LAUSR

Education Is there any truth to the notion that college instructors who implement active learning receive lower teaching evaluations? Henderson et al. present data from college physics instructors who attended a new-faculty workshop and attempted to incorporate active learning into their introductory course. Contrary to common belief, 48% of these instructors reported an increase in student evaluations, 32% reported no change, and only 20% reported a decrease in their evaluations. The authors acknowledge the limitations of the study, including the nature of self-reported data as well as changes in student evaluations over time, yet provide the overall recommendation that instructors (and institutions) should not let perceived anxiety over negative student evaluations be a reason to avoid implementing evidence-based teaching practices. Am. J. Phys. 86 , 934 (2018).