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Active learning has become a ubiquitous construct in education particularly undergraduate education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). However, despite its prevalence, active learning remains an unclear construct. Different researchers and educators may have different definitions of what active learning is and which activities foster active learning and improve learning outcomes.
In this issue of
Psychological Science in the Public Interest (Volume 22, Issue 1), Doug Lombardi, Thomas F. Shipley, and teams of researchers in STEM synthesize findings on STEM learning to provide a clear and coherent conceptualization of active learning and offer guidance on research and practice. The authors come from the fields of cognitive and educational psychology and from discipline-based education research (DBER) in astronomy, biology, chemistry, engineering, geography, geoscience, and physics. This innovative multidisciplinary collabora