Active learning under time constraints: Working students, institutional conditions and implementation fit in a public business school in Brazil

Vollständiger Abstract

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Purpose This study aims to examine how active learning is experienced and implemented in evening business programs in which many students work. This study focuses on how student time constraints and institutional conditions shape perceived feasibility, continuity and implementation fit. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a mixed methods design in a public university business school in Brazil. Data were collected from students (n = 213) and faculty members (n = 33). The analysis combines descriptive survey results, open-ended responses and image-based elicitation using four classroom scenes. Findings Students assign high value to active learning but report uneven exposure and limited feasibility when activities require substantial preparation outside class, especially in flipped classroom designs. Faculty members also value active learning but report constraints related to preparation time, classroom layout, infrastructure, course coordination, assessment routines and institutional support. These conditions help explain why active learning remains partial and uneven rather than stable across the program. Research limitations/implications This study is limited to one public business school in Brazil, with voluntary participation, nonrandom sampling and self-reported perceptions rather than direct observation or measurement of learning outcomes. Future research could compare different institutional types, countries, program formats and student profiles. Longitudinal studies, classroom observation, interviews and learning analytics could further examine how active learning designs are adapted over time and how implementation fit relates to participation, persistence and learning outcomes. Practical implications Business schools should select and adapt active learning according to student time constraints and institutional conditions. In evening programs with working students, active learning designs should reduce excessive out of class demands and concentrate interaction, feedback and applied tasks within scheduled class time. Program leaders can support implementation by coordinating deadlines, aligning assessment routines, providing faculty preparation time and allocating suitable classroom spaces when available. Social implications Active learning designs that require substantial preparation outside class may disadvantage students with limited discretionary time, especially those who combine study, work, commuting and family responsibilities. By focusing on implementation fit, business schools can reduce participation gaps and make active learning more feasible for working students. This may support more equitable engagement, persistence and academic progress in evening and professional higher education programs. Originality/value This paper contributes to business education by reframing active learning as a question of implementation fit rather than method adoption alone. This study offers implications for evening programs and comparable international contexts serving working students, where feasibility, workload and institutional support affect the continuity of active learning practices.