AIMThe aim of this study was to understand the concept of active learning and its potential use in nursing academia.BACKGROUNDThe demands for innovative teaching-learning strategies in higher education increased in the past decade to foster higher level of thinking. The nurse educator must prepare students entering the nursing profession, which mandates safe patient care, using a pedagogical learning process such as active learning.METHODThe Walker and Avant method guided this concept analysis.RESULTSThe attributes of the concept are learner-centered; dynamic, meaningful, and engaging learning environment; bidirectional collaborative interaction between educator and learner; and ongoing constructive and nonjudgmental feedback. The identified antecedents include the educator’s active learning expertise and the learner’s capacity for higher order thinking.CONCLUSIONNurse educators are responsible for providing effective learning environments based on a sound pedagogical approach. Active learning’s desirable outcomes call for educator support as experts in implementation.

As student cultural diversity increases in higher education, educators must implement bias-free evaluations and active learning activities. The objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), an active learning strategy where simulated patients role-play specific clinical scenarios, can be part of the advanced nursing practice (ANP) educational program for either formative or summative competencies evaluation. This article describes active learning and theatrical techniques used in a grant-funded workshop to increase cultural awareness among ANP students, nurse educators, and simulated patients. The participants’ increased understanding of their potential biases can create a psychologically safe and bias-free OSCE for culturally diverse students.