Bonwell and Eison’s 1991 original study in Active Learning (AL), presents as a factor the fear in lecturers to integrate AL in their methodology. Thirty-five years later and the COVID-19 pandemic in between, it is more than clear that the fear does not reside solely in the lecturers, but also in the students. Students with high levels of social anxiety, partially aggravated by their lockdown experiences, as well as a variety of neurodivergences affecting their confidence to speak in front of others, arrive to Higher Education institutions every year. More and more, it seems that asking them to partake in class by discussing, debating and generally participating in activities that involve talking in front of their peers and lecturers is impregnated by fear more than excitement, especially if the interactive tasks involve any sort of improvisation, or thinking on the spot.

This paper explores a strategy in which the primary learning environment consists of a series of workshops. In these workshops, Miro Board (a collaborative online whiteboard system) is used to allow students with lower confidence to collaborate anonymously, fostering an inclusive learning environment. The workshops are complemented with lectures where more traditional forms of AL are used to introduce and explore contextual concepts and theories in small groups (2-3 students). This approach enables students to interact with one another without the fear of speaking publicly or in front of peers and lecturers, enhancing the meaning of the lecture’s content. Finally, whenever possible, activities focused on building psychological safety and developing positive attitudes toward the class are incorporated, such as spending an afternoon playing board games. The theoretical framework for this study is a blend of AL, Problem-Based Learning, Scaffolding, Culturally Responsive Teaching, and other related approaches.

This methodology has been applied in a 2024 Unit lasting 8 weeks, with a class of 9 Year 1 Creative Computing and Creative Technology & Robotics students that are learning web development. Although further research is needed to obtain conclusive results, preliminary feedback seems to indicate the students have successfully achieved their Learning Outcomes, have felt included within the classroom, and are satisfied with their own learning.

Keywords: Miro board, covid-19, social anxiety, active learning, problem based learning, scaffolding, creative computing, higher education, culturally responsive teaching, inclusivity.