Establishing a new standard of care for calculus using trials with randomized student allocation

<p>Calculus, the study of change in processes and systems, serves as the foundation of many STEM disciplines. Traditional, lecture-based calculus instruction presents a persistent barrier for students seeking STEM degrees, limits access to STEM professions, and blocks their potential to address society's challenges. A large-scale pragmatic trial with randomized student allocation was conducted to compare two calculus instruction styles: active student engagement (treatment condition) versus traditional, lecture-based instruction (control condition). A sample of 811 U.S. university students was studied across 32 sections taught by 19 instructors over three semesters at a large U.S. Hispanic-Serving Institution. Large effect sizes were consistently measured for student learning outcomes in the treatment condition, which demonstrated a new standard for calculus instruction and increased opportunities for completion of STEM degrees.</p>