In 2018, Assembly Bill 1809 established the California Education Learning Lab (Learning Lab) in order to improve learning outcomes and close equity gaps across California’s public higher education segments, particularly in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines.

Learning Lab is part of California’s vision to grow and sustain a highly educated workforce that can meet the challenges of our changing world. Our program operates on the premise that all students are capable learners with potential for success given the right conditions, supports, and motivations.  We believe that faculty are our greatest resource in helping students meet their goals, and that innovation begins with them. 

Leveraging technology tools and the science of human learning to foster student success 

Learning Lab is proud to support innovation in higher education pedagogy through intersegmental grants to California’s public colleges and universities. We look for projects that leverage technology tools and the science of human learning to create better online and hybrid learning environments. Our funded projects promote a positive feedback loop between learning theory, research, and classroom educational practice in order to better implement and scale inclusive and effective approaches that empower faculty in their teaching mission and work best for California’s diverse student population. 

Partnering with the Foundation for California Community Colleges

Learning Lab recently announced a new grant opportunity, the “Learning Lab Grand Challenge: Overcoming the Calculus Barrier to STEM Success,” which aims to boost STEM retention and completion in California. Retention gaps are especially prevalent for Black and African Americans, Latinx, Native American, and Pacific Islander groups and women, despite high levels of interest in STEM, with introductory mathematics courses identified as one of the main reasons for drop-off. Through this year’s request for proposals (RFP), Learning Lab invites faculty teams from California’s public higher education institutions to reconceptualize the role of and approach to calculus in a student’s first year introductory STEM experience to eliminate equity gaps.