Promoting active learning in large undergraduate STEM courses: Identifying critical knowledge used by effective instructors

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Although active-learning teaching strategies can increase students' ability to learn fundamental concepts and develop scientific and critical thinking skills, the results that instructors achieve vary substantially. In order to support instructors to successfully implement active learning in undergraduate STEM, and thereby improve student outcomes, it is imperative to determine the instructor knowledge that facilitates effective active-learning instruction. Knowledge regarding teaching and learning, not just knowledge of course content, likely influences how instructors use active learning. The objective of this project is to elucidate and characterize critical differences in knowledge of experienced and highly effective (i.e., expert) active-learning instructors versus novice active-learning instructors in large (100+ students) undergraduate biology courses. To accomplish the project objective, a video-based instrument featuring clips from active-learning classrooms is being developed and validated. This instrument will measure instructors' knowledge of teaching and learning during active-learning lessons in large undergraduate courses. The developed instrument will make it possible to determine how expert and novice active-learning instructors differ in their knowledge. Completion of this project will contribute in-depth understanding of the knowledge that is crucial to effective implementation of active learning. This project is also creating and making freely available high-quality videos of undergraduate instructors implementing active learning in large courses. These videos will provide a variety of examples of active learning, helping instructors to imagine how they might change their own instruction. This study will have a significant positive impact on our ability to facilitate faculty learning, and ultimately to improve student learning in undergraduate STEM.