RUME 26
2024
Omaha, Nebraska
Inquiry-Based Calculus I: What is the Impact on Student Performance?
Page: 702
While active learning has been found to support student success, it has not yet emerged as the dominant instructional approach in undergraduate mathematics (Stains et al., 2018). This study focuses on student performance in undergraduate Calculus I where we compared the performance of students in inquiry-based (IBL) Calculus I with students in non-IBL Calculus I courses. Additionally, we examined the performance of first-year and upper-year students as well as students who were or were not pursuing a math-intensive major. Students in IBL Calculus performed on the final exam an average of nine percentage points higher than those enrolled in non-IBL Calculus. Differences in performance between first-year students and upper-year students and between students majoring in math-intensive fields and those in non-math-intensive narrowed in the IBL classes. This study aims to add to the ever-growing body of research showcasing the benefits of IBL in improving student course performance.