This interactive workshop will explore effective strategies for implementing active learning in large classes and in classrooms not originally designed to support such methods. The session will begin with a presentation that highlights how spatial awareness and attention to students’ perceived learning moods have been used to design and integrate a variety of active learning strategies in introductory human geography courses. The presenter will share insights into which strategies appear to be most effective, which are less successful, and what these outcomes suggest for best practices in large-class environments. In addition, the session will examine the use of an "examination window" approach and flexible deadlines as tools to promote deeper engagement with course content and reduce student stress. The examination window model involves quizzes delivered through the course learning management system, structured with a variety of question types and accessible over a three-day period. Students are allowed up to three attempts per quiz, with the highest score recorded, and may request additional attempts as needed—providing further flexibility in the learning process. The presentation will include reflections on the strengths and challenges of this approach and its impact on student performance. Following the presentation, participants will engage in structured small-group discussions aimed at generating ideas for addressing the challenges associated with implementing active learning and flexible assessment in similar instructional settings.
