Abstract

This research investigated the perceptions on active learning of seventy-five faculty across public four-year and two-year institutions. We examined conditions where faculty considered supporting and implementing active learning techniques within their classrooms. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that a commitment to active learning is the strongest predictor of faculty usage of active learning techniques, explaining 29% of the variance in active learning. Post hoc mediation analyses revealed that faculty felt greater commitment to active learning if they thought attention to innovative techniques was included within their performance evaluations. We discuss implications for restructuring faculty appraisal, and for including faculty input within the process. Participative management suggests that people may be more committed to an outcome when their input is solicited. Learning communities, lunch and learns, collegial support, mentoring, and other faculty engagement techniques and methods can act as catalysts to pique faculty interest in active learning, and to present active learning as a technique that is both useful and enjoyable.