Small changes, big gains: A curriculum-wide study of teaching practices and student learning in undergraduate biology.

ABSTRACT: A growing body of evidence has shown that active learning has a considerable advantage over traditional lecture for student learning in undergraduate STEM classes, but there have been few large-scale studies to identify the specific types of activities that have the greatest impact on learning. We therefore undertook a large-scale, curriculum-wide study to investigate the effects of time spent on a variety of classroom activities on learning gains. We quantified classroom practices and related these to student learning, assessed using diagnostic tests written by over 3700 students, across 31 undergraduate biology classes at a research-intensive university in the Pacific Northwest. The most significant positive predictor of learning gains was the use of group work, supporting the findings o

SUBMITTER: Weir LK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6713325 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature