Knowledge in Action

Overview

The purpose of the Knowledge in Action Project was to investigate the project-based learning approach as applied to rigorous high school courses, promoting depth of learning while continuing to cover essential content. The goal of these courses is to help students learn advanced content while engaging them deeply to see connections to their lives. The first two Knowledge in Action courses, AP U.S. Government and Politics and AP Environmental Science, were developed under the direction of Drs. Walter Parker, Susan Nolen, and John Bransford at the University of Washington. The design and study of the third Knowledge in Action course, AP Physics I, was led by Dr. Nancy Vye, also at the University of Washington.

Principal Investigator:

Developed under the direction of Drs. Walter Parker, Susan Nolen, and John Bransford at the University of Washington.
The design and study of AP Physics I was led by Dr. Nancy Vye, also at the University of Washington.

Year of Funding:

2008-2017

Curriculum

Knowledge in Action: AP Government and Politics

This course contains five projects that are organized around the following question: “What is the proper role of government in a democracy?” Each project involves political simulations through which students take on roles that help contextualize the content required by the new College Board course framework.

In the first project, Founders’ Intent, students are delegates to the Constitutional Convention, deciding whether they would ratify the new U.S. Constitution. In the Elections project, students organize and execute their own presidential campaigns. Students then act as Supreme Court justices, petitioners, or respondents in landmark cases during the Supreme Court project. Students write legislation in the Congress project, exploring questions like “To what extent is Congress designed to make laws that reflect the will of the people?” The course culminates with Government in Action, during which students are advisors to interest groups and create political action plans, synthesizing what they have learned throughout the course.

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Download the poster and print it for your class.

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Knowledge in Action: AP Environmental Science

This course contains five projects that are organized around the following question: “How can we live more sustainably?”. The projects highlight civic engagement, progressing from personal applications of the content to a focus on global issues such as climate change. The projects fulfill the same content requirements as a traditional AP Environmental Science course. 

In the first project, Ecological Footprint, students calculate their ecological footprints and investigate the impacts of their families’ consumption habits. My Community Ecology extends this investigation by placing students in the role of community resource managers who investigate an actual site in their local community. In Food Systems, students are farmers who design a farm based on ecological and economic constraints. Oceans in Action takes place in a fictitious coastal community that is struggling economically, and students participate in a town hall meeting to debate the question of “How can we minimize our impact on ocean health?” Finally, Global Climate Summit brings the course together with students as United Nations representatives.

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Download the poster and print it for your class.

Download this file (941 KB)

Knowledge in Action: AP Physics I

The seven projects in this course focus on the following question: “How can we use physics to creatively solve problems and understand our world?”. The curriculum aligns with the new College Board course framework and explores how people use physics in a variety of roles and careers.

In the first project, Reel Physics, students are science advisors to a Hollywood production company who evaluate films for physics accuracy and propose solutions to inaccurate representations of motion. When in Rome goes back in time so students can use the concepts of force, friction, work, and torque as ancient Roman architects. In Mission to Mars, students are engineers who must successfully land a rover on Mars for NASA. Sticks and Stones casts students as participants in a survival show set in the Paleolithic era who are faced with surviving by designing ancient hunting tools. Crash Scene Investigation and Planet Hunters are both investigation-oriented projects, in which students apply physics thinking as accident investigators and planetary astrophysicists. The course culminates in Art in Motion, during which students design kinetic sculptures and share them with the public.

Download the poster and print it for your class.

Download this file (505 KB)

Download the poster and print it for your class.

Download this file (505 KB)

Related Publications

Knowledge in Action Efficacy Study Over Two Years

Saavedra, A.R., Liu Y., Haderlein, S.K., Rapaport, A., Garland, M., Hoepfner, D., Morgan, K.L., & Hu, A. (February 2021). Knowledge in Action Efficacy Study Over Two Years. USC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research. 

Knowledge in Action is a project-based learning approach to Advanced Placement (AP). Developers designed KIA intervention—comprised of curriculum, instructional materials, and robust professional development supports for teachers—to bolster students’ deeper understanding of content and skills. A randomized controlled trial efficacy evaluation of the Knowledge in Action intervention was conducted in 2016-17 with a follow-up study of RCT schools in 2017-18. This report describes the study motivation, context, research methods, results, and implications.

New Research Makes a Powerful Case for PBL

Terada, Y. (2021). New Research Makes a Powerful Case for PBL. Edutopia.org.

Two new gold-standard studies provide compelling evidence that project-based learning is an effective strategy for all students—including historically marginalized ones.

Project-Based Learning Boosts Student Achievement in AP Courses

Saavedra, A.R., Liu Y., Haderlein, S.K., Rapaport, A., Garland, M., Hoepfner, D., Morgan, K.L., Hu, A., & Lucas Education Research. (2021). Project-Based Learning Boosts Student Achievement in AP Courses. Lucas Education Research.

This brief examines the findings of a study conducted by researchers at the University of Southern California examining a project-based approach to Advanced Placement courses. The randomized study found the proportion of students earning a credit-qualifying score on the AP test was 8 percentage points higher in the project-based version of the course, as compared to traditional instruction, after teachers had been teaching with the Knowledge in Action (KIA) program for a year. The gain was estimated to be 10-percentage points higher after teachers used the curriculum and related supports for two years.

The researchers examined the impact of project-based learning on AP U.S. Government and AP Environmental Science courses in five predominantly urban districts around the country. A higher proportion of the students were from low-income households than is typical of the AP test-taking community. That’s notable, as policymakers and educators are trying to get more unrepresented students enrolled in and passing AP courses.

(Re)Designing for Engagement in a Project-Based AP Environmental Science Course

Tierney, G., Goodell, A., Bobbitt Nolen, S., Lee, N., Whitfield, L., & Abbott, R.D. (2018). (Re)Designing for engagement in a project-based AP environmental science course. The Journal of Experimental Education. DOI:10.1080/00220973.2018.1535479

This paper describes a three-year, design-based research project to
redesign a year-long, project-based advanced placement environmental
science course to better support student engagement and the development of environmental citizen identities.

Reinventing The High School Government Course: Rigor, Simulations, And Learning From Text

Parker, W.C., & Lo, J. C. (2016). Reinventing the High School Government Course: Rigor, Simulations, and Learning from Text. Democracy and Education, 24 (1), Article 6.

Read about Knowledge in Action, a pedagogical model that centers on a rigorous form of project-based learning in which the projects are weeks-long simulations.

AP Teacher Perspectives on Project-based Learning in The Knowledge in Action Curriculum: Key Findings From Teacher Survey Study

Lucas Education Research. (2015). AP Teacher Perspectives on Project-Based Learning in the Knowledge in Action Curriculum: Key Findings from Teacher Survey Study. Lucasedresearch.org.

Educators see project-based learning as a means of meeting increasing expectations for depth and breadth of student knowledge in AP courses; the KIA curricula were developed to support this goal and create more engaged and rigorous classroom environments. 

Beyond Breadth-Speed-Test: Toward Deeper Knowing And Engagement In An Advanced Placement Course

Parker, W. C., Lo, J., Yeo, A. J., Valencia, S. W., Nguyen, D., Abbott, R. D., Nolen, S. B., Bransford, J. D., & Vye, N. J. (2013). Beyond Breadth-Speed-Test: Toward Deeper Knowing and Engagement in an Advanced Placement Course. American Educational Research Journal. doi.org/10.3102/0002831213504237

Read about a mixed-methods design experiment that aims to achieve deeper learning in a breadth-oriented, college-preparatory course—AP U.S. Government and Politics.

Rethinking Advanced High School Coursework: Tackling the Depth/Breadth Tension in the AP US Government and Politics Course

Parker, W., Mosborg, S., Bransford, J., Vye, N., Wilkerson, J., & Abbott, R. (2011). Rethinking advanced high school coursework: tackling the depth/breadth tension in the AP US Government and Politics course. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 43 (4).

This paper reports a design experiment that attempted to strike a balance between coverage and learning in an exam-oriented, college-preparatory, high school course—Advanced Placement (AP) US Government and Politics