Educators understand that active learning approaches can be beneficial. However, not all active learning approaches are equally effective.
The ICAP Center for Teaching and Learning’s professional development resources are designed to help post-secondary STEMM (science, technology, engineering, math and medicine) educators understand and leverage the ICAP theory to refine and strengthen their active learning approaches.
The evidence-based ICAP theory gets its name from the four distinct modes of learning engagement — interactive, constructive, active and passive — that were established through the research of ASU professor Michelene “Micki” Chi. The ICAP theory is consistent with the findings of hundreds of published experiments.
With a better understanding of these mode distinctions, educators can adjust or design their lessons and teaching approaches to create more effective active learning experiences. Ongoing research can also yield further insights into the application of the ICAP theory.
The ICAP theory identifies four modes of learning, starting with the passive mode, such as watching a video or listening to a lecture. The theory creates a distinction between the passive mode and three categories of active learning (active, constructive and interactive) which can incrementally lead to deeper student understanding.
Once educators become familiar with the ICAP learning modes, they can put this knowledge into practice. The ICAP Center’s professional development programs offer practical exercises and activity examples to help STEMM post-secondary educators apply the ICAP theory to their lesson plans. The goal is to help educators recognize opportunities to make small yet significant adjustments that can deepen student learning.
Here is one example of an upgraded geology lesson:
| ICAP level: Active | ICAP level: Mostly constructive |
|---|---|
| In a geology class, a professor plans an assignment for students to match sedimentary depositional environments and sediments to the correct rock type. | The geology professor adjusts the lesson to have the students: 1) Identify (active mode) the sedimentary rock specimen 2) Predict (constructive mode) what type of environment that rock could be found in, and 3) Interpret (constructive mode) which environment matches their own prediction for each rock. |
Example from Steven Semken, ASU professor