Reducing content to implement active learning can improve long-term performance: Study

In a recent article from The Chronicle of Higher Ed, Beckie Supiano discusses the results of a new study published in PLOS ONE that shows that active learning can help students even if it means reducing the course’s content. The study followed students who had completed biology classes using a traditional lecture format and compared them to students who completed the same course using active learning. Students who had completed the active learning section of the course went on to earn the highest grades in their 200-level biology courses, and study author Bryan Dewsbury recommended that professors reduce content to incorporate more active learning. “If done thoughtfully, and with the aim of centering humanism, the students will be more than fine,” writes Dewsbury. Chronicle of Higher Ed (Acct. Req.)| PLOS One Note: Archived stories may contain dead links or be missing source links.