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Impact Assessment of Active Learning in Physics and Comparison with Meta-Analyses

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Abstract

We investigate the impact of a 2-year implementation of active learning in five undergraduate physics courses. The study involves 2105 students from various majors and colleges in a total of 18 course offerings, 8 in active learning and 10 in traditional teaching (as reference), taught by 14 course instructors and 37 tutorial and lab staff. The courses covered introductory, mid-, and upper-level courses, with a class size in the 50-120 range in introductory-level and 10-20 in the upper-level. All the interactive teaching is carried out using freely available technology. We find an overall enhancement in the student performance at a Hedges' g effect size of 0.48 \textpm 0.04, corresponding to a GPA enhancement of 0.37 that would shift the overall average from C to C$+$. The average failure rate is significantly reduced from 21.49{\%} under traditional teaching to 7.21{\%} under active teaching, which corresponds to an Odds Ratio of failure of 3.52. Our results on g are comparable to the meta-analysis studies by Ruiz-Primo et al (2011) and Freeman et al (2014), but our reduction of the failure rate is larger. We find a negative correlation between the Risk Ratio and the effect size with the lowest risk occurring at the highest effect size. Our study shows that while active learning benefits most students, low-performing students appear to benefit the most. The results of this study have economic and policy implications and may give impetus for implementing active learning within regional institutes. -/abstract- Freeman S et al (2014), Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics, PNAS 111 (23) 8410. Ruiz-Primo M A et al (2011) Impact of undergraduate science course innovations on learning. Science 33

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Authors

  • A. Ibrahim

    Sultan Qaboos University and GWU

  • Eric Davis

    University of Texas at Arlington, Sultan Qaboos University, UTA HEP group, Department of Integrated Bio \& Nano Systems, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Nano Tech Center, Texas Tech University, University of Michigan, University of Waerloo, Canada, Texas Tech University, Dept of Mechanical Eng, TTU; Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, TTU, Dept of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, TTU Health Sci Ctr, Dept of Physics and Astronomy, TTU, Dept of Mechanical Engineering, TTU, Dept of Physics and Astronomy, TTU; Sch of Health and Sci, Purdue Univ, Dept of Mathematical and Systems Engineering, Shizuoka Univ, Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080., LeTourneau University, None, University of Waterloo, Canada, Texas Tech Univ, Trinity University, the University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada, University of Dallas, Liverpool John Moores University, University Of Houston, Biolog Department, TCU, Home Schooled high school student, Los Alamos National Laboratory

  • Eric Davis

    University of Texas at Arlington, Sultan Qaboos University, UTA HEP group, Department of Integrated Bio \& Nano Systems, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Nano Tech Center, Texas Tech University, University of Michigan, University of Waerloo, Canada, Texas Tech University, Dept of Mechanical Eng, TTU; Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, TTU, Dept of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, TTU Health Sci Ctr, Dept of Physics and Astronomy, TTU, Dept of Mechanical Engineering, TTU, Dept of Physics and Astronomy, TTU; Sch of Health and Sci, Purdue Univ, Dept of Mathematical and Systems Engineering, Shizuoka Univ, Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080., LeTourneau University, None, University of Waterloo, Canada, Texas Tech Univ, Trinity University, the University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada, University of Dallas, Liverpool John Moores University, University Of Houston, Biolog Department, TCU, Home Schooled high school student, Los Alamos National Laboratory