Promoting Equity and Active Learning through Collaborative Teamwork

The Faculty Center for Professional Excellence and the Innovation Center are excited to invite you to a workshop on a student-centered teaching method that fosters collaboration, critical thinking, and equity. 

Refreshments will be provided by the Faculty Center for Professional Excellence.

Please note that classes are NOT scheduled on this day as it falls during Adelphi’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day Break.

This workshop presents a dynamic example of how active learning and effective teamwork can cultivate an equitable learning environment in both undergraduate and graduate courses. Melissa A. Van Alstine-Parris, PhD and Sidney M. Boquiren, PhD will explore this through the framework of Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL). Originally developed in STEM fields but now applied across disciplines, POGIL is a student-centered teaching philosophy that encourages authentic learning experiences through collaboration.

POGIL’s flexible structure promotes teamwork by organizing students into small groups to explore models and uncover new knowledge through guided activities. Each participant plays a specific role within the group, enhancing skills in collaboration, communication, critical and creative thinking, and leadership, while fostering student agency in their own learning process.

In this session, Dr. Van Alstine-Parris and Dr. Boquiren will demonstrate a POGIL activity and share materials from their own courses. The workshop will also open a dialogue on the broader implications of this approach, particularly its potential to enhance equity, inclusion, and belonging in the classroom. The facilitators will offer perspectives on how POGIL can support interdisciplinary inquiry, showcasing its adaptability across diverse fields. Together, they aim to highlight—and serve as a resource—for how POGIL can serve as a powerful tool for meeting a range of pedagogical goals and promoting an inclusive, student-centered classroom environment.

Faculty Developers and Facilitators

•  Melissa A. Van Alstine-Parris, PhD, Associate Professor and Chair, Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
• Sidney M. Boquiren, PhD, Professor, Music, College of Arts and Sciences