Is there a canonical paper to cite the benefits of active learning in post secondary education?
A Very widely cited meta-analysis of studies on this topic is:

Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., &amp; 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.