Applying Principles for Active Learning to Promote Student Engagement in Undergraduate Calculus

Conference Proceeding

Citations

Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/conference_proceedings/1g05fc23h

Abstract

This paper reports how principles for active learning within the context of undergraduate calculus were used to inform the design and use of instructional tasks. These principles led to the selection, adaptation and design of instructional activities that invited student engagement and interaction about important concepts and relationships in calculus. To support calculus instructors, weekly one-hour meetings were organized to explicitly discuss and exemplify underlying design principles for active learning, to investigate how these principles were instantiated in the instructional tasks, and to discuss the role of the instructor and students. Our review of instructor feedback and subsequent course enrollment suggests a positive, albeit preliminary, trend toward improved student outcomes in the tertiary calculus sequence. Challenges and necessary supports to achieve classroom environments that support active learning are also discussed.

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