Alissa Hartig, Applied Linguistics faculty, and Jack Barbera, Chemistry faculty, were awarded a three-year $299,945 grant from the National Science Foundation

Alissa Hartig, applied linguistics faculty, and Jack Barbera, chemistry faculty, were awarded a three-year $299,945 grant from the National Science Foundation for an interdisciplinary project titled "Understanding the Role of Student Engagement in Active Learning Outcomes in General Chemistry through Discourse Analysis." 

“Active learning” (AL) strategies have been at the center of national calls for the adoption of evidence-based instructional practices to transform education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. While there is strong evidence to support the effectiveness of such strategies overall, in practice student outcomes vary widely, with AL pedagogies sometimes having no measurable effect. Thus, it is critical to understand what makes AL strategies effective in some cases but not in others. This project examines a central component of a wide range of AL approaches: the use of small-group discussions. The project investigates students’ engagement in group work, the factors that influence this engagement, and the relationship between students’ engagement in discussions during group work and their understanding of course material. Findings from the project will help inform the implementation of AL strategies that rely on group work.