Use of a specific set of learner-centered evidence-based teaching practices correlates with higher exam performance across seven STEM departments

Myriad studies support the claim that active learning improves student academic performance in STEM, yet lecture remains the dominant form of instruction. Faculty offer multiple reasons for not using active learning with many expressing confusion as to what active learning is. Contributing to that confusion is the fact there are a multitude of named active learning methods and varied implementations of each. In an effort to better understand how specific elements of active learning might contribute to enhanced academic performance, we used a more fine-grained classroom observation tool, PORTAAL, to observe teaching practices across 157 STEM courses. We used a principal component analysis to reduce the observed teaching practices to specific sets of practices. We found a continuum of implementation of teaching practices that ranged from instruction-centered to learner-centered. The instruction-centered practices included high Bloom’s level questions, students working alone, instructors answering and explaining questions, and providing alternative answers. The learner-centered practices were volunteer or randomly-called students explaining answers, instructors prompting students’ logic, and instructors giving positive feedback. Using a linear regression to analyze the data from all courses, we found medium and medium-high levels of learner-centered teaching practices correlated with higher student exam performance compared to instruction-centered practices. We observed a similar pattern when analyzing data only from introductory courses. We also analyzed interactions of both binary gender and first generation status with learner-centered teaching on exam scores.

We propose that when instructors use the learner-centered practices, they shift the responsibility of the intellectual work of the problem–the learning–to the students, which may result in improved exam performance. Even moderate levels of these learner-centered practices have a positive correlation with exam performance. Faculty can incorporate these key elements of learner-centered practices into their own teaching based on their comfort level, course content, and abilities of their students.