2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Active learning is defined by classroom activities that engage students in the learning process. There are numerous studies excelling the impact of active learning in different fields, and particularly in engineering and sciences, such as improving the students’ performance and their critical thinking, as well as increasing the likelihood of their not failing or withdrawing from a class. The paper explores the advantages and difficulties in implementing active learning in core engineering courses. As a case study, a Statics course is examined with two interdisciplinary groups of roughly twenty students each. The first group, designated as “active,” is engaged in five activities that encourage active learning. The second group, designated as “passive,” is exposed to traditional lecture-based teaching. An end-of-semester survey examines how the students perceive their learning on different topics. Learning is then assessed by considering students’ performance on their final exam. Research results show that the “active” group of students perceives their level of knowledge attainment better and clearly appreciates the importance of the taught material more. Moreover, these students seem to better enjoy the course and appreciate the instructor’s efforts.