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 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 From Drug Literature Evaluation to Evidence-Based Medicine: Transforming the Focus of a First Year Pharmacy Curriculum

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Reidt ◽  
Keri Hager ◽  
James Beattie ◽  
Amy Pittenger ◽  
Maureen Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Student Performance ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Evidence Based Medicine ◽  
Integrated Design ◽  
First Year ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Pharmacy Curriculum ◽  
Based Medicine

This case study describes a longitudinal curricular sequence implemented to teach evidence-based medicine (EBM) skills. The longitudinal sequence is innovative in its approach, design, and assessment of EBM. This approach moves away from the conventional strategy of teaching drug information and drug literature evaluation as stand-alone courses and instead embraces the EBM Framework and its use in the context of authentic problem solving. The EBM Framework—Ask, Acquire, Appraise, and Apply—was used as the basis for defining seven EBM skills. These skills were targeted in the evidence-based, integrated design of 17 learning episodes delivered with eight faculty members through six courses in the first year. Student perceptions of relevance of EBM and performance on assessments and learning activities throughout the sequence suggest that integrating EBM across the first year of the curriculum is an effective strategy for teaching EBM skills. Three themes emerged from analysis of the data and experience, including the need for: a strong teaching team, a whole task approach with a focus on solving authentic problems, and care in interpreting the progression of assessments and patterns of student performance. Through instructor observations and peer review, the longitudinal sequence has been refined and has had an impact on the rest of the curriculum.   Type: Case Study

scholarly journals Making Progress: Introducing progress testing approaches to a single semester paramedic subject

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Thompson ◽  
Don Houston
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Student Knowledge ◽  
Progress Testing ◽  
Broad Agreement ◽  
Program Of Study ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Don't Know Responses

Abstract Abstract Background. Paramedicine is a rapidly evolving profession with continually increasing demands placed upon educating its future workforce. Ensuring graduates are adequately prepared places many expectations on the suitability and effectiveness of university assessment practices, in a discipline where summative credentialing has established traditions of use. Progress tests and programmatic assessment have growingly become common fixtures of medical education, offering longitudinal information about student knowledge, ability and progress, usually across an entire program of study. Methods. Our project explored the development, implementation and evaluation of progress testing in a single semester capstone undergraduate paramedic topic. We examined the changes in student performance between two MCQ tests spaced ten weeks apart, and performance in a final oral assessment based on the same test content. Student perceptions and experiences of these events were also evaluated. Results. 55% of students indicated it was common practice to guess answers in exams. After introducing of negative marking students achieved 40% mean correct answers on previously satisfied curriculum content in our test 1. Scores increased by 65% by test 2, with substantial declines in numbers of incorrect and don’t know responses. Conclusion. Our results demonstrate a substantial increase in correct responses between the two tests, a high mean score in the viva, and broad agreement about the significant impact the approaches have had on learning growth.

scholarly journals Agile and Active

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Cindy Cogswell ◽  
Scott Pauls ◽  
Adrienne Gauthier ◽  
Erin DeSilva
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Curricular Change ◽  
Course Redesign ◽  
What Works ◽  
Active Learning Strategies ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Student Grades ◽  
Introductory Calculus

It is well documented that the use of active learning strategies increases student learning (Freeman et al., 2014; Prince, 2004; Springer, Stanne, & Donovan, 1999). A key difficulty in innovating college mathematics is identifying and sustaining what works for both students and the faculty. This study discusses efforts to innovate and sustain curricular change in introductory calculus at a private, elite institution. To examine if incorporating active learning strategies made a difference in student performance, student grades in the redesigned course and performance in subsequent courses were analyzed. Using Austin’s 2011 framework to understand the context in which the course redesign took place, individual faculty and contextual barriers and “levers” to sustain change are discussed. Findings are applicable to other STEM disciplines and to colleges and universities in general. Next steps in this research include identifying how to scale change, including, perhaps, networks of faculty to implement and spread the reform on campus.

scholarly journals BEYOND STUDENT PERCEPTIONS: ISSUES OF INTERACTION, PRESENCE, AND PERFORMANCE IN AN ONLINE COURSE

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony G. Picciano
Keyword(s):  
Student Performance ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Institutional Performance ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Performance Variables ◽  
Institutional Performance Measures ◽  
Sense Of Presence ◽  
And Performance

The research literature on Web-based learning supports the assumption that interaction is important for a successful course, yet questions exist regarding the nature and extent of the interaction and its effects on student performance. Much of the research is based on student perceptions of the quality and quantity of their interactions and how much they have learned in an online course. The purpose of this study is to examine performance in an online course in relationship to student interaction and sense of presence in the course. Data on multiple independent (measures of interaction and presence) and dependent (measures of performance) variables were collected and subjected to analysis. An attempt was made to go beyond typical institutional performance measures such as grades and withdrawal rates and to examine measures specifically related to course objectives.

scholarly journals Young Norwegian students’ preferences for learning activities and the influence of these activities on the students’ attitudes to and performance in science

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Klepaker ◽  
Siv Flæsen Almendingen ◽  
Johannes Tveita
Keyword(s):  
Science Teacher ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Teaching Activities ◽  
Active Teaching ◽  
Student’S Performance ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
And Performance

This study focuses on the use and effects of “Student-active teaching practice” in science in Norwegian schools. In a quantitative study we have collected data on teaching activities, student attitudes and student performance in science. We see that the students clearly prefer teaching activities in which they can take part actively. Separating the classes in four groups according to teaching practice, we find that different practice has significant influence on the students’ attitude to science and to their science teacher. The student’s performance in science does not relate in the same way to teaching practice.

scholarly journals Active learning engagement classrooms at the University of Central Missouri : practical strategies to implement and sustain utilization of active learning in higher education using technology

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Elmer N. Ragus
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Learning Engagement ◽  
The University

The tradition of lecturing in higher education is synonymous to teaching (Morrison, 2014). Fortunately, those in higher education today are pushing for viable alternatives such as active learning because several studies have shown the positive impact on student performance, student achievement, and other learning goals (Auerbach and Andrews, 2018; Beichner, 2014; Cattaneo, 2017; Eddy, Converse, Wenderoth, and Schinske, 2015; Freeman, Eddy, McDonough, Smith, Okoroafor, Jordt, and Wenderoth, 2014; Heim and Holt, 2018; Lumpkin, Achen, and Dodd, 2015; Morrison, 2014). Additional research should therefore focus on topics besides whether active learning works. This qualitative study aims to add to the literature of the next generation of active learning research by exploring faculty and student perceptions of active learning engagement classrooms (ALECs), actions that a university can take to encourage the use of active learning engagement classrooms, and support for faculty transitioning from traditional lecturing to active learning using technology. Focus group meetings and interviews were conducted with 44 faculty, staff, and student participants at the University of Central Missouri. While mostly positive, faculty and students had mixed reviews about the ALEC experience. Also, most participants pointed to the need for training to support the sustained utilization of the ALECs. The qualitative findings are discussed and connected to the theoretical frameworks guiding this study. The paper concludes with three phases of recommendations for practice and ideas for future research.

scholarly journals The prisoner’s dilemma and economics 101: Do active learning exercises correlate with student performance?

2014 ◽  
pp. 79-91
Author(s):  
Chong Hyun Christie Byun
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Prisoner's Dilemma ◽  
Prisoner’S Dilemma ◽  
Dominant Strategy ◽  
Performance Outcomes ◽  
Economic Education ◽  
Student’S Performance ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Simultaneous Move

The importance of active learning in the classroom has been well established in the field of Economic education. This paper examines the connection between active learning and performance outcomes in an Economics 101 course. Students participated in single play simultaneous move game with a clear dominant strategy, modeled after the Prisoner’s Dilemma. The hypothesis is that if a student understands the Prisoner’s Dilemma and the relevant assumptions in Economic theory, he will choose the dominant strategy in the game. But will his choice be correlated with his performance on two important metrics? Empirical evidence indicates that there is a correlation between a student’s performance on the Prisoner’s Dilemma game and his performance on the subsequent in-class exam and in the course overall. 

scholarly journals Does it Matter Where You Teach? Insights from a Quasi-Experimental Study on Student Engagement in an Active Learning Classroom

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 140-164
Author(s):  
Victoria Holec ◽  
Richelle Marynowski
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Traditional Classroom ◽  
Fundamental Theory ◽  
Student Surveys ◽  
Quasi Experimental

Active learning has experienced a recent resurgence with the advent of specialized active learning classrooms. While the fundamental theory behind active learning is anything but new, a relatively recent finding is that active learning pedagogies thrive in suitable active learning classrooms. To date, studies of active learning have focused on outcomes such as student performance. The quasi-experimental study described in this article investigated self-ratings of student engagement as an outcome of active learning in active learning classrooms using a novel instrument that accounts for known factors of engagement in addition to the contribution of the learning environment—the classroom. We delineated the relative contributions of instructor, classmates, and classroom to self-rated student engagement through student surveys in both a traditional classroom and an active learning classroom in two highly similar courses with the same instructor. Our findings were that the configuration of the classroom had a direct influence on self-ratings of student engagement above and beyond instructor contributions. In this article, we describe these findings and how, with careful consideration of course design and a classroom that fits the instructor’s pedagogy, optimal levels of perceived student engagement can be achieved. This knowledge is important to future educational policy on construction and scheduling, as the resurgence of active learning in higher education increasingly reveals deficiencies in physical learning environments.

scholarly journals Flip & Pair – a strategy to augment a blended course with active-learning components: effects on engagement and learning

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vijayanandhini Kannan ◽  
Hiroyuki Kuromiya ◽  
Sai Preeti Gouripeddi ◽  
Rwitajit Majumdar ◽  
Jayakrishnan Madathil Warriem ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Flipped Classroom ◽  
Learning Strategy ◽  
Final Exam ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Physics Course ◽  
Instructional Measures

Abstract Blended learning technique has adapted many new digitized tools to facilitate students with flexible and self-phased learning opportunities. The flipped classroom strategy, one of the blended learning models has been limited by low engagement of students in the online component. In the present study, we augment a Flip and Pair (F&P), an active-learning strategy into the blended learning course. Following the AB type single group quasi-experimental design, we evaluated the effects of F&P strategy on the student’s engagement and learning while orchestrating it for an undergraduate engineering physics course. Our results highlighted that there is a positive correlation between the engagement (computed based on learning logs of TEEL (Technology-enhanced and Evidence-based Education and Learning) platform in the F&P activities with that of the performance score (knowledge quizzes and final exam). F&P strategy had a better contribution compared to Flip and Traditional Teaching (F&TT) strategy with respect to both engagement and performance. Also, students exhibited a positive perception of learning and engagement. Based on our findings, we identified the key instructional measures that an instructor can follow to increase student engagement while using the F&P strategy.

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