REINVISIONING STEM: Penn is one of more than 30 colleges and universities tasked with rethinking the way science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses are taught in the classroom, especially at the introductory collegiate level, by replacing lectures with active student engagement in discovery and problem solving. Supported by the Association of American Universities (AAU), with help from the Helmsley Foundation, a group of Penn faculty members are using their collective brainpower to find ways to invigorate and enhance student learning while increasing the success rate for students from underrepresented groups like minorities and women in technical fields.

THE X FACTOR: The AAU project is led by Andrew Binns, vice provost for education, and Bruce Lenthall, executive director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, with Dennis DeTurck, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, and Beth Winkelstein, associate dean for undergraduate education in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, as co-principal investigators. “There is something very profound about the in-person learning experience, and whenever it is successful, it certainly has to do with active involvement and engagement among students,” DeTurck says. “So the most important part of the project is the extent that this kind of teaching and learning directly encourages that.”

COMMON GROUND: Though educational institutions across the country are buzzing about nontraditional learning techniques, the concept has lacked a standardized nomenclature—until now. Lenthall says that by giving these innovative courses a shared name, Structure Active In-class Learning (SAIL), the Penn project has been able to help faculty benefit from their common efforts. Grant leaders host a monthly SAIL seminar where faculty can share ideas, and investigators are comparing student achievement data from SAIL and traditional courses to understand what’s effective. “There are lots of ways people talk about this kind of learning, and we needed a way to talk about it here and how it works at Penn,” Lenthall says. “SAIL is about more than simply punctuating lectures with active moments—it’s about what happens when we think about how we can move the lecture out of the classroom and instead structure class time so that students engage in some of the thinking of the field.”

OUTSIDE THE BOX: So far, DeTurck says, there are more than 30 STEM faculty members teaching an average SAIL class size of between 50 and 60 students. The courses range in topic from physics and math to environmental science, and are often experimental yet practical in design. For example: In a math class, rather than listening to a lecture and then solving a list of problems on a worksheet, students in a SAIL course might observe a hands-on presentation that explores the real-world applications of mathematical concepts. “The fact that you are engaged in this practice means you have a chance to think of the field as something you’re a part of—not just something that’s happening to you,” Lenthall says.

A SENSE OF BELONGING: Research has shown that the type of active learning the investigators are studying has already been suggested as the type of structure that improves retention of women and underrepresented minorities in STEM fields, Lenthall says. He hopes that through the AAU grant, the team will be able to expand upon their understanding of how to attract these groups and keep them in the field. “If you don’t feel like you belong in a field, any time you’re confused, you think it’s about you,” Lenthall says. “But when you’re working within a group, and you see that everyone is confused or taking time to think things through, you see that it’s normal and you’re just like your peers.”