Although active learning (AL) promotes greater student engagement, participation, and higher-order thinking than didactic approaches, didactic teaching remains the dominant form of instruction in higher education STEM courses. The persistence of didactic teaching has often been attributed to the apprenticeship of observation, a phenomenon whereby individuals internalize expectations of education based on their experiences as students. We observed this phenomenon firsthand and noticed that students tend to resort to didactic presentations when delivering peer-to-peer teaching sessions. To disrupt this cycle, we developed an AL instructional module to encourage students to adopt AL approaches in peer-to-peer teaching. This module provides opportunities to practice, learn, and reflect on the benefits of AL compared to didactic approaches. To gather student perceptions of the effectiveness of our module, we solicited feedback from students in a third-year undergraduate neuroplasticity course in which our module was implemented. This survey consisted of both Likert-style and open-ended questions. Of the 22 students enrolled in the course, seven completed the survey. Responses were positive and suggested the module supported students’ engagement with, understanding of, and application of AL. These findings suggest that a module with explicit instruction, feedback, and opportunities for reflection may encourage acceptance and adoption of AL.
