One issue is student resistance - I posted some resources related to that on the POD list:
https://listserv.nd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind1504&L=POD&F=&S=&P=38578
You have to really "sell" it (frame it) to students early on and throughout the semester, or else some may complain or revolt.  I link to some resources on framing peer instruction to students lower down on this page (I should have put it much higher): http://dbctle.erau.edu/news/gateway/

From my perspective working with faculty, a big issue is that it takes time to learn how to do active learning-based teaching strategies well.  You can't just learn it from a one-off workshop or from reading one article.

Some evidence for that includes this article, which found that after a week-long workshop on active learning, 75% of faculty said they were using it in their class, but when observed, only 25% were:
https://www.msu.edu/~ebertmay/WebsiteImages/Publications/EbertMay%20et%20al_2011.pdf
The author published a follow-up chapter here:
http://openscholarship.wustl.edu/circle_book/4/

Another factor is that active learning teaching strategies won't work well if you haven't changed your fundamental beliefs about how learning works. See:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3228657/
"We contend that most instructors lack the rich and nuanced understanding of teaching and learning that science education researchers have developed. Therefore, active learning as designed and implemented by typical college biology instructors may superficially resemble active learning used by education researchers, but lacks the constructivist elements necessary for improving learning."

Which leads to faculty resistance.  I don't remember the reference, but I read somewhere on the colorado or UBC science education that sites that it is common for instructors to adopt something for on semester and then abandon it.



On Sat, May 16, 2015 at 8:45 AM, Sarah Leupen <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hi folks,

A journalist from the news section of the journal Nature contacted me yesterday to get material for a feature story he's writing for the July 16th issue on the challenges of implementing active learning in undergraduate STEM courses. Because I've had such terrific institutional support, as well as a great new active-learning classroom, and therefore had relatively few challenges, he asked me if there was anyone I knew from other institutions who has had more difficulties implementing active learning changes. 

His piece is not about TBL per se., but I thought this list would be a good resource, and perhaps we can even end up highlighting TBL as an active-learning strategy that can be implemented successfully in a variety of situations, or despite challenges (but I think he also wants to hear about failures!). 

If you're interested in talking to him about your experiences, just send me an email at [log in to unmask] and I will give him your contact information. 

Thank you!

Sarah Leupen
Department of Biological Sciences
University of Maryland Baltimore County
[log in to unmask]

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