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Abstract BackgroundOver the past decade, there has been a shift in science, technology, engineering and math education, especially in engineering, towards a competency‐based pedagogy. Competency‐based learning (CBL) is an outcome‐based, student‐centered form of instruction where students progress to more advanced work upon mastering the necessary prerequisite content and skills. Many articles have been published on the implementation of CBL in engineering higher education; however, the literature lacks a systematic review that summarizes prior work to inform both future research and practice. PurposeThe purpose of this review is to integrate previous literature as well as identify gaps in competency‐based engineering higher education research. It summarizes the different approaches for implementing CBL, the effects of the pedagogy on student outcomes, tools to enhance its effectiveness, and assessment strategies. In addition, suggestions and recommendations for future research are provided. MethodEngineering education articles were obtained from several EBSCO educational databases. The search was limited to articles published from 2005‐2015, and inclusion criteria consisted of peer‐reviewed journal articles that address the use of CBL in engineering higher education. Articles were then classified into several categories, summarized, and evaluated. ConclusionsTheoretical and applied perspectives are provided that address both the theoretical basis for the effectiveness of CBL and practical aspects of implementing successful CBL instruction in engineering education. There are gaps in the literature regarding how CBL programs should be structured and assessed. Future research directions include empirical quantitative evaluation of CBL's pedagogical effectiveness and the use of CBL for teaching professional skills.
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How Rigorous is Active Learning Research in STEM Education? An Examination of Key Internal Validity Controls in Intervention Studies
Abstract Active learning is a popular approach to teaching and learning that has gained traction through research on STEM educational improvement. There have been numerous university- and national/international-level efforts focused on transitioning courses from the lecture method to active learning. However, despite these large-scale changes, the active learning literature has not been assessed on its methodological rigor to ensure instructional recommendations are rooted in rigorous research studies. The purpose of the present review was to determine areas of strengths and areas in need of improvement and to provide specific recommendations on how to continue or improve active learning research to strengthen the respective literature base and increase confidence in results. We assessed the articles included in the Freeman et al. (PNAS, 111:8410–8415, 2014) meta-analysis as well as a random sample of more recent active learning articles (2015–2022) on 12 internal validity controls (i.e., control procedure used to prevent a threat to the internal validity of a study). Results indicated that there were high percentages of articles that did not meet each internal validity control. In fact, no articles from the Freeman et al. meta-analysis and no sampled 2015–2022 articles met each of the 12 internal validity controls. Therefore, the active learning literature contains numerous internal validity control issues that need to be addressed if we are to determine the extent to which active learning interventions are effective and if there are any boundary conditions for when particular active learning interventions are or are not effective.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2222208
- PAR ID:
- 10472655
- Publisher / Repository:
- Springer Science + Business Media
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Educational Psychology Review
- Volume:
- 35
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 1040-726X
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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