What is the Active Learning Network?

The Active Learning Network is a global community for revolutionising learning. The network is a collaborative, community-led initiative for anyone interested in making active learning happen for all including academics, educational developers, learning technologists and students, with satellite groups at universities around the world. It is a community that aims to provide a collaborative platform to share ideas, produce openly available resources, showcase active learning projects, pedagogic scholarship/research and international discussions around active learning.

The network’s approach is distinctive because it aims to challenge and disrupt existing paradigms in HE and operates in the spirit of sharing and open education. This provides an antidote to top-down, siloed approaches prevalent in HE and means that those involved in learning and teaching can benefit from reciprocal sharing of practice, rather than having to constantly reinvent the wheel and fight isolated struggles for change in their own institutions.

Since 2017, the network has grown from a small group at one university, to a large-scale network with an international membership and satellite groups from across the world.  In 2021 the Active Learning Network held the world’s first Global Festival of Active Learning, and you find out more about this and our other festivals, conferences and continuing professional development (CPD) events via Active Learning Network website.

The Active Learning Network and its members’ approach to sharing of scholarship and innovative learning practices has a huge impact, because staff and students create bilateral communication channels between the wider network and their local networks where they pass the learning forward.

How can I access more publications from the Active Learning Network and Open Press University of Sussex?

The Active Learning Network has a range of open access publications created by its members which can be accessed via the books and publications page of the website.

Open Press University of Sussex publications can be accessed via the Open Press University of Sussex website.

A larger selection of open access books from the wider community are available from the PressBooks Directory.

How do I get involved?

If any aspect of this book inspires new ideas or serves as a catalyst for positive changes to yours or your wider institution’s practice, or if you would like to get involved in the network or set up and lead your own local satellite group, please get in touch by sending us an email to activelearningnetwork@gmail.com, or by visiting our website at www.activelearningnetwork.com.