Abstract—Active learning takes place when students are present in the classrooms’ activity and actively engaged with the subject matter. Active learning via website focuses on the content delivery and active engagement with the materials. However, the emergence of web-based learning environment which is supported by the changing technology at the present, is neglecting the students’ active participation in the learning processes. As a matter of fact, through the enhanced learning environment by the supported technology, students are able to play the role of an active learner. This paper examines how today’s web-based learning environment can be better designed for students’ active learning as in science subjects. This research proposed the implementation of learning strategies to encourage active participation among the students. Index Terms—Active learning, passive learning, web-based leaning, learning strategies. I. INTRODUCTION The internet or web has become an important changing agent in education field at present. Numerous websites provide opportunities for students to receive information without having time and places constraint [1]. Additionally, web-based learning can fosters active learning, where students having control on their own learning processes. Thus, students have to learn to be in charge of their own learning and become actively involved in the learning processes [2]. Learning by doing is the most common learning processes as indicated by many group of educators [3]. It is also indicated by Silberman where he mentioned that “students learn best by doing” [4]. Felder and Brent also further asserted that active learning as engaging students in doing something other than listening to a lecture and taking notes to help them learn and apply course material [5]. Active learning promotes student-centered learning. According to Açıkgöz [6], in active learning particularly, student takes the responsibility of his/her learning and also given the opportunity to make decisions about various dimensions of the learning processes. As a result, the skills of problem-solving, critical thinking and learning to learn can be nurtured [6]. This is due to the fact that through active learning, students carry out most of the tasks, using their wits to generate ideas and attempt to solve the given problems and finally able to apply what they have learned [4]. Manuscript received December 9, 2012; revised April 18, 2013. M. B. Ali and N. D. Abd Halim are with the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (e-mail: mba@utm.my, noordayanahalim@gmail.com). N. A. Shukor is with the Department of Educational Multimedia, Faculty of Education UTM (e-mail: fandymcl@gmail.com). II. BACKGROUND OF PROBLEM The advantages of active learning have been frequently demonstrated particularly for learning sciences [7]. Several researches have been conducted to prove that students learn best when they are engaged with course materials and actively participating in the learning processes [8]. As indicated by Clark [9], through active learning, students are engaged in activities such as conceiving, designing, creating, operating, exploring, analyzing, communicating, reflecting, or actually using new information or experiences. Despite that, studies have shown that the implementation of active learning at present is not widely spread [10]. Active learning can be enhanced and supported by technology. Currently, the integration of technology in education field will provide with the opportunities for active participation, collaboration and social interaction [11]. Active learning can also be implemented via online learning setting (web-based) [12] and it is hoped to be able to shift the passive learner towards becoming an active learner. The benefits of active learning versus passive learning are well-recognized. Cottrell [13] had listed the differences between active learning and passive learning as presented in Table I. TABLE I: ACTIVE LEARNING VERSUS PASSIVE LEARNING Active Learning Passive Learning Students will be looking for means to get involved in learning activity. Students will be waiting for directions and information to be given to them Students make conscious effort to make sense of, and finding meaning. Usually results in deeper understanding. Students replicate information and being ignorance. Unaware of the meaning. Students involved in reflection and self-assessment. Students do not reflect on what they have learned. Students’ attention span is longer because their mind is optimally engaged. Students may easily become bored and tired. Creating active learning environments can be challenging in face-to-face meetings and it may be equally challenging in online settings [14]. Thus, understanding the pedagogical potential of technology tools for active learning is an important step in successfully implementing online learning [14]. Other than that, the motivation of the learners in learning in online settings has to be considered as well. According to Talib and friends [15], students’ motivation towards learning may be influenced by several factors where active learning strategies are one of the contributing factors. This is agreed by Austin and Mescia [16] who cited that an active learning environment incorporates active learning strategies where The Development of Active Learning Website for Learning Science Mohamad Bilal Ali, Noor Dayana Abd Halim, and Nurbiha A. Shukor International Journal of Machine Learning and Computing, Vol. 3, No. 3, June 2013 284 DOI: 10.7763/IJMLC.2013.V3.321