Active Learning in Precalculus: The Impact of Redesigning a Large Enrollment Course

This paper describes an active learning instructional approach that was designed based on the principles outlined in the 2018 Mathematical Association of America Instructional Practices Guide and was implemented in a large enrollment Precalculus course at a large urban institution with a high percentage of students from underrepresented populations. The active learning strategies that were used throughout the course are described. The impact of the active learning method of instruction ( n = 1240) on student performance in the course and in Calculus I when compared to a more traditional approach ( n = 1500) to instruction in a large enrollment Precalculus is also shared. Students taught using the active learning approach performed better in the course when compared to their counterparts who were taught using more traditional methods. Students taught through both methods performed similarly in Calculus I.