Below are all resources used for the STEM Active Learning Guide, including scientific literature, template documents, and suggested viewing and reading. Browse freely.

Documents (templates, examples)

Checklists:

Checklist for giving clear instructions
Checklist for scaffolding (helping students find answers)

Templates for (working with) TAs:

Check-in example questions:

Tips on how to address and support students during work:

Examples how to change the question type

Assessment:

Explanation of how to let students form their own groups in Canvas that you can use for quick group-grading

Activating teaching activity ‘Karaoke presentation’:

Blended learning:

Neurodiversity:

Handout tips for teaching neurodiverse students

Cognitive load theory:

A Guide to Applying Cognitive Load Theory to Your Teaching from the Medical College of Wisconsin

Peer consultation:

Template slides with explaining peer consultation and example of ‘gossip method’

Suggested reading and viewing

Freeman et al, 2014: Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics.
A large and comprehensive meta-analysis of Active Learning in STEM. An interesting read with convincing evidence; often cited and used in this active learning guide.

de Vries, Teun, 2026: Cell-f identity of biomedical students: from energetic “mitochondrials” to gastronomic “lysosomics”
Article connected to Best Practice Story ‘Break the Ice and Gain Insight‘.

Feldman, Gerald, et al, 2025: Teaching a quantum physics class using a student-centered collaborative learning approach at the university level.
- Feldman, G., Vreeswijk, M., Colijn, A.P., Brouwer, N., Heck, A. (2026). Teaching a Quantum Physics Class Using a Student-Centered Collaborative Learning Approach at the University Level. In: Sokołowska, D., McLoughlin, E. (eds) Embracing Changes Together in Physics Education. Challenges in Physics Education. Springer, Cham.
- Video: Gerald Feldman explain SCALE-UP

Brame, C, 2019: Science Teaching Essentials; short guides to good practice. E-book, available via UvA Librarby
Cognitive Load Theory and Active Learning videos:
- Cognitive Load Theory
- Active Learning in STEM
- Example: Active Learning in Physics – Stanford University

Handout Course Design and Cognitive Load Theory (University of Zurich)

TLC Science TLC (Textbook Library Cabinet) : find a collection of books you can browse and borrow on our page for new lecturers.

Scientific literature

Aji, C. A., & Khan, M. J. (2019). The Impact of Active Learning on Students’ Academic Performance. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 7(3), 204-211. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2019.73017

Allen, G. K., Wedman, J. F., & Folk, L. C. (2001). Looking Beyond the Valley: A Five-Year Case Study of Course Innovation. Innovative Higher Education, 26(2), 103-119. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1012288421619

Altermatt, E., Teodorescu, R., & Iverson, E. R. (2021). Teaching strategies predict instructors’ perceptions of their effectiveness in engaging students in introductory physics for life sciences courses. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 17(2), 020133. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.17.020133

Apkarian, N., Henderson, C., Stains, M., Raker, J., Johnson, E., & Dancy, M. (2021). What really impacts the use of active learning in undergraduate STEM education? Results from a national survey of chemistry, mathematics, and physics instructors. PLOS ONE, 16(2), e0247544. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0247544

Atkinson, R. C. (1968). Human Memory: A Proposed System and its Control Processes. In Psychology of Learning and Motivation (Vol. 2, pp. 89-195). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-7421(08)60422-3

Balsamo, M., Lauriola, M., & Saggino, A. (2012). Personality and College Major Choice: Which Come First? Psychology (Savannah, Ga.). https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2012.35056

Beichner, R. J., Saul, J. M., Abbott, D. S., Morse, J. J., Deardorff, D. L., Allain, R. J., Bonham, S. W., Dancy, M. H., & Risley, J. S. (2007). The Student-Centered Activities for Large Enrollment Undergraduate Programs (SCALE-UP) project. Reviews in Physics Education Research, 1(1), 1-42. https://doi.org/10.1119/RevPERv1.1.4

Brooks, D. C. (2012). Space and Consequences: The Impact of Different Formal Learning Spaces on Instructor and Student Behavior. Journal of Learning Spaces, 1(2).

Capone, R. (2022). Blended Learning and Student-centered Active Learning Environment: A Case Study with STEM Undergraduate Students. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 22(1), 210-236. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42330-022-00195-5

Cohen-Schotanus, J., Visser, K., Jansen, E., & Bax, A. (2019). Studiesucces door onderwijskwaliteit (1ste dr.). Boom. https://www.boom.nl/hoger-onderwijs/100-8578_Studiesucces-door-onderwijskwaliteit

Condon, M., & Ruth-Sahd, L. (2013). Responding to introverted and shy students: Best practice guidelines for educators and advisors. Open Journal of Nursing, 3(7), 503-515. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojn.2013.37069

de Jong, T. (2010). Cognitive load theory, educational research, and instructional design: Some food for thought. Instructional Science, 38(2), 105-134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-009-9110-0

Deslauriers, L., McCarty, L. S., Miller, K., Callaghan, K., & Kestin, G. (2019). Measuring actual learning versus feeling of learning in response to being actively engaged in the classroom. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(39), 19251-19257. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1821936116

Deslauriers, L., Schelew, E., & Wieman, C. (2011). Improved Learning in a Large-Enrollment Physics Class. Science, 332(6031), 862-864. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1201783

Dzaiy, A., & Abdullah, S. (2024). The Use of Active Learning Strategies to Foster Effective Teaching in Higher Education Institutions. Zanco Journal of Humanity Sciences, 28(4). https://doi.org/10.21271/zjhs.28.4.18

Evaluation, C. for E. S. and. (2026, februari 4). Cognitive load theory: Research that teachers really need to understand. NSW Department of Education. https://education.nsw.gov.au/about-us/education-data-and-research/cese/publications/literature-reviews/cognitive-load-theory.html

Flanagan, K. M., & Addy, H. (2019). Introverts Are Not Disadvantaged in Group-Based Active Learning Classrooms. Bioscene: Journal of College Biology Teaching, 45(1), 33-41.

Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), 8410-8415. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1319030111

Frost, S. H. (1991). Academic advising for student success: A system of shared responsibility. School of Education, George Washington Univ.

Gaffney, J. D. H., & Gaffney, A. L. H. (2016). Student satisfaction in interactive engagement-based physics classes. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 12(2), 020125. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.12.020125

Gierczyk, M., Karwowski, M., Paas, F., & H. Tai, R. (2025). STEM Workshop Learning: Content Load Effects on Cognitive, Interaction, and Emotional Outcomes. The Journal of Experimental Education, 0(0), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2025.2513254

Gilbert, R. O., & Gilbert, D. R. (2025). Student evaluations of teaching do not reflect student learning: An observational study. BMC Medical Education, 25(1), 313. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-06896-3

Knaub, A. V., Foote, K. T., Henderson, C., Dancy, M., & Beichner, R. J. (2016). Get a room: The role of classroom space in sustained implementation of studio style instruction. International Journal of STEM Education, 3(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-016-0042-3

Lau, A. C., Henderson, C., Stains, M., Dancy, M., Merino, C., Apkarian, N., Raker, J. R., & Johnson, E. (2024). Characteristics of departments with high-use of active learning in introductory STEM courses: Implications for departmental transformation. International Journal of STEM Education, 11(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-024-00470-x

Lombardi, D., & Shipley, T. F. (2021). The Curious Construct of Active Learning. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 22(1), 8-43. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100620973974

Lorenzo, M., Crouch, C. H., & Mazur, E. (2006). Reducing the gender gap in the physics classroom. Am. J. Phys., 74, 118-122. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.2162549

Lugosi, E., & Uribe, G. (2022). Active learning strategies with positive effects on students’ achievements in undergraduate mathematics education. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 53(2), 403-424. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020739X.2020.1773555

Mestre, J. P. (2001). Implications of research on learning for the education of prospective science and physics teachers†. Physics Education, 36(1), 44. https://doi.org/10.1088/0031-9120/36/1/308

Miller, E., Fowler, J., Johns, C., Johnson Jr., J., Ramsey, B., & Snapp, B. (2021). Increasing Active Learning in Large, Tightly Coordinated Calculus Courses. PRIMUS, 31(3-5), 371-392. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511970.2020.1772923

Paas, F., & Ayres, P. (2014). Cognitive Load Theory: A Broader View on the Role of Memory in Learning and Education. Educational Psychology Review, 26(2), 191-195. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-014-9263-5

Park, E. L., & Choi, B. K. (2014). Transformation of classroom spaces: Traditional versus active learning classroom in colleges. Higher Education, 68(5), 749-771. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-014-9742-0

Pekrun, R. (1992). The Impact of Emotions on Learning and Achievement: Towards a Theory of Cognitive/Motivational Mediators. Applied Psychology, 41(4), 359-376. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.1992.tb00712.x

Rahman, A. A., Sahid, S., & Mohamad Nasri, N. (2022). Literature review on the benefits and challenges of active learning on students’ achievement. Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences, 17(12). https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v17i12.8133

Ruiz-Primo, M. A., Briggs, D., Iverson, H., Talbot, R., & Shepard, L. A. (2011). Impact of Undergraduate Science Course Innovations on Learning. Science, 331(6022), 1269-1270. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1198976

Semanko, A. M., & Ladbury, J. L. (2020). Using the Reasoned Action Approach to Predict Active Teaching Behaviors in College STEM Courses. Journal for STEM Education Research, 3(3), 387-402. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41979-020-00038-8

Shamsi, S. Z. Z., Mehmood, S., Mahmoona, S., & Fakhar-Ul-Zaman. (2024). Designing Effective Teaching Strategies for Introverted Learners: A Practical Classroom Framework. `, 2(No.03), 1-16.

Tharayil, S., Borrego, M., Prince, M., Nguyen, K. A., Shekhar, P., Finelli, C. J., & Waters, C. (2018). Strategies to mitigate student resistance to active learning. International Journal of STEM Education, 5(1), 7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-018-0102-y

Theobald, E. J., Hill, M. J., Tran, E., Agrawal, S., Arroyo, E. N., Behling, S., Chambwe, N., Cintrón, D. L., Cooper, J. D., Dunster, G., Grummer, J. A., Hennessey, K., Hsiao, J., Iranon, N., Jones, L., Jordt, H., Keller, M., Lacey, M. E., Littlefield, C. E., … Freeman, S. (2020). Active learning narrows achievement gaps for underrepresented students in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and math. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(12), 6476-6483. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1916903117

TLC -Science. (2025). Pilot Future Learning Spaces [Dataset].

Tromp, C. (2025). From Blurred Learning to Optimal Blended Learning – Finding the Right Balance Between Structure and Flexibility in Mixed Designs. 3(3).

Universiteit van Amsterdam. (2024, maart 1). Vision on teaching and learning. University of Amsterdam. https://www.uva.nl/en/about-the-uva/about-the-university/vision-on-teaching-and-learning/vision-on-teaching-and-learning.html

Verbree, A.-R., van der Schaaf, M., Wijngaards-de Meij, L., & Dilaver, G. (2025). Students’ sense of belonging and authenticity in higher education. British Educational Research Journal, 51(3), 1097-1127. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.4114

Acknowledgements and AI statements

We thank all lecturers, students, and colleagues, who have contributed to the development of this guide with their insights, questions, projects, cases, courses, ideas, teaching formats, interviews, critical views, materials, try-out activities, brainstorm moments, editorial help, website fixes, and feedback.
The signature artwork in sketching style with the ‘Stemmy’ figure was created using ChatGPT, with the help of Morten Strømme.
UvA AI Chat was used to correct, condense, and refine text, to keep style consistency in teaching activity templates, and to summarize and/or translate lecturer interviews.
UvA AI Chat was used to create topic or field-specific examples.

Resources for the STEM Active Learning Guide

STEM Active Learning Guide

Didactic theme

Teacher development

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