RUME 28
2026
Alexandria, Virginia
Untangling Active Learning: A Framework of Dimensions, Strategies, and Outcomes
Page: 915
Active learning has become a widely cited cornerstone of undergraduate education reform; yet the construct remains conceptually ambiguous, leading to challenges in research synthesis, instructional implementation, and policy alignment. This paper synthesizes literature across mathematics and STEM education to trace this ambiguity to the conflation of three distinct but interconnected facets: dimensions of engagement, strategies for implementation, and outcomes of learning. To address this gap, I propose a theoretical framework that disentangles and defines these facets, providing analytic clarity for both researchers and practitioners. By situating this framework within ontological, epistemological, and axiological perspectives, the paper illuminates how differing research traditions conceptualize, investigate, and value active learning. This reframing enables systemic inquiry into how strategies activate specific engagement dimensions to produce desired outcomes in diverse contexts, informing instructional design. The framework thus offers researchers, practitioners, and policymakers a roadmap for advancing both scholarship and meaningful reform in undergraduate mathematics education.