About

Elli Theobald is a Principal Investigator at the Theobald Lab at UW Biology, specializing in education research and ecology. Her research in education centers on student success and strategies for achieving teaching excellence in higher education STEM classrooms. Trained as an ecologist, she employs a quantitative approach in her work, while her experience as a middle and high school teacher informs her emphasis on the importance of relationships and community in education. Her ecological research interests focus on species interactions and the contributions of volunteers to science, alongside exploring effective methods for teaching these principles to undergraduates. Elli Theobald is passionate about outdoor activities and values kindness, inclusivity, and persistent progress in science and mentoring. Her mentoring philosophy is grounded in mutual respect, personal goal setting, tailored support, and honest, kind communication, aiming to empower mentees to pursue their goals relentlessly. She actively seeks guidance from departmental resources and scholars of mentoring to foster a supportive and productive lab environment.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Psychology
• Mathematics education
• Social Science
• Sociology
• Medicine
• Artificial Intelligence
• Political Science
• Medical education
• Statistics
• Gender studies
• Data science
• Mathematics
• Chemistry
• Programming language
• Cognitive science
• Anthropology
• Engineering
• Public relations
• Engineering physics
• Law

Selected publications

• National biology learning objectives and assessment questions often overlook science’s connection to society

  Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research · 2026-04-02

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Making connections between science and societal or cultural issues in biology courses may lead to increases in students’ engagement, ability to recognize the potential for biology to advance social change, and ultimately their retention in the discipline. One common way to make these connections is via the incorporation of socioscientific issues. Using a rubric we created and refined, we evaluated learning objectives and practice assessment questions from 16 national biology education frameworks and assessments (n = 2890) for the presence of these connections to societal or cultural issues. As tools to support instructors to design their courses at both the college-preparatory and undergraduate levels, we contend that whether content is connected with societal or cultural issues will, in part, depend on whether these connections are prioritized via inclusion in learning objectives and assessment questions. We found connections between science content and societal or cultural issues in only 7% (n = 213) of the items reviewed. Further, these connections were often implicit, rather than explicitly stated. The items where these connections were made most often related to topics such as ethics or public health. Nearly 40% (n = 83) of the items that made these connections did so by relating to a socioscientific issue. The dearth of connections between biology content and societal or cultural issues highlights an opportunity for growth in promoting sociopolitical consciousness in biology curricula and the lack of prioritization in these biology education resources.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Toward Causal Inferences in Discipline-Based Education Research: Using Regression Discontinuity Design to Understand the Effect of Classroom Interventions

  CBE—Life Sciences Education · 2026-01-02

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  This paper overviews a quasi-experimental approach, the Regression Discontinuity (RD) design, as a viable tool to estimate the effects of classroom interventions in discipline-based education research (DBER). Classroom interventions have been widely used in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instruction to improve student outcomes and promote educational equity. Yet two common approaches to access the impacts of these interventions on student outcomes, randomized control trials and covariate adjustment models, may not be an optimal choice when (1) it is not feasible or ethical to conduct randomized experiments, and (2) the instructor does not acquire sufficient student background characteristics to account for nonrandom assignments of students to the intervention. Fortunately, the RD designs exploit a predetermined intervention threshold and, under testable assumptions, can estimate the impact of an intervention by comparing students who narrowly qualified for the intervention to students who narrowly did not. Utilizing an extended example data from a real-world classroom intervention, we demonstrate why and how to perform RD analysis with classroom intervention data. We also provide step-by-step R Markdown (https://github.com/TheobaldLab/RegressionDiscontinuity.git) to encourage the implementation of the RD design in DBER.

  PublisherDOI

• Classroom-based motivational and instructional interventions have limited effects on undergraduates’ domain-level motivation in STEM: A meta-analysis of 19 field studies

  2025-12-31

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  The persistent gap between STEM workforce demand and the supply of qualified graduates underscores the need for strategies that support undergraduates’ persistence in STEM pathways. This meta-analysis synthesized causal evidence from 19 U.S.-based field studies (84 effect sizes) that evaluated classroom interventions targeting instructional methods (e.g., active learning) or student motivation (e.g., utility value exercises). We focused on domain-level motivational outcomes—such as interest, confidence, utility value, and intentions to persist—given their relevance for STEM persistence. Unexpectedly, classroom interventions had negligible effects on these motivational outcomes on average, with little variation across intervention types, outcome types, or STEM domains. Limitations in study reporting constrained analysis by student demographics. While classroom practices may enhance achievement or task-specific motivation, we found that they are unlikely to produce substantial changes in broader motivational constructs. These findings highlight the importance of aligning intervention goals with realistic outcomes, clarifying the role of task-specific motivation for longer-term persistence, and potentially pairing classroom-level interventions across multiple classrooms or with broader institutional initiatives.

  PublisherDOI

• Exploring how course social and cultural environmental features influence student engagement in STEM active learning courses: a control–value theory approach

  International Journal of STEM Education · 2025-01-22 · 10 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Background Active learning, on average, increases student performance in STEM courses. Yet, there is also large variation in the effectiveness of these implementations. A consistent goal of active learning is moving students towards becoming active constructors of their knowledge. This emphasis means student engagement is of central importance. Thus, variation in student engagement could help explain variation in outcomes from active learning. In this study, we employ Pekrun’s Control–Value Theory to examine the impact of four aspects of course social and cultural environments on student engagement. This theory posits that social and cultural features of the course environment influence students’ appraisals of their ability to control their academic outcomes from the course and the value they see in those outcomes. Control and value in turn influence the emotions students experience in the course and their behaviors. We selected four features of the course environment suggested in the literature to be important in active learning courses: course goal structure, relevance of course content, students’ trust in their instructor, and perceived course competition. Results We surveyed students in 13 introductory STEM courses. We used structural equation modeling to map how features of the course environment related to control, value, and academic emotions, as well as how control, value, and academic emotions influenced engagement. We found engagement was positively related to control and value as well as the emotion of curiosity. Engagement was negatively related to the emotion of boredom. Importantly, features of the course environment influenced these four variables. All features influenced control: goal structure, relevance, and instructor trust increased it, while competition decreased it. All features except competition were related positively to value. Relevance and instructor trust increased curiosity. Goal structure, relevance, and instructor trust all reduced boredom, while competition increased it. Conclusion Overall, our study suggests that the way instructors structure the social and cultural environment in active learning courses can impact engagement. Building positive instructor–student relationships, reducing course competition, emphasizing mastery and the relevance of the course to students can all increase engagement in course activities.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Conceptualization and Enactment of Equity in Active Learning: STEM Instructors’ Perspectives

  Journal for STEM Education Research · 2025-06-30 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Minoritized students’ experiences in undergraduate introductory STEM courses impact whether they continue on as STEM majors. Instructors can have a major influence on these students’ experiences. Some instructors employ active learning to address the needs of minoritized students, but active learning is not inherently inclusive. We examined the relationship between active learning and inclusive teaching through interviews with 14 experienced STEM instructors employing active learning in their teaching. We analyzed the interviews and arrived at four composite narratives showcasing the following four approaches to equity: increasing opportunity and access by supplementing what students may lack; increasing opportunity and access by claiming instructor responsibility; emphasizing increased achievement, representations, and identification with STEM; and expanding what constitutes STEM while seeing STEM as a part of justice movements. Through composite narratives, we describe how instructors’ personal background and work context influenced their equity approaches. We found active learning and inclusive teaching can work in concert in several ways, yet instructors also reported being inadequately supported to enact their equity conceptualizations. Departmental and institutional training and support, as well as shifts in STEM disciplinary culture, are necessary for instructors to effectively and consistently offer active learning that address the needs of minoritized students.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Active learning’s impact on student course performance in STEM varies by type and intensity

  bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2025-06-02

  preprintOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Abstract We updated a recent meta-analysis of active learning’s impact on student achievement in undergraduate STEM courses by following the same protocol to evaluate studies published from 2010-2017. We screened 1659 papers, coded 1294, and found 210 that met five pre-established inclusion criteria and six pre-established criteria for methodological quality. After further dropping 76 studies with no exam scores data, 134 of these studies contained data on student performance on identical or equivalent exams. We found that on average, active learning’s effect size on exam scores was 0.519 ± 0.049, meaning that when students are in active learning classes, they perform roughly half a standard deviation higher on an identical exam. Funnel plots and sensitivity analyses indicated that these results were not due to sampling bias. Active learning had a positive impact on student outcomes regardless of class size, course level, or STEM discipline, though there was heterogeneity in the effects. All of these results are very similar when compared to earlier meta-analyses, however increased resolution in the studies analyzed here revealed two novel results. First, student performance was significantly better in courses that employed high-intensity active learning, defined as students being on task at least two-thirds of class time, versus lower-intensities. Additionally, there was significant heterogeneity in efficacy across different types of active learning employed. These results suggest that most, if not all types of active learning are effective, and that when innovating in their classes, instructors should continually work to increase active learning intensity. We urge caution in interpreting the results on active learning types, however, and propose a preliminary framework for making more-sophisticated and reliable analyses of variation in course design. Finally, the evidence presented here for active learning’s impact on student outcomes creates a strong foundation for faculty professional development and administration.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Perceived Inequities in STEM Classes Make Them Feel Competitive

  CBE—Life Sciences Education · 2025-10-14 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Despite efforts to improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and student outcomes, STEM fields continue to lack equity, inclusion, and diversity. The disproportionate attrition of minoritized students, including first-generation and racially minoritized students, is a pressing issue in higher education. Students often cite competition as a reason for leaving STEM fields, and competitive environments may have disproportionate negative effects on minoritized students. Investigating what makes STEM environments competitive and how competition affects students' sense of belonging is crucial for understanding minoritized student attrition from STEM fields. Therefore, we sought to understand first-generation and racially minoritized students' conceptions of competition and its effects. To do this, we conducted semistructured interviews with 25 racially minoritized and first-generation students in an introductory biology class with a noncompetitive grading structure. A recurring theme emerged: when students labeled a class as "competitive," they were referring to inequities-inequities in prior preparation, resources, time, understanding, and ultimately, success. The competition stemming from perceived inequities contributed to a low sense of belonging in class and in STEM generally. Because competition in STEM is a systemic issue, these findings position instructors as agents for change. Therefore, we conclude with recommendations to help instructors transform a competitive, inequitable environment into a noncompetitive, inclusive environment.

  PublisherDOI

• Classroom interventions have limited effects on undergraduates’ domain-level motivation in STEM: A meta-analysis of 19 field studies

  2025-12-31

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  The persistent gap between STEM workforce demand and the supply of qualified graduates underscores the need for strategies that support undergraduates’ persistence in STEM pathways. This meta-analysis synthesized causal evidence from 19 U.S.-based field studies (84 effect sizes) that evaluated classroom interventions targeting instructional methods (e.g., active learning) or student motivation (e.g., utility value exercises). We focused on domain-level motivational outcomes—such as interest, confidence, utility value, and intentions to persist—given their relevance for STEM persistence. Unexpectedly, classroom interventions had negligible effects on these motivational outcomes on average, with little variation across intervention types, outcome types, or STEM domains. Limitations in study reporting constrained analysis by student demographics. While classroom practices may enhance achievement or task-specific motivation, we found that they are unlikely to produce substantial changes in broader motivational constructs. These findings highlight the importance of aligning intervention goals with realistic outcomes, clarifying the role of task-specific motivation for longer-term persistence, and potentially pairing classroom-level interventions across multiple classrooms or with broader institutional initiatives.

  PublisherDOI

• Strategically creating maximally heterogeneous lab groups did not improve group performance in an introductory biology lab class

  PLoS ONE · 2025-05-15 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Collaboration is a critical skill for professionals in any field to master, and group work is a prominent component of many lab courses. However, there is conflicting guidance about the best method for forming groups to maximize performance and student experiences. Based on the benefits of cognitive diversity, we hypothesized that creating maximally heterogeneous groups would improve performance on lab activities. We conducted a quasi-experiment in the lab sections of a large-enrollment 2-semester introductory biology for majors course sequence (n = 986). In these large enrollment courses, students simultaneously enroll in smaller-enrollment lab sections. Each semester, we assigned groups randomly in half of the lab sections and in the other half of lab sections we strategically assigned groups to be maximally heterogeneous in terms of race, gender, and prior preparation. We examined the impact of group assignment on students' academic performance (their grade on their collaborative lab report and their overall lab grade), incidence of group conflict, and student attitudes towards group work (i.e., teamwork satisfaction and perceptions of collaborative learning). We found that group formation strategy had no impact on students' grades on either their collaborative lab report or their overall lab grade. Group conflicts were reported so infrequently that we were not able to detect any differences between the two groups. Our measures of groupwork satisfaction and perceptions of collaborative learning failed to demonstrate measurement invariance between the two types of group formation, which prevented us from assessing whether student attitudes differ, but suggest that there is some experiential difference that we were unable to capture.

  PublisherDOI

• Classroom interventions have limited effects on undergraduates’ domain-level motivation in STEM: A meta-analysis of 19 field studies

  PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) · 2025-12-31

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  The persistent gap between STEM workforce demand and the supply of qualified graduates underscores the need for strategies that support undergraduates’ persistence in STEM pathways. This meta-analysis synthesized causal evidence from 19 U.S.-based field studies (84 effect sizes) that evaluated classroom interventions targeting instructional methods (e.g., active learning) or student motivation (e.g., utility value exercises). We focused on domain-level motivational outcomes—such as interest, confidence, utility value, and intentions to persist—given their relevance for STEM persistence. Unexpectedly, classroom interventions had negligible effects on these motivational outcomes on average, with little variation across intervention types, outcome types, or STEM domains. Limitations in study reporting constrained analysis by student demographics. While classroom practices may enhance achievement or task-specific motivation, we found that they are unlikely to produce substantial changes in broader motivational constructs. These findings highlight the importance of aligning intervention goals with realistic outcomes, clarifying the role of task-specific motivation for longer-term persistence, and potentially pairing classroom-level interventions across multiple classrooms or with broader institutional initiatives.

  Publisher

Frequent coauthors

• Janneke Hille Ris Lambers

  ETH Zurich

  13 shared

• Scott Freeman

  University of Washington

  12 shared

• Janneke HilleRisLambers

  ETH Zurich

  11 shared

• Aji John

  University of Washington

  9 shared

• Meera Lee Sethi

  University of Washington

  7 shared

• Ian Breckheimer

  Western Colorado University

  7 shared

• Jordana Sevigny

  University of California, Santa Cruz

  6 shared

• Joya Mukerji

  University of Washington

  6 shared

Labs

• Theobald LabPI

Education

• PhD, Biology

  University of Washington

  2016

• MA - Teaching, Education

  Alliant International University

  2009

Awards & honors

• 2023 UW Distinguished Teaching Awards