Florida International University has recently made some drastic improvements that have skyrocketed the Miami-Dade school to national prestige. The school has now developed a new study method that has been scientifically proven to improve learning abilities.
With funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), Kramer and a team from the STEM Transformation Institute followed 811 FIU undergraduates enrolled in different sections of the same Calculus I course with two very different teaching methods — half of the sections were traditional lecture-based classes and the other half employed the evidence-based active learning model developed at FIU.
The method is centered on mastering different ways of thinking and solving problems – skills that are important beyond the classroom. Massive and bland lecture halls have been replaced by active learning classrooms where students work collaboratively to solve problems. The result is greater learning outcomes an understanding of calculus concepts, and higher grades on average than their peers in traditional, lecture-based classes, according to the study.
Active learning classes saw a higher average pass rate of 11%. When compared to the roughly 300,000 students taking calculus each year in the U.S. and it could mean an additional 33,000 students passing calculus and getting closer to a STEM degree and career.
The learning method, while predominantly for STEM, is anticipated to serve as an intersectional study method for almost every subject within the sciences. This innovation is significant since less than half of students entering universities as STEM majors actually graduate with a STEM degree. Failing calculus is a major reason.
