Student Buy-In to Active Learning in a College Science Course

Authors

Andrew J. Cavanagh, Yale UniversityFollow
Oriana R. Aragon, Yale University
Xinnian Chen, University of ConnecticutFollow
Brian Couch, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Mary F. Durham, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Aiyana Bobrownicki, Yale University
David I. Hanauer, Indiana University of PennsylvaniaFollow
Mark J. Graham, Yale UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

Winter 2016

Citation

CBE—Life Sciences Education • 15:ar76, pp. 1–9, Winter 2016.

Comments

© 2016 A. J. Cavanagh et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2016 The American Society for Cell Biology. Used by permission.

Abstract

The benefits of introducing active learning in college science courses are well established, yet more needs to be understood about student buy-in to active learning and how that process of buy-in might relate to student outcomes. We test the exposure–persuasion– identification–commitment (EPIC) process model of buy-in, here applied to student (n = 245) engagement in an undergraduate science course featuring active learning. Student buy-in to active learning was positively associated with engagement in self-regulated learning and students’ course performance. The positive associations among buy-in, self-regulated learning, and course performance suggest buy-in as a potentially important factor leading to student engagement and other student outcomes. These findings are particularly salient in course contexts featuring active learning, which encourage active student participation in the learning process.