Online self-assessments need to be regular and reflective to foster student engagement and success

2021 ◽  
pp. 002072092199767
Author(s):  
Arthur J Swart ◽  
Lawrence Meda
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Pass Rate ◽  
First Year ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Self Assessments

Assessment plays a major role in student learning. It needs to be provided on a regular basis and include the aspect of reflective practice to be really effective. The purpose of this article is to highlight the results of how an academic in Electrical Engineering effectively used Blackboard™ to foster student engagement and academic success through regular online self-assessments that require reflective practice. A time-lag study is used with a non-experimental descriptive design. A total of 812 first-year engineering students were asked to complete weekly online self-assessments via Blackboard™ between 2016 and 2018. Results indicate that students engaged at least three times more with each section of the course content and that their pass rate increased by more than 20% when compared to previous years where no online self-assessments were used. These results tend to suggest that online self-assessments should include multiple attempts with some form of feedback to foster student engagement and academic success.

Assessing Student Learning Outcomes in the Introductory Accounting Information Systems Course Using the AICPA's Core Competency Framework

2007 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald J. Daigle ◽  
David C. Hayes ◽  
K. E. Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Student Learning ◽  
Core Competency ◽  
Competency Framework ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
University Administrators ◽  
Accounting Information Systems ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Indirect Measures ◽  
Self Assessments ◽  
College Of Business

This paper describes a unique learning outcome process for the assessment of an undergraduate course in AIS. Learning expectations targeted for assessment are the “functional competencies” promulgated in the AICPA's Core Competency Framework for Entry into the Accounting Profession (Framework) (1999). This paper first frames the importance of assessment for motivating faculty to foster “continuous improvement” in student learning, as well as demonstrating accountability to public officials, accreditation bodies, and university administrators. The paper then focuses on a specific example (case study) of AIS course assessment. Evidence of student learning is observed, albeit imperfectly, through triangulation of multiple direct measurements, supplemented by indirect measures such as student self-assessments. Results indicate that students became more competent in certain functional competencies and also reflect that the expected emphasis on certain competencies to be gained in the AIS course required modification to the assessment plan. AIS instructors were also able to leverage assessment information for improving the consistency of course content and pedagogy in future semesters. Triangulation, therefore, provides evidence that the AIS course achieved its student learning goals while meeting departmental objectives, including successfully supporting the AACSB's maintenance of accreditation review for the College of Business.

scholarly journals RETHINKING THE FIRST YEAR PROGRAMMING COURSE

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
William David Lubitz
Keyword(s):  
Student Learning ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
Previous Learning

The use of microcontrollers in beginning programming classes has been found to increase student learning and enthusiasm. Microcontroller programming has been successfully used in advanced undergraduate courses as a way to reinforce previous learning and to practice design, and in beginning undergraduate courses to introduce basic programming concepts in an engaging and relevant manner. Based on observations in a third year undergraduate course that included both traditional and microcontroller programming, a case is made for using a user-friendly microcontroller, instead of a traditional full-featured language, to teach fundamental programming concepts to novice engineering students.

scholarly journals Flipping a Dental Anatomy Course: A Retrospective Study Over Four Years

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmoud M. Bakr ◽  
Ward L. Massey ◽  
Helen M. Massa
Keyword(s):  
Retrospective Study ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Flipped Classroom ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Dental Education ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
First Year ◽  
Dental Anatomy ◽  
The Impact

Flipped classrooms have been successfully used to increase student engagement and support student learning in a range of educational fields, including health education. These advantages for student learning supported implementation of the flipped classroom in introductory sciences and preclinical courses in dental education. We report on a 4-year retrospective study which compared two methods of delivery of a first-year dental anatomy course. The first method used the traditional method, consisting of face to face contact teaching hours, which was compared to a partial flipped classroom, where lecture contact was maintained but practical classes were flipped. A series of online videos demonstrating different practical tasks such as wax carving and tooth identification. An online digital library and online quizzes for self-reflected learning were developed and trialled. Students’ Evaluations of Course (SEC) and students’ overall performance in practical and theoretical assessments were used to evaluate the impact on student engagement and success, respectively, after implementation of the modified course offerings. This study evidences the success of the transition to a partially flipped course design. Careful design and consideration of implementation of the flipped classroom method in dental education are recommended to ensure that there is reliable availability of online resources and dedicated teaching staff for construction of resources and delivery of relevant in-class activities.

scholarly journals Musings of a student librarian: a case report of taking a course in health librarianship

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 95
Author(s):  
Lina Ma
Keyword(s):  
Case Report ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Student Learning Outcomes ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Class Environment ◽  
Course Material ◽  
Student Reflections

One student's experience with taking a course in health librarianship at the graduate level is presented. Reflective practice is used to discuss course content, instructional methods, student learning outcomes, and the challenges presented by the course material and in-class environment. Student reflections are combined with a discussion of relevant issues in health sciences librarianship.

scholarly journals Adaptive Learning Implementation – A Cognitive Description Experiment for First Year Engineering Students at a Distance Education University

2020 ◽  
pp. 124-130
Author(s):  
Ngaka Mosia
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Learning ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Pass Rate ◽  
First Year ◽  
Pass Rates ◽  
Struggling Learners ◽  
Engineering Statistics ◽  
Differentiated Learning ◽  
High Level

A study was performed on a first year industrial engineering statistics course to improve the statistics pass rate. Statistics is a requisite for other engineering courses. The pass rate for the statistic course was below 50%. The primary purpose is to enable learners to build a capacity to comprehend module content and establish a deeper level of learning that will enable learners to achieve goals and objectives of TL lessons. An intervention program was instructionally designed to develop a personalized and differentiated learning process that breaks down lessons into lower and basic components, for struggling learners, and improves lessons to a complex high level and challenging activities for excelling students. Forty students were considered for the study. Moore’s theory of transactional distance was used as a theoretical framework. The data consisted of exam and assignment scores. A quantitative method was used to analyse the data. Hypothesis testing suggests that the intervention program is significant. The overall pass rates improved by 25%.

scholarly journals Can Students' Attitudes and Behaviors be Changed by Educational Interventions?

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (29) ◽  
pp. 14-33
Author(s):  
Vidar Gynnild ◽  
John Sølve Tyssedal
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
First Year ◽  
Student Survey ◽  
Minimal Impact ◽  
Attitudes And Behaviors ◽  
And Behaviors ◽  
Students Attitudes

This study examined engineering students’ attitudes and behaviors in a first-year Calculus course. Not  surprisingly, High School mathematics and physics grades correlated closely with self-reported Calculus grades, and a student survey conducted four years apart demonstrated almost identical attitudes and behaviors despite the introduction of a range of measures aimed to enhance learning. The better the grades, the fairer students deemed it to be, and the less of in-depth learning, the poorer the grades. The higher the ambitions, and the more active and hardworking, the better the grades. Academic success factors included an ability to keep pace with progression, and a commitment to advance learning. The minimal impact of interventions appears as surprising; however, this study brings perspectives to make sense of such data, also capable of producing greater future successes.

Adopting Learning Analytics in a First-Year Veterinarian Professional Program: What We Could Know in Advance about Student Learning Progress

2021 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 720-728
Author(s):  
Wenting Weng ◽  
Nicola L. Ritter ◽  
Karen Cornell ◽  
Molly Gonzales
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Learning Analytics ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
At Risk Students ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
First Year ◽  
Actual Performance

Over the past decade, the field of education has seen stark changes in the way that data are collected and leveraged to support high-stakes decision-making. Utilizing big data as a meaningful lens to inform teaching and learning can increase academic success. Data-driven research has been conducted to understand student learning performance, such as predicting at-risk students at an early stage and recommending tailored interventions to support services. However, few studies in veterinary education have adopted Learning Analytics. This article examines the adoption of Learning Analytics by using the retrospective data from the first-year professional Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program. The article gives detailed examples of predicting six courses from week 0 (i.e., before the classes started) to week 14 in the semester of Spring 2018. The weekly models for each course showed the change of prediction results as well as the comparison between the prediction results and students’ actual performance. From the prediction models, at-risk students were successfully identified at the early stage, which would help inform instructors to pay more attention to them at this point.

scholarly journals Monitoring Student Engagement in First Year Engineering

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geraldine Van Gyn ◽  
Peter Wild
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Writing Courses ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
The Impact

In a 2006 study to assess student engagement in the first year, engineering students were the least likely to express positive views about that experience and reported low levels of academic engagement. Initiatives to address this situation in engineering were in progress, including the development of two first year courses integrated engineering design with required writing courses. To monitor engagement and satisfaction, and assess the impact of the course interventions, the same research methodology as the 2006 study was used in 2010, 2011, and 2012 following the implementation of these courses. Participants in focus groups discussed questions related to engagement and identified factors that had led to their satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Themes identified for the three different time periods were compared to each other and to those that emerged in the original 2006 study. Significant among the themes was the experience in the design/communications courses. Themes of dissatisfaction and alienation were highly consistent with the 2006 study but became moderated. This process reinforced the need for authentic engineering course experiences in the first year and is consistent with previous research.

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