scholarly journals Aspects of Large-Enrollment Online College Science Courses That Exacerbate and Alleviate Student Anxiety

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tasneem F. Mohammed ◽  
Erika M. Nadile ◽  
Carly A. Busch ◽  
Danielle Brister ◽  
Sara E. Brownell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Student Anxiety ◽  
Science Courses ◽  
College Science ◽  
Large Enrollment ◽  
The Impact

This study of 2111 undergraduates examined the impact of online science courses on their anxiety. More than 50% of students reported experiencing at least moderate anxiety in online science courses. Aspects of online learning that increase and decrease anxiety are identified, and actions that instructors can take to lessen anxiety in online science courses are offered.

scholarly journals Gender Differences in Student Comfort Voluntarily Asking and Answering Questions in Large-Enrollment College Science Courses

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika M. Nadile ◽  
Keonti D. Williams ◽  
Nicholas J. Wiesenthal ◽  
Katherine N. Stahlhut ◽  
Krystian A. Sinda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Science Courses ◽  
College Science ◽  
Class Discussions ◽  
Large Enrollment ◽  
Whole Class ◽  
Science Instructors ◽  
Answering Questions

Allowing students to ask and answer questions is a common practice employed by college science instructors. However, recent literature has identified that women participate in whole-class discussions less often than men. One hypothesized reason for this gender gap is that women may be less comfortable participating.

scholarly journals A Tale of Two Institutions: Analyzing the Impact of Gamified Student Response Systems on Student Anxiety in Two Different Introductory Biology Courses

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. ar19
Author(s):  
Sarah J. Adkins-Jablonsky ◽  
Justin F. Shaffer ◽  
J. Jeffrey Morris ◽  
Ben England ◽  
Samiksha Raut
Keyword(s):  
Student Response ◽  
Student Response System ◽  
Student Response Systems ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Student Anxiety ◽  
Response System ◽  
Classroom Techniques ◽  
Response Systems ◽  
Large Enrollment ◽  
The Impact

Students in two large-enrollment introductory biology classes were surveyed about their perceptions of how a gamified student response system, Kahoot!, affected their anxiety. Kahoot! was less anxiety inducing than most other classroom techniques, and this difference was more pronounced for lower-achieving students.

scholarly journals Call on me! Undergraduates’ perceptions of voluntarily asking and answering questions in front of large-enrollment science classes

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0243731
Author(s):  
Erika M. Nadile ◽  
Emilie Alfonso ◽  
Briana Michelle Barreiros ◽  
William D. Bevan-Thomas ◽  
Sara E. Brownell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Student Participation ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Demographic Groups ◽  
Science Courses ◽  
College Science ◽  
Students First ◽  
Asking Questions ◽  
Large Enrollment ◽  
Answering Questions

Allowing students to voluntarily ask and answer questions in front of the whole class are common teaching practices used in college science courses. However, few studies have examined college science students’ perceptions of these practices, the extent to which students choose to engage in these practices, and what discourages students from participating. In this study, we surveyed 417 undergraduates at a research-intensive institution about their experiences asking and answering questions in large-enrollment college science courses. Specifically, students answered questions about to what extent they perceive voluntarily asking and answering questions in large-enrollment science courses is helpful to them and why. They also answered questions about to what extent they engage in asking and answering questions in large-enrollment college science courses and what factors could discourage them from participating. Using binary logistic regression, we examined whether there were differences among students of different demographic groups regarding their opinions about asking and answering questions. We found that overwhelmingly students reported that other students voluntarily asking and answering instructor questions is helpful to them. Notably, compared to continuing generation students, first-generation students were more likely to perceive other students asking questions to be helpful. Despite perceiving asking and answering questions to be helpful, over half of students reported that they never ask or answer questions in large-enrollment college science courses during a semester, and women were more likely than men to report never asking questions. We identified fear of negative evaluation, or students’ sense of dread associated with being unfavorably evaluated, as a primary factor influencing their decision to answer instructor questions. This work adds to a growing body of literature on student participation in large-enrollment college science courses and begins to uncover underlying factors influencing student participation.

Didactic education in paediatric cardiology during the COVID-19 pandemic: a national fellow survey

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Madhusudan Ganigara ◽  
Chetan Sharma ◽  
Fernando Molina Berganza ◽  
Krittika Joshi ◽  
Andrew D. Blaufox ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Medical Training ◽  
Nationwide Survey ◽  
The United States ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Paediatric Cardiology ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a profound impact on medical educational curricula. We aimed to examine the impact of these unprecedented changes on the formal education of paediatric cardiology fellows through a nationwide survey. A REDCap™-based voluntary anonymous survey was sent to all current paediatric cardiology fellows in the United States of America in May, 2020. Of 143 respondents, 121 were categorical fellows, representing over one-fourth of all categorical paediatric cardiology fellows in the United States of America. Nearly all (140/143, 97.9%) respondents utilised online learning during the pandemic, with 134 (93.7%) reporting an increase in use compared to pre-pandemic. The percentage of respondents reporting curriculum supplementation with outside lectures increased from 11.9 to 88.8% during the pandemic. Respondents considered online learning to be “equally or more effective” than in-person lectures in convenience (133/142, 93.7%), improving fellow attendance (132/142, 93.0%), improving non-fellow attendance (126/143, 88.1%), and meeting individual learning needs (101/143, 70.6%). The pandemic positively affected the lecture curriculum of 83 respondents (58.0%), with 35 (24.5%) reporting no change and 25 (17.5%) reporting a negative effect. A positive effect was most noted by those whose programmes utilised supplemental outside lectures (62.2 versus 25.0%, p = 0.004) and those whose lecture frequency did not decrease (65.1 versus 5.9%, p < 0.001). Restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic have greatly increased utilisation of online learning platforms by medical training programmes. This survey reveals that an online lecture curriculum, despite inherent obstacles, offers advantages that may mitigate some negative consequences of the pandemic on fellowship education.

A plan to eliminate the overlapping in high-school and college science courses

1936 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred G. Anibal ◽  
Philip A. Leighton
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Science Courses ◽  
College Science

scholarly journals Small Changes: Using Assessment to Direct Instructional Practices in Large-Enrollment Biochemistry Courses

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. ar7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoying Xu ◽  
Jennifer E. Lewis ◽  
Jennifer Loertscher ◽  
Vicky Minderhout ◽  
Heather L. Tienson
Keyword(s):  
Hydrogen Bonding ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Bond Energy ◽  
Multiple Choice ◽  
Instructional Interventions ◽  
Student Responses ◽  
Large Classes ◽  
Instructional Effect ◽  
Large Enrollment ◽  
The Impact

Multiple-choice assessments provide a straightforward way for instructors of large classes to collect data related to student understanding of key concepts at the beginning and end of a course. By tracking student performance over time, instructors receive formative feedback about their teaching and can assess the impact of instructional changes. The evidence of instructional effectiveness can in turn inform future instruction, and vice versa. In this study, we analyzed student responses on an optimized pretest and posttest administered during four different quarters in a large-enrollment biochemistry course. Student performance and the effect of instructional interventions related to three fundamental concepts—hydrogen bonding, bond energy, and pKa—were analyzed. After instructional interventions, a larger proportion of students demonstrated knowledge of these concepts compared with data collected before instructional interventions. Student responses trended from inconsistent to consistent and from incorrect to correct. The instructional effect was particularly remarkable for the later three quarters related to hydrogen bonding and bond energy. This study supports the use of multiple-choice instruments to assess the effectiveness of instructional interventions, especially in large classes, by providing instructors with quick and reliable feedback on student knowledge of each specific fundamental concept.

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