Agenda for 3-Day Workshops

A sample agenda is available for the 2025 summer workshops. 

Draft Agenda for Summer 3-Day Workshops

On Day 1, participants will follow a schedule based on their POGIL experience level. 

• Those who have never attended a POGIL workshop should attend the Fundamentals of POGIL session.

• Those who have previously attended a POGIL workshop should attend their choice of two of five General POGIL sessions

On Days 2 and 3, participants will follow a series of sessions (a track) based on their content area interest: Activity Writing, Classroom Facilitation, or Laboratory Track. (Note: Laboratory Track is only offered in select locations.)

Team Formation and Design

This session promotes discussion of strategies for creating effective student teams, as well as the issue of if, when, and how to change teams.  This session works by drawing upon the variety of experiences that those using the POGIL pedagogy (and other approaches) have with team formation.  

After attending this session, participants will be able to:

• identify the characteristics of effective teams
• describe a variety of approaches for team construction and changing team composition

Modeling A POGIL Classroom

When using a POGIL activity, preparation is key. In this session we will look at a basic facilitation guide that can help instructors make decisions about facilitation before entering the classroom. 

After attending this session, participants will be able to:

• identify the components of POGIL classroom facilitation
• provide examples for how the actions of instructors can promote or inhibit development of student process skills
• propose facilitation strategies for classroom use

Fostering Inclusivity

Research has shown that students learn more when they feel safe. In this session, participants will explore the many variables that make students feel comfortable in a classroom.

In this session, participants will learn to:

• explore unconscious bias and its consequences
• recognize how privilege and intersectionality manifest in the classroom
• recognize incidents of bias and privilege in an active learning environment
• collect and develop strategies to create a more implicitly inclusive classroom environment

How Are POGIL Activities Structured?

This session is an introduction to the essential characteristics and structure of high-quality POGIL activities. Participants will collect tools to help them create cohesive, quality acitivites. After completing this session, participants will be prepared to attend intermediate-level sessions on writing activities.

After attending this session, participants will be able to:

• identify the basic components of a POGIL activity, such as a model and learning cycle questions    
• classify questions in an activity according to the following types: directed, convergent, or divergent
• classify questions in a learning cycle activity according to the following types: exploration, concept invention/term introduction, or application
• use both the Learning Cycle and question types to critically analyze activity structure and guide construction of quality POGIL activities

Writing POGIL Activities: Preparing to Write a POGIL Activity

In this session, participants will consider what foundational steps to take before writing a POGIL activity, such as developing quality learning objectives, and matching them to assessment questions.

After attending this session, participants will be able to:

• select active verbs for writing learning objectives.
• write quality content and process learning objectives for a POGIL activity
• scaffold a learning activity through metacognition of an assessment question
• apply the learning objectives POGIL rubric

Writing POGIL Activities: Developing Robust Models

Robust models are the heart of any POGIL activity. In this session, participants will consider the features of a robust model including how to avoid implicit bias.

After attending this session, participants will be able to:

• identify features common to robust models
• promote inclusion by examining models with diverse learners in mind
• apply the Robust Models POGIL rubric

Writing POGIL Activities: Sprint Writing

Practice all you have learned about writing a POGIL activity with this guided session. Choose your own topic and produce a first draft of an activity.

After attending this session, participants will be able to:

• write 1-3 quality learning objectives
• consider an assessment question create a scaffold
• develop a concept for a robust model
• outline a learning cycle, and write some questions

Writing POGIL Activities: Writing for Process Skill Development

Process Skill development can occur through the facilitation of a POGIL activity and by embedding questions that target a process skill within an activity. In this session, you will explore several ways to focus students on their process skill development.

After attending this session, participants will be able to:

• write a quality process skill learning objective
• examine questions meant to improve process skills of students
• evaluate an activity using the POGIL Process Skills rubric

Writing POGIL Activities: Collaborative Feedback Training

During this double session, participants will learn more about the POGIL Activity Clearinghouse (PAC) and work through the Collaborative Feedback Training that is required to become a member of the PAC.

After attending this session, participants will be able to:

• employ the POGIL Learning Cycle and Process Skills rubrics to assess a sample activity
• collaborate with team members to provide constructive feedback to an activity author
• participate in a calibration activity using POGIL rubrics
• participate in the PAC as a reviewer or author

Classroom Facilitation: Introducing Process Skills

In this session, participants will examine the seven process skills in a variety of contexts. Participants will acquire several effective tools for introducing process skills to students and facilitating student reflection on process skills.

After attending this session, participants will be able to:

• define each POGIL process skill
• identify methods to raise students' buy-in for the use of process skills
• implement strategies to teach students to use process skills
• enable students to reflect on their group's use of process skills

Classroom Facilitation: Facilitating and Assessing Process Skills 

In this session, participants will consider how process skill development can be enhanced during collaborative learning when assessment and feedback are provided. One way in which particular process skills are developed in active learning environments is through student-student interactions. Monitoring these interactions provides a means to incorporate the assessment of process skills into regular classroom practice.

After attending this session, participants will be able to:

• explore process skills and behaviors that provide evidence for them
• gain experience using rubrics to assess process skills
• discuss strategies that encourage students to reflect on their group's use of process skills and how they can be improved

Classroom Facilitation: Improving Facilitation Skills

This session will provide participants with an opportunity to improve their facilitation skills through facilitating, observing, and/or reflecting on the student experience in a POGIL classroom. In this session, a sub-set of participants will each facilitate an activity of their choice.  All participants will have the opportunity to serve as an observer and a student during the session.

After attending this session, participants will be able to:

• identify how facilitation strategies impact the effectiveness of implementing POGIL activities
• identify how different perspectives of a classroom (i.e. student, observer, and instructor) provide different insights into the learning process
• improve their own classroom facilitation

Classroom Facilitation: Effective Facilitation Strategies

Effective facilitation requires attention to what is going on in the classroom as well as a set of strategies one can use to respond to a variety of classroom situations.  This session will help participants consider various situations that can impact effectiveness of responses within the classroom, including: disparities in student pacing, dysfunctional student dynamics, and other barriers to student learning in the classroom.   

After attending this session, participants will be able to:

• identify constructive facilitation strategies to ensure the classroom provides an effective learning environment for students
• describe facilitation practices that are useful when responding to specific disparities and barriers in a POGIL classroom

 Classroom Facilitation: The Facilitator's Toolbox

While there are characteristics of a POGIL classroom that are common, instructors have serveral choices when it comes to the facilitation of activities. In this session, participants will explore a wide variety of roles, report-out strategies, introductory activities, assessment rubrics, and pacing techniques.

After attending this session, participants will be able to:

• choose appropriate team roles and responsibilites for their classroom
• employ a variety of pacing strategies
• employ a variety of report-out strategies
• introduce POGIL pedagogy to their students
• assess team interactions during POGIL activities

POGIL Labs: Doing a POGIL Experiment

Participants begin the lab track by experiencing a POGIL laboratory activity from the perspective of a student. This provies a rich model of an activity that participants can deconstruct in the subsequent sessions.

In this sesion, participants will:

• experience an authentic POGIL laboratory experiment—the hydration of a bean (chickpea(
• observe POGIL laboratory facilitation and begin thinking bout how to facilitate discussion and inquiry in the laboratory

POGIL Labs: The POGIL Laboratory Experience

In this session, participants will examine the components and structure of a POGIL lab activity, including the learning cycle. Comparisions with the traditional lab experience will be made.

In this session, participants will:

• analyze and compare characteristics of the two POGIL laboratory experiments they have experiences
• describe the difference betwen a POGIL laboratory experiment and a traditional laboratory experiment
• examine the POGIL laboratory pedagogy

POGIL Labs: Facilitation and Implementation of a POGIL Experiment

In this session, participants will continue to deconstruct a POGIL laboratory activity by looking at how the experience was facilitated. Challenges to implementation will be addressed.

Particpants will:

• discuss implementation strategies for POGIL laboratory experiences
• identify obstaces to implementation

POGIL Labs: Introduction to Writing a POGIL Experiment

During this session, participants will begin by writing a POGIL experiment as a team, examining what information should be in each section of the lab activity. Participants will then be led through a "sprint writing" activity culminating in a rough draft of a POGIL experiment of their choosing. The option of collaborating with other participants will be encouraged.

During this session, participants will :

• write a draft version of a POGIL/PhET experiments objectives, protocol, and focus question
• begin adapting the POGIL model to teaching laboratory in their own discipline

POGIL Labs: Giving and Receiving Feedback on a POGIL Experiment

During this session, teams of participants will use the POGIL Laboratory rubric to assess one another's draft POGIL experiments. Participants will also learn about the POGIL Activity Clearinghouse (PAC) and how to submit activities for feedback.

After attending this session, participants will:

• be able to describe the PAC and be able to submit an activity for feedback
• use the POGIL Laboratory rubric to provide feedback on a POGIL experimental draft