PALs: Fostering Student Engagement and Interactive Learning

Georgia Gwinnett College is a new, outcomes-based college dedicated to innovative, active-learning environments. To better meet that goal, we have developed Partners in Active Learning, or PALs: learning communities that provide students with integrated educational experiences that meet the "Essential Learning Outcomes" of the 21st century articulated in the AAC&U's 2008 report, College Learning for the New Global Century. In PALs, faculty members from multiple disciplines team up with community partners and focus their teaching efforts on collaborative projects that provide an authentic learning environment for students to evaluate and respond to real-world issues. This article describes the grounding principles of PALs; the growth and refinement of PALs pilot projects over three semesters; the challenges faced and the solutions devised; and strategies readers can use to implement a PALs program on their campuses. [authors]