Now, a new study has presented an interesting dimension to the discussion about active learning’s benefits — particularly for women.
Researchers at the University of Kansas studied two sequential semesters of organic chemistry, taught in both a traditional large lecture hall with fewer active-learning supports and in a classroom designed for active learning, to understand how students choose which format to learn in. For the first semester, the researchers discovered, after conducting surveys, that students typically picked the type of classroom based on conversations with peers. But for the second semester, students who had switched from a traditional to an active-learning format were more likely to demonstrate a greater interest in learning chemistry like an expert. And most of them were women. This builds on previous research by the authors, who found that women and honors students were more likely to choose active-learning classrooms.
More women in the study wanted to transfer to the active-learning classroom at Kansas, in fact, but couldn’t because of lack of space. That raises a troubling possibility, the authors note. If active-learning spaces are limited on college campuses — as is often the case — could that put a damper on the number of women pursuing science?
The authors note that a better understanding of what learning environments students prefer — especially students who have historically been underrepresented in the sciences — can help colleges to create support earlier in students’ academic careers, including offering more active-earning classrooms.
“I know funding is an issue, but yes, we need to be building new spaces,” says Blair Schneider, an associate researcher and science outreach manager for the Kansas Geological Survey, and one of the authors. Equally important, she says, universities should start talking to students early — as soon as high school or during freshman orientation — about why active learning is beneficial.
“Let’s set them on an even playing field from the start,” says Schneider, formerly an associate researcher at the university’s Center for STEM Learning. “We should be more transparent about what kinds of spaces and what kinds of opportunities there are.”
The idea for the study came from an observation by an associate professor of chemistry — and one of the co-authors. David Benson noticed that more women were enrolling in his courses taught in the active-learning classroom than in a conventional one.
The researchers tracked about 200 students through the fall and spring as they progressed through the first two sections of organic chemistry. Controlling for other variables, like the time of day the class was offered, they looked specifically at the subgroup of students who switched learning formats.
Students moving into the active-learning classrooms showed a more sophisticated understanding of how people learn, based on questions they were given. (For example, knowing that learning is not the same as memorization.) Meanwhile, students who started in an active-learning classroom and switched to a traditional one had lower initial scores on how people learn, which then declined over time.
One of the big takeaways is that the active-learning classroom “shrinks that large class into something smaller,” says Doug Ward, associate director of KU’s Center for Teaching Excellence, and another of the authors. “It makes people feel like, ‘I can learn in this space rather than get lost in this sea of humanity.’”
Professors can take steps to shrink the large class even when they’re assigned to teach in a traditional room, the authors said. Instructors should not look at active learning as an either/or: Either you have the space to do it, or you don’t. Instead, think of it as a spectrum. Take out some desks and chairs and put in tables. Put up whiteboards and use collaborative learning tools. In large lecture halls, where changing things around is particularly difficult, can you take out a row of chairs running down the middle of the room, so people can at least get up and move around more easily?
“Better to put focus and attention across a variety of spaces rather than dumping a whole bunch of money into one space that looks good to donors and have eight spaces you haven’t touched,” says Michael Ralph, a doctoral candidate in educational psychology at Kansas who is lead researcher at a design company, Multistudio.
Ward said the study is also a reminder of how important it is to encourage students to collaborate, especially coming out of the isolation of Covid-era learning. “That’s really an important part of active learning, being able to build that community and to learn who else is in the class with me rather than just sitting there and kind of wondering.”
Schneider, who did not have the benefit of active-learning classrooms when she was in college, echoed that view. Creating a collaborative culture is important for keeping students engaged. “I don’t think I would have made it through STEM if I didn’t have such a good set of fellow students who worked together,” she said. “That’s what kept me in it.”
Have you noticed any interesting patterns on who tends to gravitate toward active-learning classrooms on your campus? Or have you done things in a traditional lecture hall to make your classes more conducive to active learning? Write to me at beth.mcmurtrie@chronicle.com and your story may appear in a future newsletter.
Teaching a Weed-Out Course
Have you read this New York Times story, on the dismissal of an esteemed chemistry professor at New York University after students complained to the administration of his teaching methods? Not surprisingly, it garnered thousands of comments from readers, many of whom griped that students today aren’t willing to put in hard work.
While it’s difficult to tell from the story exactly what happened in this particular course, Beckie and I were wondering what STEM instructors made of the controversy — and the reaction to it. We think it underscores a continuing debate about the purpose of gateway courses.
Has your approach to teaching organic chemistry, or any other traditional weed-out course, changed over the years? Should students get more support, as proponents argue, to level the playing field and lift up students who may have come to college less academically prepared than their peers? (See the first study referenced below.) Might we all benefit if scientists are drawn from a broader set of backgrounds? Or do professors have an obligation, as critics would counter, to sort out the students who really have what it takes to be good doctors, scientists, and engineers? Write to us at beth.mcmurtrie@chronicle.com and beckie.supiano@chronicle.com and your opinion may appear in a future newsletter.
ICYMI
- A new study finds that poor performance in a gateway STEM course has a more negative effect for students from under-represented backgrounds on whether they pursue a STEM degree, Inside Higher Ed reports.
- Want to know how students define good teaching? “What Our Best College Instructors Do: Reflections by students about meaningful learning experiences,” by Every Learner Everywhere, offers insights from a cross-section of students.
- Most faculty members say that teaching and mentoring students is the most satisfying part of their work, yet they don’t have enough time to devote to it, according to a survey of more than 1,000 faculty members by Cengage. Managing multiple course modalities is one reason why.
- A new study out of the University of Georgia looks at the kinds of behaviors that lead to better group learning. Students who are willing to ask for clarification, as well as correct the mistakes of others, show better results in small-group problem-solving than their peers. The authors suggest some prompts that instructors could use to promote these kinds of behaviors.
- In the Work in Progress newsletter for The Atlantic, teachers and professors describe how their jobs are misunderstood by the public.
Thanks for reading Teaching. If you have suggestions or ideas, please email us at beckie.supiano@chronicle.com or beth.mcmurtrie@chronicle.com.
— Beth
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