Student Engagement Matters: Active Learning in an Undergraduate Health Economics Class Affected Learning Outcomes

A total of 41 students in one semester's health economics class were taught using alternating methodologies and then tested for self-reported engagement and learning outcomes. Two of the four modules were taught in a traditional lecture and homework style. Two were taught using Learning Catalytics, which pushes questions and problems out to each student's Internet-capable device. At the beginning of each week, students were asked about their perceived engagement during the previous week and were quizzed about the previous week's subject matter.

The active engagement enabled by Learning Catalytics correlated with a 19% (p=0.002) increase in student self-perceived engagement and an 18% (p=0.004) increase in learning as measured by quizzes in the subsequent weeks. The project found no evident difference in student preparation for the active-engagement weeks.