The role of active learning through laboratory experimentation pertaining to memory retention in first-year engineering programs

Retention of material taught to students can be affected by their active participation in a laboratory. The purpose of this active learning memory retention study is to determine how learning, varying active or passive participation, affects memory retention. This paper uses a weekly laboratory in a first-year engineering course as an example. We compare three modes of presentation of material: demonstration, interactive programs, and hands-on execution. Results show that, based on student performance on examination scores, demonstration alone is not as effective as simulation or hands-on labs. However, we found very little difference between the results for simulation and hands-on labs.