{"id":1932,"date":"2019-03-01T06:00:05","date_gmt":"2019-03-01T14:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/inspire\/?p=1932"},"modified":"2019-02-06T15:53:36","modified_gmt":"2019-02-06T23:53:36","slug":"active-learning-what-does-the-research-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/inspire\/2019\/03\/01\/active-learning-what-does-the-research-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Active Learning: What Does the Research Show?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Active Learning: What Does the Research Show?<\/h1>\n

We often hear about new approaches in teaching, and some can take on near-mythical status. That might be the case for active learning. It\u2019s been widely touted as the \u201cmost effective\u201d pedagogical approach, but unless you have time to dig through the research, it may not be easy to determine if this trend is applicable \u2013 or beneficial \u2013 to your teaching and discipline.<\/p>\n

So what does the research say about active learning? This article provides a brief summary of research results for active learning applied in STEM subjects.<\/p>\n

\"\"Why Use Active Learning?<\/h1>\n

Before we discuss why active learning is beneficial, let\u2019s clarify exactly what active learning is. As opposed to passive learning, such as listening to a traditional lecture, active learning requires students to do something<\/em> and think about what they are doing<\/em>\u00a0(Bonwell & Eison, 1991).<\/p>\n

Much research supports the power and benefits of active learning. Students have better retention and understanding when they are actively involved in the learning process (Chickering & Gamson, 1987). Active engagement promotes higher order thinking, since it often requires students to evaluate, synthesize, and analyze information. Research indicates that students develop strong connections, apply concepts to authentic scenarios, and dive deeply into the content, often discovering an unexpected level of engagement that is exciting and stimulating (Nelson, 2002).<\/p>\n

Does Active Learning Produce Better Outcomes in STEM?\"\"<\/h1>\n

Research indicates the answer is \u201cyes!\u201d In an introductory physics course, Harvard professor Eric Mazur (2009) found that his students were not able to answer fundamental physics scenarios or grasp basic concepts from traditional lectures. As a result, he stopped lecturing and has become an outspoken champion for active learning.<\/p>\n

An organic chemistry class adopted active learning, resulting in significantly higher grades for students in the active classroom than in the control group, with the greatest effect coming from low-achieving students (Cormier and Voisard, 2018). In an introductory undergraduate physics course, two large student groups were compared. The active learning section showed greater attendance, more engagement, and more than double the achievement on an exam (Deslauriers, Schelew and Weiman, 2011).<\/p>\n

\"\"In 2004, a skeptical Michael Prince (2004) researched the then-current literature on active learning to determine whether it offered consideration for engineering. He found that many active learning recommendations directly conflicted with historical engineering teaching practices. Methods like breaking lectures into small, topic-specific segments, interspersing lecture with discussion, using problem-based scenarios, or grouping students for collaborative learning were uncommon. Ultimately, Prince reluctantly concluded that the bulk of research evidence indicated that these types of teaching methods might foster better retention and enhance critical thinking.<\/p>\n

What About Non-STEM Classes?\"\"<\/h1>\n

Although these findings are from research in STEM disciplines, active learning contributes to better grades, more engagement, increased student satisfaction and better retention in any topic (Allen-Ramdial & Campbell, 2014). Active learning tends to increase involvement for all students, not just those already motivated to learn. Peer-to-peer collaboration helps students solve problems and better understand more complex content (Vaughan et al., 2014). Research indicates that students learn more when they actively participate in their education and are asked to think about and apply their learning (Chickering & Gamson, 1987).<\/p>\n

Try It Yourself!<\/h1>\n

The articles cited in this post offer a number of easy-to-implement active learning suggestions that are effective in ether a face-to-face or online classroom. Give one or two a try and see if your students are more engaged in the learning\u00a0 process.<\/p>\n