[AISWorld] Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics

Mon May 26 15:12:47 EDT 2014

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/05/08/1319030111
Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics

  1.  Scott Freeman<http://www.pnas.org/search?author1=Scott+Freeman&sortspec=date&submit=Submit>a<http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/05/08/1319030111#aff-1>,1<http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/05/08/1319030111#corresp-1>,
  2.  Sarah L. Eddy<http://www.pnas.org/search?author1=Sarah+L.+Eddy&sortspec=date&submit=Submit>a<http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/05/08/1319030111#aff-1>,
  3.  Miles McDonough<http://www.pnas.org/search?author1=Miles+McDonough&sortspec=date&submit=Submit>a<http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/05/08/1319030111#aff-1>,
  4.  Michelle K. Smith<http://www.pnas.org/search?author1=Michelle+K.+Smith&sortspec=date&submit=Submit>b<http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/05/08/1319030111#aff-2>,
  5.  Nnadozie Okoroafor<http://www.pnas.org/search?author1=Nnadozie+Okoroafor&sortspec=date&submit=Submit>a<http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/05/08/1319030111#aff-1>,
  6.  Hannah Jordt<http://www.pnas.org/search?author1=Hannah+Jordt&sortspec=date&submit=Submit>a<http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/05/08/1319030111#aff-1>, and
  7.  Mary Pat Wenderoth<http://www.pnas.org/search?author1=Mary+Pat+Wenderoth&sortspec=date&submit=Submit>a<http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/05/08/1319030111#aff-1>
Author Affiliations<http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/05/08/1319030111>

  1.  Edited*<http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/05/08/1319030111#fn-4> by Bruce Alberts, University of California, San Francisco, CA, and approved April 15, 2014 (received for review October 8, 2013)

  1.  Abstract
  2.  Authors & Info<http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/05/08/1319030111>
  3.  SI<http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/05/08/1319030111/suppl/DCSupplemental>
  4.  Metrics<http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/05/08/1319030111>
  5.  Related Content<http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/05/08/1319030111>
  6.  PDF<http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/05/08/1319030111.full.pdf+html>
  7.  PDF + SI<http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/05/08/1319030111.full.pdf+html?with-ds=yes>
Significance
The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology has called for a 33% increase in the number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) bachelor's degrees completed per year and recommended adoption of empirically validated teaching practices as critical to achieving that goal. The studies analyzed here document that active learning leads to increases in examination performance that would raise average grades by a half a letter, and that failure rates under traditional lecturing increase by 55% over the rates observed under active learning. The analysis supports theory claiming that calls to increase the number of students receiving STEM degrees could be answered, at least in part, by abandoning traditional lecturing in favor of active learning.
Abstract
To test the hypothesis that lecturing maximizes learning and course performance, we metaanalyzed 225 studies that reported data on examination scores or failure rates when comparing student performance in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses under traditional lecturing versus active learning. The effect sizes indicate that on average, student performance on examinations and concept inventories increased by 0.47 SDs under active learning (n = 158 studies), and that the odds ratio for failing was 1.95 under traditional lecturing (n = 67 studies). These results indicate that average examination scores improved by about 6% in active learning sections, and that students in classes with traditional lecturing were 1.5 times more likely to fail than were students in classes with active learning. Heterogeneity analyses indicated that both results hold across the STEM disciplines, that active learning increases scores on concept inventories more than on course examinations, and that active learning appears effective across all class sizes-although the greatest effects are in small (n ≤ 50) classes. Trim and fill analyses and fail-safe n calculations suggest that the results are not due to publication bias. The results also appear robust to variation in the methodological rigor of the included studies, based on the quality of controls over student quality and instructor identity. This is the largest and most comprehensive metaanalysis of undergraduate STEM education published to date. The results raise questions about the continued use of traditional lecturing as a control in research studies, and support active learning as the preferred, empirically validated teaching practice in regular classrooms.

  *   constructivism<http://www.pnas.org/search?fulltext=constructivism&sortspec=date&submit=Submit&andorexactfulltext=phrase>
  *   undergraduate education<http://www.pnas.org/search?fulltext=undergraduate+education&sortspec=date&submit=Submit&andorexactfulltext=phrase>
  *   evidence-based teaching<http://www.pnas.org/search?fulltext=evidence-based+teaching&sortspec=date&submit=Submit&andorexactfulltext=phrase>
  *   scientific teaching<http://www.pnas.org/search?fulltext=scientific+teaching&sortspec=date&submit=Submit&andorexactfulltext=phrase>
Footnotes

  *   1To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: srf991 at u.washington.edu<mailto:srf991 at u.washington.edu>.

  *   Author contributions: S.F. and M.P.W. designed research; S.F., M.M., M.K.S., N.O., H.J., and M.P.W. performed research; S.F. and S.L.E. analyzed data; and S.F., S.L.E., M.M., M.K.S., N.O., H.J., and M.P.W. wrote the paper.
  *   The authors declare no conflict of interest.
  *   *This Direct Submission article had a prearranged editor.
  *   This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.1319030111/-/DCSupplemental<http://www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.1319030111/-/DCSupplemental>.
Freely available online through the PNAS open access option.

Best wishes,
Leon Kappelman
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety), by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." - H.L. Mencken
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Leon A. Kappelman, Ph.D.
  Professor of Information Systems<http://www.cob.unt.edu/profiles/112>
  Director Emeritus, Information Systems Research Center
  Fellow, Texas Center for Digital Knowledge
    College of Business, University of North Texas
    Voice: 940-565-4698   Email: kapp at unt.edu<mailto:kapp at unt.edu>
  Primary Investigator, SIM's Annual IT Trends Study<http://www.simnet.org/?ITTrendsStudy>
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