Applied learning (AL) is an umbrella term for educational approaches in which students learn through the active application of knowledge and skills to real-world tasks, with strategically-timed direct instruction and performance-based assessments supporting learning. Approaches fitting within this umbrella category include, but are not limited to: Project-Based Learning, Problem-Based Learning, Experiential Learning, Inquiry-Based Instruction, Linked Learning, and Career and Technical Education. Key features across these various AL approaches include authenticity, cognitive challenge, active learning, and sustained experiences.
This research brief synthesizes decades of research to guide district and school leaders on how to design effective Applied Learning (AL) programs that make learning more engaging, relevant, and cognitively challenging. Applied Learning—an umbrella term for approaches such as project-based, inquiry-based, and experiential learning—helps students build and apply knowledge through authentic, real-world tasks supported by strategic instruction and performance-based assessment. The brief identifies four key characteristics of high-quality AL—authenticity, cognitive challenge, active learning, and sustained experiences—and outlines the system-level conditions that enable them to be effective, including coherent visions of learner success, aligned curricula and assessments, teacher collaboration time, and flexible schedules and credit policies. By adopting these evidence-based design principles, education leaders can expand access to rigorous, meaningful learning experiences that prepare all students for success in college, career, and civic life.
Strong evidence substantiates the claim that AL improves academic performance and long-term outcomes across disciplines and student demographics, especially through methods like project-based, problem-based, and inquiry-based learning.
Key Characteristics of Applied Learning
- Authenticity. Authentic learning connects students to the world beyond school.
- Cognitive Challenge: Learning goals, processes, and outcomes prioritize deep learning, complex thinking, and usable knowledge.
- Active Learning: Students actively drive their own learning through experience and collaboration, guided by teachers’ strategic use of direct instruction.
- Sustained Experiences: AL takes place over weeks or months. It is not a single lesson that has a hands-on component, or a “dessert” task like building a diorama at the end of a unit.
