- Choose or create a case that is applicable to the student and the real world. Cases should be interesting and thought-provoking to capture the attention of the class.
- These can be conducted as individual assignments or as collaborative assignments. Collaborative assignments tend to be more engaging and interactive.
- Create clear guidelines and goals for the case study.
- Debrief with the class with prepared discussion questions to assess learning.
2. Gamified Learning
- All efforts at gamifying learning should have a purpose and support learning objectives to ensure students are engaged and retaining information.
- Utilize points and badges, leaderboards, quests, etc. to encourage some competition and collaboration among students.
- Use digital tools like or platforms like Kahoot, Quizizz, Baamboozle, or apps like Goose Chase for digital scavenger hunts.
- Provide immediate feedback to show students how they are performing.
- Set time limits for certain tasks to add an element of urgency or excitement.
3. Group Learning Projects
- Set clear expectations by explaining the project’s learning goals and the requirements for success.
- Structure the project into smaller components and create a timeline for completion.
- Assign roles or ask for group assignments to roles such as leader, timekeeper, editor, etc. to distribute responsibilities.
- Monitor progress as the instructor by circulating through the room, observing groups, and providing guidance.
4. Five-Minute Engagement Boosters
Engage students periodically throughout the class period with five-minute engagement boosters to get them to critically think about the material and encourage peer interactions:
- Think-Pair-Share: Pose a question, have students think individually of their answer, turn to a partner and discuss, then finally share their answers with the group.
- Turn-and-Talk: Students turn to a classmate and answer a quick question, and then reverse roles.
- Quick Brainstorming: Students rapidly generate as many ideas as possible regarding a specific topic in a short amount of time to provide discussion content.
- Polls: Multiple choice questions can be used as a discussion starter, allowing you as the instructor to immediately ask follow up questions providing explanations on the topics.
- Wordle of the Day: Create your own wordle aligned with your course content that day to engage students the minute they walk in the door.
- Joke or Riddle of the Day: Include a joke or riddle on your first slides to encourage engagement and discussion at the start of class.
Not only do these strategies engage students and help them stay focused during class time, it also creates an environment in which faculty are able to connect with students as opposed to the traditional lecture model (Cornell University 2025). It is important to set clear expectations from the onset of your course. To ensure that students will have a positive experience in your active learning classroom, be sure to clearly explain how you will use these activities and the benefit of them. Let students know that there is an expectation of participation and that active learning is designed to maximize their success. Set the tone for the semester with a quick icebreaker to help students become comfortable with each other and the structure of the class and utilize an active learning activity on day one (Cornell University 2025). Enjoy your engaged and active classroom!
Brittany Aga, PsyD, is a Psychology Instructor and the Educator of the Year (2025) at Piedmont Technical College in South Carolina. Dr. Aga is known for her active learning strategies, engaging classrooms, and student-focused approach in psychology education.
References
Barros, Eugénia Correia de. 2024. “Understanding the Influence of Digital Technology on Human Cognitive Functions: A Narrative Review.” IBRO Neuroscience Reports 17 (November): 415–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibneur.2024.11.006
Cornell University. 2025. “Active Learning.” Center for Teaching Innovation. 2025. https://teaching.cornell.edu/teaching-resources/active-collaborative-learning/active-learning
“Digital Dementia: How Screens and Digital Devices Impact Memory.” 2023. Neurology Center for Epilepsy & Seizures. December 13, 2023. https://www.neurocenternj.com/blog/digital-dementia-how-screens-and-digital-devices-impact-memory/
McSpadden, Kevin. 2015. “You Now Have a Shorter Attention Span than a Goldfish.” TIME. May 14, 2015. https://time.com/3858309/attention-spans-goldfish/