Relative benefits of active learning methods in introductory physics

Determine the relative benefits of established active learning methods—Investigative Science Learning Environments (ISLE), Peer Instruction, Tutorials for introductory physics and astronomy, and Student-Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-down Pedagogies (SCALE-UP)—to undergraduate students’ conceptual understanding in introductory physics and astronomy courses across diverse institutional implementations.

Background

The paper notes that while active learning methods are widely implemented and generally outperform traditional lecturing in improving conceptual understanding and reducing failure rates, comparative evidence across different active learning approaches has been lacking. This gap motivates a multi-institutional paper to measure and compare impacts on conceptual learning, peer networks, and classroom activities across four named methods.

The authors position their work as addressing the need to understand not only whether active learning is effective, but also how the relative benefits of different active learning implementations compare. By explicitly stating that these relative benefits remain unknown, they frame a central unresolved question that their paper begins to explore.