Starting this fall, the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine will be phasing out lectures in favour of active learning. In an interview with NPR, William Jeffries, a dean in the college who is leading the effort, says that evidence suggests that lectures are not as efficient or successful in helping students acquire knowledge. “When you just tell somebody something, the chances of them remembering it diminishes over time,” Jeffries says, “but if you are required to use that information, chances are you’ll remember it much better.” The college plans to phase out all lectures by 2019, and Jeffries notes that a number of his colleagues around the country are leading similar efforts.