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

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.