“Guided by experimental tests of theory and practice, science has advanced rapidly in the past 500 years.
Guided primarily by tradition and dogma, science education has remained largely medieval.
Taking a research approach to teaching science
and engineering is now revealing principles and
practices that achieve much better learning than
traditional approaches. The combination of this
research approach to instruction has set the
stage for a major advance in undergraduate
science and engineering education, an advance
that can provide the relevant and effective
education in these fields for all students that is
needed for the 21st century. I will discuss the
failures of traditional educational practices, even
as used by “very good” teachers, and the
successes of some new practices and technology
that characterize this more effective approach. I
will also discuss how these results are consistent
with basic principles of learning coming from
cognitive psychology and hence are widely
applicable.”

~ Dr. Carl Wieman