Why don’t more college instructors use active learning? Research shows that active learning increases student achievement and retention and can enhance diversity in STEM programs by narrowing the achievement gap for traditionally underrepresented students (Theobald et al., 2020). While active learning use among college instructors has grown over time, research shows that traditional lectures are still the most common form of instruction in undergraduate STEM classrooms. This suggests that the greatest challenge to improving undergraduate instruction might be not a lack of effective teaching strategies but finding ways to broaden the use of those strategies.
