Designing for Agency and Hope: Scaffolded Active Learning and Authentic Assessment
This interactive workshop explores how thoughtfully scaffolded active learning and authentic, low-stakes assessment can foster student agency, confidence, and deeper understanding even in complex subjects like anatomy. Through hands-on, model-based activities, participants experience a progression from structured guidance to open-ended exploration, making their thinking visible while reflecting on how learning is constructed. Along the way, the underlying pedagogy is made explicit, offering adaptable strategies that can be translated across disciplines and teaching contexts. Whether you’re looking to enhance engagement, support diverse learners, or rethink assessment, this session provides practical ideas grounded in experience and designed for immediate use.
Expectations for the Learning Community
We use a shared learning community agreement to create an environment grounded in respect, curiosity, and trust where diverse perspectives are valued and everyone has space to contribute and grow. This foundation supports agency, encourages thoughtful risk-taking, and allows learning to emerge through collaboration, reflection, and a willingness to try, revise, and try again.
Preparatory Work
The pre-work introduces essential content and terminology, giving learners the foundation they need to engage successfully in the session. Using multiple formats to support diverse learning preferences, these materials are typically completed in advance, but in this workshop are explored briefly at the beginning to establish a shared starting point.
Follow this link for a printable copy of the lecture: Asynchronous Lecture (pdf)
*Warning* This video does contain images of cadaveric dog limb specimens. View at your own discretion. Proximal Forelimb Anatomy Video
Activity 1
In Activity 1, participants engage in one of two structured pathways – focusing on bones and bony prominences or muscles and their attachments – to develop foundational knowledge and begin exploring structure and function relationships. This highly scaffolded design supports early success, reduces cognitive load, and builds confidence as learners prepare for more independent application.
Activity 2
In Activity 2, participants select how to represent their learning, using a concept map, diagram, table, or other format to make their thinking visible. Through peer presentation, feedback, and revision, learners refine their understanding while engaging in a less structured task that promotes independence and agency.
Discussion
Through guided discussion, participants examine the design of the activities, considering how scaffolding, agency, and inclusive approaches shape the learning experience. They reflect on their experience to make the underlying pedagogy explicit and explore how these design choices support meaningful learning and can be adapted across disciplines and teaching contexts.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks goes to Jesse Darley of the College of Engineering Design Innovation Lab. This project could not have been completed without his considerable expertise.
Abstract
Instructors seek ways to create learning environments where students experience curiosity, confidence, and persistence – especially in challenging contexts. This 60-minute interactive workshop explores how scaffolded active learning and low-stakes, authentic assessment can foster student agency, hope, and deeper learning.
Participants work in facilitated small groups, beginning with a brief guided video to establish shared understanding and reduce cognitive load. Groups then engage in hands-on, model-based activities that progress from highly scaffolded to more open-ended, supporting early success, collaboration, and intellectual risk-taking. Participants complete a formative concept-mapping assessment followed by a brief peer presentation emphasizing reflection and growth rather than performance.
The session concludes with a facilitated discussion connecting activities to pedagogies of hope, constructive alignment, Universal Design for Learning, and inclusive assessment. Participants leave with adaptable strategies and examples applicable across disciplines and instructional contexts.
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel"
Maya Angelou (poet, memoirist, civil rights activist)