to illuminate the need for pedagogical change and make sense of how to go about it , this seminal work combines extensive research findings , theories from cognitive science , and explanations from neuroscience , with realistic recommendations from two respected educators who have devoted their careers to stem education and faculty development . the result is a work so comprehensive that it may be envisioned not only as a guide for current educators but as a textbook for graduate and undergraduate courses in stem education and within teaching certificate programs . as an added benefit , barbara oakley aptly comments in the foreword that  husband - and - wife team richard felder and rebecca brent write in an exceptionally clear , non - stuffy voice that makes this a book you can read even at the end of a busy day . its accessibility is further enhanced by its format : rather than requiring one to absorb the entire volume in sequence , the authors suggest treating it as a menu . readers may skim the contents and focus only on what they choose at that particular time . the repetition of themes and cross - referencing that make this use possible are , in turn , tremendous learning aids for others who may desire a complete viewing or who may cover it comprehensively as a textbook . teaching and learning stem aptly follows its own advice . it examines and rejects the assumption that , for teaching and learning to be successful , mastery of factual knowledge is required before dealing with real - world processes , systems , problems , and challenges . is preparing to teach a new course or making significant revisions to an existing course ( p. 41 ) . the need for information is addressed before identifying reasonable chunks that are then deeply explored . in this case , readers need to know how to make the task manageable , so the authors present guiding questions such as  what is a reasonable time to devote to preparing a course ?  and  how can i approach that target ?  then , ideas are explored in detail and assembled to make connections with broader goals . to encourage readers to reflect deeply on the process and think about the thought process used to meet the goals of the task , guided opportunities for metacognition are interspersed along the way as  thought questions .  for instance , when discussing course planning , felder and brent direct readers to consider how a course might be strengthened by reducing content that is easy to find or does not directly address learning objectives ( p. 46 ) . again , the authors demonstrate their suggestion by presenting their own graphic organizers , one of which maps out the overall contents of the book ( figure 1 ) . additional graphic organizers detail each of the book s three parts : designing courses ( p. 12 ) , teaching courses ( p. 90 ) , and facilitating skill development ( p. 186 ) . the first graphic organizer in the book (  figure 1.3 - 1 : elements of learner - centered teaching  ) summarizes chapter topics ( text branches ) , groups them into three main parts of the book ( gray ovals ) , and emphasizes that learners play the central role around which pedagogy is designed ( double - headed arrows ) . , interludes serve either as reflective transitions or as scenarios that foreshadow the upcoming topic . these interludes quickly became anticipated favorites , sometimes inspiring laughter , sometimes shock . within the chapters , snippets labeled  brainwaves  offer explanations of student learning that are rooted in findings from neuroscience . we scientists find it satisfying to discover more about the science behind the learning of science . each chapter concludes with the same two sections :  ideas to take away ,  which is a valuable summary of main points , and try this in your course ,  which assembles the key techniques and offers a way to initiate a new strategy through a smaller pilot . at least one section in each chapter discusses mistakes to avoid , with clear reasons given and preferred alternatives presented , along with evidence to substantiate the recommendations . the authors have truly compiled a resource of resources , from evidentiary articles to web - based tools , databases of activities , and instructional videos . most of these resources are embedded throughout the text , in places where they relate to the topic being discussed . in addition , a list of tables , figures , and exhibits summarizes the visual elements , and a bibliography and index are also included . to further extend this metaresource , you can even assign students to find additional online resources as a course activity ( p. 149 ) . one of the most impressive resources  deservedly discussed in more depth than most  is the catme smarter teamwork system , available at www.catme.org ( loughry et  al . one of the tools ( team - maker ) uses criteria , either selected from available options or user defined , to assign students to teams . other tools ( peer evaluation and rater calibration ) are established to facilitate self- and peer evaluations . the remaining modules train students to work in teams and provide guidance on making meetings more effective . felder and brent expertly coach readers about the applications of this technology . concrete tips for educators are also aimed toward identifying reasonable targets or goals . as mentioned previously , guidelines are offered for how much time to spend on course preparation . for new or entirely redesigned courses , the target is 3 to 4 hours per hour of class time . for subsequent revisions , 2 hours or fewer of preparation should be sufficient for each hour of class ( p. 44 ) . other guidelines address two aspects of assessment : testing higher - order cognition and test length . felder and brent advocate that 10 to 20% of test points should be reserved for measuring higher - order learning objectives such as analyzing , evaluating , and creating ( p. 167 ) . the 10% minimum demonstrates alignment of the assessment with higher - order learning objectives and incentivizes preparation for those tasks . the 20% maximum is set so that the assessment maintains its ability to distinguish among levels of mastery . when more than 20% of a test targets higher - order objectives , a score distribution is likely to reveal only two groups of students : those who demonstrate attainment of the higher - order objectives and those who do not . the visual representation of this bimodal score distribution would show one narrow peak in the high range of scores and a broad peak across the low range of scores . the narrow peak would not be able to differentiate between  a  and  b  students , while the peak across low scores would underestimate student knowledge . neither peak would ultimately be informative about overall student learning and pedagogical practice , aside from the need to reduce the weight upon higher - order objectives to below 20% of the total points . regarding test length , the guideline depends upon whether  particularly complex and/or computation - heavy problems are included . if not , allow students test - completion time that is three times as long as it takes instructors and teaching assistants to complete the test . if so , allow students up to five times as much time ( p. 169 ) . tangible recommendations are also made for promoting metacognition , such as sample questions to include in assignments ( p. 207 ) and  exam wrappers an exam wrapper is a questionnaire attached to a test when the test is returned to students , prompting students to think about their thinking on that test ( i.e. , their approach to the test , whether the approach was successful , and changes they might make for the next test ) . responding to student resistance is addressed in several areas , with an example scenario provided as one of the interludes ( p. 243 ) . writing strategies are the topic of another interlude ( p. 65 ) and serve equally well for educators writing a lesson plan , students writing a thesis , and researchers writing a manuscript . for example , what is the difference between assessment and evaluation ( p. 62 ) ? or between inquiry - based learning , problem - based learning , and other inductive teaching methods ( table 12.2 - 1 ) ? it is also worth mentioning that the book is available from several suppliers ( e.g. , amazon , barnes & noble , google ) in both hardcover and electronic versions below list price . this advice raised several questions for me : might it be wise to embark on that course preparation using a truly collaborative approach ( i.e. , with a partner or group that is simultaneously engaged in the same process ) , much in the same way that teamwork is detailed for learners of stem disciplines ? or is there an evidence - based rationale for keeping interactions limited to feedback about certain concerns ? what are some considerations to keep in mind if educators do decide to use a simultaneous or collaborative approach ? are there potential pitfalls to avoid ? if there are differences between collaborating for educational planning purposes and research purposes , what exactly are those differences ? imagine the powerful role that educators can play in more suitably preparing our students for their careers . teaching and learning stem is the how - to for achieving these visions one course at a time , one semester at a time , one activity at a time . the strongest recommendation from felder and brent is , surprisingly , buried within the middle of the book , introduced with if you do nt take any other suggestion we offer in this book , take this one the section heading is  keep improving your teaching ,  which applies to anyone and everyone who has contact with undergraduate stem students .
this is a review of teaching and learning stem : a practical guide , which goes beyond active - learning techniques into the realms of course design , facilitating skill development , and assessment . 
 this superb resource compiles a plethora of empirical evidence , while unpacking it in a way that is immediately accessible to educators across disciplines .