scholarly journals Is Peer Interaction Necessary for Optimal Active Learning?

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debra L. Linton ◽  
Jan Keith Farmer ◽  
Ernie Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Instructional Materials ◽  
Cooperative Groups ◽  
Traditional Lecture ◽  
Group Processing ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Learning Interventions ◽  
Optimal Implementation

Meta-analyses of active-learning research consistently show that active-learning techniques result in greater student performance than traditional lecture-based courses. However, some individual studies show no effect of active-learning interventions. This may be due to inexperienced implementation of active learning. To minimize the effect of inexperience, we should try to provide more explicit implementation recommendations based on research into the key components of effective active learning. We investigated the optimal implementation of active-learning exercises within a “lecture” course. Two sections of nonmajors biology were taught by the same instructor, in the same semester, using the same instructional materials and assessments. Students in one section completed in-class active-learning exercises in cooperative groups, while students in the other section completed the same activities individually. Performance on low-level, multiple-choice assessments was not significantly different between sections. However, students who worked in cooperative groups on the in-class activities significantly outperformed students who completed the activities individually on the higher-level, extended-response questions. Our results provide additional evidence that group processing of activities should be the recommended mode of implementation for in-class active-learning exercises.

scholarly journals Redesigning a course to help students achieve higher-order cognitive thinking skills: from goals and mechanics to student outcomes

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Casagrand ◽  
Katharine Semsar
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Skill Levels ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Traditional Lecture ◽  
Course Materials ◽  
Learning Assessments

Here we describe a 4-yr course reform and its outcomes. The upper-division neurophysiology course gradually transformed from a traditional lecture in 2004 to a more student-centered course in 2008, through the addition of evidence-based active learning practices, such as deliberate problem-solving practice on homework and peer learning structures, both inside and outside of class. Due to the incremental nature of the reforms and absence of pre-reform learning assessments, we needed a way to retrospectively assess the effectiveness of our efforts. To do this, we first looked at performance on 12 conserved exam questions. Students performed significantly higher post-reform on questions requiring lower-level cognitive skills and those requiring higher-level cognitive skills. Furthermore, student performance on conserved questions was higher post-reform in both the top and bottom quartiles of students, although lower-quartile student performance did not improve until after the first exam. To examine student learning more broadly, we also used Bloom’s taxonomy to quantify a significant increase in the Bloom’s level of exams, with students performing equally well post-reform on exams that had over twice as many questions at higher cognitive skill levels. Finally, we believe that four factors provided critical contributions to the success of the course reform, including: transformation efforts across multiple course components, alignment between formative and evaluative course materials, student buy-in to course instruction, and instructional support. This reform demonstrates both the effectiveness of incorporating student-centered, active learning into our course, and the utility of using Bloom’s level as a metric to assess course reform.

scholarly journals Does the Room Matter? Active Learning in Traditional and Enhanced Lecture Spaces

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. ar68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon R. Stoltzfus ◽  
Julie Libarkin
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Lecture Hall ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Traditional Lecture ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Based Instruction

SCALE-UP–type classrooms, originating with the Student-Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-down Pedagogies project, are designed to facilitate active learning by maximizing opportunities for interactions between students and embedding technology in the classroom. Positive impacts when active learning replaces lecture are well documented, both in traditional lecture halls and SCALE-UP–type classrooms. However, few studies have carefully analyzed student outcomes when comparable active learning–based instruction takes place in a traditional lecture hall and a SCALE-UP–type classroom. Using a quasi-experimental design, we compared student perceptions and performance between sections of a nonmajors biology course, one taught in a traditional lecture hall and one taught in a SCALE-UP–type classroom. Instruction in both sections followed a flipped model that relied heavily on cooperative learning and was as identical as possible given the infrastructure differences between classrooms. Results showed that students in both sections thought that SCALE-UP infrastructure would enhance performance. However, measures of actual student performance showed no difference between the two sections. We conclude that, while SCALE-UP–type classrooms may facilitate implementation of active learning, it is the active learning and not the SCALE-UP infrastructure that enhances student performance. As a consequence, we suggest that institutions can modify existing classrooms to enhance student engagement without incorporating expensive technology.

scholarly journals Active Learning and Competency Preconditioning Strengthen Osteopathic Medical Student Performance, Physician Attributes, and Competency Assessments

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-10
Author(s):  
Vivek R Joshi ◽  
Michael J Younger ◽  
Bhargavi Joshi
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Medical School ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Traditional Lecture ◽  
Competency Based Education ◽  
Competency Based ◽  
Teacher Centered

Background: Medical education has been reliant on didactic lectures, which are predominantly teacher-centered learning. Competency-based education was introduced in North America and with this came a paradigm shift in how schools conceptualize curricula and measure learning outcomes. This modern approach started a change away from traditional lecture-based and teacher-centered curricula to a more student-centric approach using various tools. Competency based education is widely regarded as an outcome-based approach to design, implement and evaluate the curriculum using widely accepted competencies. Authorities recommend seven core competencies which have various indicators to address student performance. The main purpose of this research is to utilize active learning tools to enhance this approach and then assess competencies in the first year of medical school to improve academic outcomes as well as exposing students to competency domains on which they will be assessed and to ultimately create a complete physician. Methods: The study was conducted at a medical school during the first semester of medical school and included 145 students. Various active learning tools, such as modified case-based learning, quizzes, and case discussions, were used to assess competency in a biochemistry and genetics course, and these were compared to questions based on concepts delivered by the traditional lecture method. Results: Student performance on high-stakes examinations after active learning sessions on content and concepts had statistically higher average percentages on the second, third and fourth examinations. The average Diff (p) for the second, third, and fourth examination to the questions being considered for the study were (Diff p= 0.84, 0.83, and 0.92) with a positive moderate correlation for the second examination (r= 0.535) and strong positive correlation for the third and fourth examination (r=0.745 and r=0.856) for their final biochemistry grades. Conclusion: The study shows some positive and significant results that active learning methods are a useful and meaningful way to deliver a curriculum for a competency-based education system, and may be better suited than traditional lectures for providing content and assessing competencies which are necessary to become a complete physician.

scholarly journals Successful Application of Active Learning Techniques to Introductory Microbiology

2001 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-11
Author(s):  
ELIZABETH A. HOFFMAN
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Students ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Success Rates ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Student Knowledge ◽  
Traditional Lecture ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Course Material ◽  
Methods Of Learning

While the traditional lecture format may be a successful way to teach microbiology to both medical and nursing students, it was not an effective means of learning for many prenursing and preprofessional students enrolled in either of the introductory microbiology courses at Ashland Community College, an open enrollment institution. The structure of both Medical Microbiology and Principles of Microbiology was redesigned to allow students to address the material in an active manner. Daily quizzes, student group discussions, scrapbooks, lab project presentations and papers, and extra credit projects were all added in order to allow students maximum exposure to the course material in a manner compatible with various methods of learning. Student knowledge, course evaluations, and student success rates have all improved with the active learning format.

Student Attitudes toward Active Learning vs. Lecture in Cell Biology Instruction

2018 ◽  
Vol 80 (8) ◽  
pp. 584-591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Brigati
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Traditional Lecture ◽  
College Biology ◽  
Learning Practices ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Biology Instruction

Active learning increases performance in STEM courses, but many instructors are hesitant to adopt active-learning practices because they are afraid students will have negative attitudes toward them. It was hypothesized that students whose first college biology experience was in a course that used active learning would have more positive attitudes toward active learning than students who initially experienced a traditional lecture-based course. Students in an introductory Cell Biology course were queried regarding their attitudes toward active-learning practices used in the class. Responses to a Likert-scale survey indicated that students had positive attitudes toward active learning, and an analysis of variance indicated that there were no significant differences between the attitudes of students who had previously taken a lecture-based biology course at the same institution, students who had previously taken a biology course at another institution, and students who were enrolled in Cell Biology as their first college biology experience (n = 52, P = 0.530). Students strongly favored active-learning techniques over passive techniques but were less convinced of their learning benefits. Experienced students indicated that they preferred the teaching methods used in Cell Biology over the techniques used in their prior biology course. The results indicate that in the context of a small classroom setting, most students have positive attitudes toward active learning regardless of their prior biology lecture experiences.

scholarly journals Comparing active learning techniques: The effect of clickers and discussion groups on student perceptions and performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan J. Walker ◽  
Brooke R. Spangler ◽  
E. Paige Lloyd ◽  
Bethany L. Walker ◽  
Peter M. Wessels ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Discussion Groups ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Secondary Analyses ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
And Performance

Instructors often implement technology-based active learning pedagogies, such as clickers, to maximise student engagement and facilitate learning outcomes. Despite the abundance of clicker research, no work has directly compared student performance as well as student perceptions of clickers to a distinct, non-technological active learning pedagogy. Using a mixed methods quasi-experimental design, the current research compared clickers to a collaborative active learning pedagogy, student discussion groups. As predicted, clickers were evaluated more favourably than discussion groups. Qualitative analysis of students’ open-ended evaluations augmented these quantitative findings. Secondary analyses suggested that student performance was equivalent for clicker and discussion sections. Together, these results suggest that incorporating clickers into introduction courses may improve students’ attitudes towards the instructor’s pedagogy without any negative consequences for performance.

scholarly journals Supporting Active Learning Through Team Based Problem Solving and Simulation in an Integrated Biomedical Engineering Course

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Negar M. Harandi ◽  
Carol P. Jaeger ◽  
Philip D. Loewen
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Biomedical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Traditional Lecture ◽  
University Of British Columbia ◽  
Vector Calculus ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Course Outcomes ◽  
The University

In this paper the planning, implementation, and analysis of active learning techniques introduced into a new integrated course designed for second-year Biomedical Engineering students at the University of British Columbia are presented. The course included foundation material on circuit analysis, electromagnetics, and vector calculus. The course was delivered using a blended learning format, incorporating video content, traditional lecture time, and team based in-class problem solving. In general the problem solving activities were well received, but several adjustments were necessary during the term to optimize the effectiveness of the team-based activities. Student feedback and course outcomes are presented and discussed in the paper.  

Developing Students’ “Soft Skills” through the Flipped Classroom: Evidence from an International Studies Class

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Betti ◽  
Pablo Biderbost ◽  
Aurora García Domonte
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Flipped Classroom ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
International Studies ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The goal of this study is to evaluate the application of the flipped classroom (FC) format in the international studies curriculum. Previous research has examined the impact of the FC on students’ performance, operationalized by test scores, and demonstrated the utility of this technique in the learning process. Our research goes beyond student performance to evaluate the impact of the FC on student class attendance and the development of a set of soft skills, such as teamwork, critical thinking, self-efficacy, academic self-concept, and perception of learning. In our experiment, we compare an FC with a non-flipped class that combines traditional lecturing with other active learning techniques, such as presentations, teamwork activities, and problem-based debates. The study finds that the FC did not have a substantial impact on either students’ performance, attendance, or soft skills. The differences between the two groups were too small to corroborate any tendency in favor of one or the other format. For the most part, students performed in a similar way. This can suggest that the benefits of an FC format might be less when compared with other active learning techniques.

scholarly journals Identifying Key Features of Effective Active Learning: The Effects of Writing and Peer Discussion

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 469-477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debra L. Linton ◽  
Wiline M. Pangle ◽  
Kevin H. Wyatt ◽  
Karli N. Powell ◽  
Rachel E. Sherwood
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Mixed Effect Models ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Peer Discussion ◽  
Key Features ◽  
Introductory Biology Course

We investigated some of the key features of effective active learning by comparing the outcomes of three different methods of implementing active-learning exercises in a majors introductory biology course. Students completed activities in one of three treatments: discussion, writing, and discussion + writing. Treatments were rotated weekly between three sections taught by three different instructors in a full factorial design. The data set was analyzed by generalized linear mixed-effect models with three independent variables: student aptitude, treatment, and instructor, and three dependent (assessment) variables: change in score on pre- and postactivity clicker questions, and coding scores on in-class writing and exam essays. All independent variables had significant effects on student performance for at least one of the dependent variables. Students with higher aptitude scored higher on all assessments. Student scores were higher on exam essay questions when the activity was implemented with a writing component compared with peer discussion only. There was a significant effect of instructor, with instructors showing different degrees of effectiveness with active-learning techniques. We suggest that individual writing should be implemented as part of active learning whenever possible and that instructors may need training and practice to become effective with active learning.

scholarly journals How much structuring is beneficial with regard to examination scores? A prospective study of three forms of active learning

2012 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claus H. Reinhardt ◽  
Evelyne N. Rosen
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Collaborative Group ◽  
Cooperative Group ◽  
Cooperative Groups ◽  
Traditional Lecture ◽  
Collaborative Groups ◽  
Learning Group ◽  
Group A ◽  
A Prospective Study

Many studies have demonstrated a superiority of active learning forms compared with traditional lecture. However, there is still debate as to what degree structuring is necessary with regard to high exam outcomes. Seventy-five students from a premedical school were randomly attributed to an active lecture group, a cooperative group, or a collaborative learning group. The active lecture group received lectures with questions to resolve at the end of the lecture. At the same time, the cooperative group and the collaborative group had to work on a problem and prepare presentations for their answers. The collaborative group worked in a mostly self-directed manner; the cooperative group had to follow a time schedule. For the additional work of preparing the poster presentation, the collaborative and cooperative groups were allowed 50% more working time. In part 1, all groups worked on the citric acid cycle, and in part 2, all groups worked on molecular genetics. Collaborative groups had to work on tasks and prepare presentations for their answers. At the end of each part, all three groups were subjected to the same exam. Additionally, in the collaborative and cooperative groups, the presentations were marked. All evaluations were performed by two independent examiners. Exam results of the active lecture groups were highest. Results of the cooperative group were nonsignificantly lower than the active lecture group and significantly higher than the collaborative group. The presentation quality was nonsignificantly higher in the collaborative group compared with the cooperative group. This study shows that active lecturing produced the highest exam results, which significantly differed from collaborative learning results. The additional elaboration in the cooperative and collaborative learning setting yielded the high presentation quality but apparently could not contribute further to exam scores. Cooperative learning seems to be a good compromise if high exam and presentation scores are expected.

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