Connecting the Pieces: An Active Learning Constructivist Approach to Graduate Online Instruction Through an Online Jigsaw Activity

Abstract

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education instructors were forced to make necessary changes in the conversion from face to face instruction to the use of online and virtual platforms. Even before this shift, scholars have long advocated the introduction of active and constructivist learning practices, and to move away from the traditional lecture as a means to disseminate information in the classroom. This chapter highlights ways in which active learning and constructivist-related activities such as motivational activities, critical-thinking activities, creative-thinking activities, and collaborative learning activities can be employed in the online classroom for successful teaching practice. Also detailed is a case study of the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of a Jigsaw activity used in a Master’s level human resource development (HRD) course. HRD as a field takes well to learner centered instruction, as it is an applied discipline that is deeply concerned with the aspirational development of adults in training, organization change, and careers. Lessons learned from the deployment of active learning and constructivist-related activities within the case are adaptable and applicable for online instructors both in and outside of the field of HRD who are interested in building such experiences for students in online programs.

Citation

Carter, A.D. (2022), "Connecting the Pieces: An Active Learning Constructivist Approach to Graduate Online Instruction Through an Online Jigsaw Activity", Sengupta, E. and Blessinger, P. (Ed.) Changing the Conventional University Classroom (Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning, Vol. 44), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 9-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2055-364120220000044002