1. Supporting Sustainable Active Learning
Challenges and Opportunities
Dennis DeTurck, University of Pennsylvania
Symposium on the Use and Assessment of Active Learning in Mathematics
August 2016

3. AAU Framework for
STEM Education Reform

4. Penn’s AAU/STEM Initiative
Improves introductory courses in mathematics, chemistry,  physics, and bioengineering through teaching practices that foster active learning.    
Support faculty in developing Structured Active In-class Learning (SAIL)
Evaluate the impact of that teaching
Disseminate SAIL practices across campus
Develop appropriate classroom spaces
Provide support for video creation.
A Faculty Board helps departments understand how students apply materials   from introductory courses as they take courses in other departments, and provides information sharing and coordination between departments.  

5. Elements of a SAIL course:
SAIL promotes active learning during class time, taking advantage of the opportunities afforded by face-to-face meetings, providing environments where:
Students interact with instructors and peers during the learning process
Students discuss and receive feedback on their understanding in real
time
Highly structured activities ensure engagement and provide support and direction for students
Elements of a SAIL course:
Students participate in authentic practices in class, such as analyzing data, solving problems and applying concepts
Out of class assignments, such as readings and videos, are designed to prepare students for the in-class learning.

6. FACULTY MOTIVATION TO EXPERIMENT
FACULTY COUNCIL on ACCESS and ACHIEVEMENT
Review of data on persistence in science
How many who took General Chemistry graduated with a science major?
Nationally ~ 25%
At Penn ~75%, but less than 60% among URMs
Review of data on achievement in science and other gateway courses
URM students earn grades ~0.3 lower than their counterparts with similar testing data

7. MATH SAIL FEATURES
Experiments with several different active-learning
approaches
Some examples: directed viewing of video modules, directed reading of textbook (or course-pack materials)
Emphasis on “meta-curriculum” (focus on concepts and ideas rather than exclusively on performing computations)
Consultation with partner departments and schools, e.g., development of new “Math 104E” for
engineers and Math 110 for Wharton students

8. s
A focus on persistence in STEM fields – nationally about 25% of students who start out in science actually graduate with a STEM bachelor’s degree. At Penn, using CHEM 101 as the marker for interest in science, that number is 75% -- quite impressive. However women and students from minorities underrepresented in science persists at significantly lower rates – around 60% for women and 50% for minority students.
Led to work with CTL on development of SAIL – grant from AAU, proposal out to HHMI – using video lectures (such as Ghrist MOOC material) to change nature of classroom experience – I took these photos at a calculus LECTURE a couple of weeks ago.

9. FACULTY REACHED Chemistry 1(1) 2 (2) 3 (3) Physics 4 (6) 5 (6) 4 (9)
(planned)
Chemistry
1(1)
2 (2)
3 (3)
Physics
4 (6)
5 (6)
4 (9)
Mathematics ~
2 (6)
3 (9)
3 (8)
3 (5)
Bioengineering
1 (1)
Earth/Env Sci
1 (2)
2 (3)
Biology
Non-STEM
7 (10)
9 (12)

10. STEM SAIL courses include:
Intro and Organic Chemistry *Introduction to Calculus
*Non-major Physics I and II *Calculus I
*Intro Physics I and II Calculus I for business students
Oceanography * = multiple sections each semester

13. Three examples of Penn’s Collaborative Classrooms: Van Pelt-Dietrich Library, ARCH, and David Rittenhouse Laboratory

14. Reconfiguring space is not without its challenges

16. PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT RESULTS
Performance data: Difference between SAIL and non-SAIL performance on common final exam eclipsed by section differences.
Comparison with diagnostic test scores does not provide significant SAIL vs non-SAIL results.
Survey data: SAIL students more likely to agree that “the structure of the course supports my learning.”
 Persistence data:
% Students in SAIL sections that enrolled in an upper level course
% Students in non- SAIL sections that enrolled in an upper level course
p (Pearson’s Chi-square)
Math 103
2014C
63.2%
40.8%
0.002
2015C
43.8%
48.7%
0.319
Math 104
44.1%
30.2%
0.004
31.0%
20.8%
0.11
Thanks to: E. Elliott, CTL and R. Maynard, GSE