I encourage student responsibility and decision making and intentional learning in an atmosphere of collaboration among students and instructors:
promote study and investigation within meaningful and information-
rich contexts; and
utilize participation in dynamic activities that promote high level
thinking processes, including problem solving, experimentation,
creativity, discussion, and examination of topics from multiple
perspectives.
REALs encourage students to develop initiative and responsibility for their own learning within active and meaningful contexts.
This article presents an overview of rich environments for active learning by defining and describing critical Features and strategies employed for effective use in higher education classroom settings. Descriptions of how REALs can be implemented in higher education classrooms are also provided.