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College students learn more calculus in an active learning course in which students solve problems during class than in a traditional lecture-based course. That\u2019s according to a\u00a0peer-reviewed study<\/a>\u00a0my colleagues and I published in Science. We also found that college students better understood complex calculus concepts and earned better grades in the active learning course.<\/p>\n The findings held across racial and ethnic groups, genders and college majors, and for both first-time college and transfer students \u2013 thus, promoting success for all students. Students in the active learning course had an associated 11% higher pass rate.<\/p>\n If you apply that rate to\u00a0the current 300,000<\/a>\u00a0students taking calculus each year in the U.S., it could mean an additional 33,000 pass their class.<\/p>\n Our experimental trial ran over three semesters \u2013 fall 2018 through fall 2019 \u2013 and involved 811 undergraduate students at a public university that has been designated as a\u00a0Hispanic-serving institution<\/a>. The study evaluated the impact of an engagement-focused active learning calculus teaching method by randomly placing students into either a traditional lecture-based class or the active learning calculus class.<\/p>\n The active learning intervention promoted development of calculus understanding during class, with students working through exercises designed to build calculus knowledge and with faculty monitoring and guiding the process.<\/p>\n This differs from the lecture setting where students passively listen to the instructor and develop their understanding outside of class, often on their own.<\/p>\n An active learning approach allows students to work together to solve problems and explain ideas to each other. Active learning is about understanding the \u201cwhy\u201d behind a subject versus merely trying to memorize it.<\/p>\n Along the way, students experiment with their ideas, learn from their mistakes and ultimately make sense of calculus. In this way, they replicate the practices of mathematicians, including making and testing educated guesses, sense-making and explaining their reasoning to colleagues. Faculty are a critical part of the process. They guide the process through probing questions, demonstrating mathematical strategies, monitoring group progress and adapting pace and activities to foster student learning.<\/p>\n