Growing literature documents the promise of active learning instruction in engaging students in college classrooms. Accordingly, faculty professional development (PD) programs on active learning have become increasingly popular in postsecondary institutions; yet, quantitative evidence on the effectiveness of these programs is limited. Using administrative data and an individual fixed effects approach, we estimate the effect of an active learning PD program on student performance and persistence at a large public institution. Findings indicate that the training improved subsequent persistence in the same field. Using a subset of instructors whose instruction was observed by independent observers, we identify a positive association between training and implementation of active learning teaching practices. These findings provide suggestive evidence that active learning PD has the potential to improve student outcomes.
The Effect of Active Learning Professional Development Training on College Students’ Academic Outcomes
Keywords
active learning; student outcomes; classroom observation
Education level
Document Object Identifier (DOI)
10.26300/153n-cr12
EdWorkingPaper suggested citation:
Park, Elizabeth S., and Di Xu. (). The Effect of Active Learning Professional Development Training on College Students’ Academic Outcomes . (EdWorkingPaper:
-574). Retrieved from
Annenberg Institute at Brown University: https://doi.org/10.26300/153n-cr12Related Resources from the EdExchange
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