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 Evaluating the effect of the Practical Approach to Care Kit on teaching medical students primary care: Quasi-experimental study

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Mash ◽  
Michael Pather ◽  
Hilary Rhode ◽  
Lara Fairall
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Experimental Study ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Clinical Training ◽  
Practical Approach ◽  
Final Phase ◽  
Student Groups ◽  
Clinical Rotations ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Group Interviews

Background: South Africa is committed to health reforms that strengthen primary health care. Preparing future doctors to work in primary care teams with other professionals is a priority, and medical schools have shifted towards community-based and decentralised training of medical students.Aim: To evaluate the effect on student performance of the Practical Approach to Care Kit (PACK) (an integrated decision-making tool for adult primary care) during the final phase of medical student training at Stellenbosch University.Setting: Clinical rotations in family medicine at clinics in the Western Cape.Methods: Mixed methods involving a quasi-experimental study and focus group interviews. Student examination performance was compared between groups with and without exposure to the PACK during their clinical training. Student groups exposed to PACK were interviewed at the end of their rotations.Results: Student performance in examinations was significantly better in those exposed to the PACK. Students varied from using the PACK overtly or covertly during the consultation to checking up on decisions made after the consultation. Some felt that the PACK was more suitable for nurses or more junior students. Although tutors openly endorsed PACK, very few modelled the use of PACK in their clinical practice.Conclusion: The use of PACK in the final phase of undergraduate medical education improved their performance in primary care. Students might be more accepting and find the tool more useful in the earlier clinical rotations. Supervisors should be trained further in how to incorporate the use of the PACK in their practice and educational conversations.

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 Theory to Practice of Promoting Student Engagement in Business and Law-Related Disciplines: The Case of Undergraduate Economics Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 205
Author(s):  
Rabindra Nepal ◽  
Ann M. Rogerson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Economics Education ◽  
Emotional Aspects ◽  
Undergraduate Economics

Higher education is experiencing a paradigm shift from passive learning towards active learning. The COVID-19 pandemic has further presented an opportunity for education providers to enhance teaching that includes non-campus modes. However, concerns regarding student engagement lie at the heart of the transition to active learning environments in the context of the increased demand for online education. Therefore, promoting student engagement has become an educational priority since greater student engagement translates into valued student experiences, higher academic performance, and increased retention rates. This paper semi-systematically reviews the literature on student engagement in undergraduate economics education. Close emphasis is also paid to the relationships between the direct measures of disengagement such as absenteeism on student performance in economics. The student engagement framework developed by Frederiks, Blumenfeld, and Paris (2004) is used to classify the dimensions of student engagement and the factors that influence the different dimensions of engagement. The literature reviewed is predominately occupied with behavioral aspects of engagement with little attention towards capturing the cognitive and emotional aspects of student engagement. Three key recommendations are noted from the study in order for business school educators and higher education policy makers to promote student engagement in economics education. Future research on student engagement in undergraduate business education should focus more on capturing the cognitive and emotional aspects of student engagement to inform policymaking in promoting student engagement.

scholarly journals Technology enabled active learning (TEAL) in introductory physics: Impact on genders and achievement levels

2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruey S. Shieh ◽  
Wheijen Chang ◽  
Eric Zhi-Feng Liu
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Achievement Level ◽  
Learning Gain ◽  
Is Implementation ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Achievement Levels

<span>This study explored the impact of </span><em>Technology Enabled Active Learning</em><span> (TEAL) on students learning general physics, focusing on differences between genders and among various achievement levels. A quasi-experimental investigation was conducted on two semesters of courses offered in 2008. Data sources consisted of pre-tests, post-tests, self-report surveys, class observations, and interview data. The test results indicate that the learning gain achieved by the experimental group was 11% higher than that achieved by the control group in the first semester, though the margin decreased to 1% in the second semester. In the situation of the low achievement level, there was no difference found in the learning gain achieved by the two groups in the second semester. The qualitative data revealed that student academic performances were disclosed to be associated with the following factors: the instructors' teaching styles and instructional skills, the students' prior knowledge, their study habits, and the cohort atmosphere. That is, implementation of the innovative tool alone might not be sufficient to significantly improve student performance. Nonetheless, the interactive, collaborative instructional approach seemed to appeal to females more than it did to males, disclosing the potential of TEAL in narrowing the learning gap between genders.</span>

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.

Constructive (mis)alignment in team-based experiential entrepreneurship education

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 184-198
Author(s):  
Jonathan Matthew Scott ◽  
Kathryn Pavlovich ◽  
John L. Thompson ◽  
Andy Penaluna
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Individual Student ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reflective Journals

Purpose Little is known about how experiential entrepreneurship education approaches contribute toward enhancing the engagement of students in the learning process. Using a purposive and convenience sample of individual student reflective journals, the purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate how the process of constructive misalignment enhances the level of student engagement through a team-based experiential entrepreneurship education assessment. Design/methodology/approach Data were gathered from a purposive and convenience sample of reflective journals, an individual “performance assessment” element of three Masters-level courses (courses 1, 2 and 3) that included an “active” group business ideas generation presentation and a report. These texts were analyzed through content analysis that critically evaluates and summarizes the content of data and their messages. Findings While expected learning outcomes included teamwork and communication, the higher levels of active learning and student engagement related to innovation and generating a business idea was much more modest. Rather, the study finds that significant learning opportunities were apparent when students experienced unexpected aspects of constructive misalignment, such as linguistic–cultural challenges, nonparticipation and freeriding. Originality/value Building on Biggs’ (2003) model of constructive alignment in course design and delivery/assessment, this paper elucidates various unexpected and surprising aspects. It suggests that constructive misalignment could provide major learning opportunities for students and is thus more likely in these team contexts where entrepreneurship students experience constructive misalignment. Educators should, therefore, continue to design experiential entrepreneurship courses and their performance assessments through team-based approaches that achieve higher levels of engagement as well as more active learning.

The creation of a nudging protocol to support online student engagement in higher education

2022 ◽  
pp. 146978742110390
Author(s):  
Alice Brown ◽  
Jill Lawrence ◽  
Marita Basson ◽  
Megan Axelsen ◽  
Petrea Redmond ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Learning Analytics ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Technical Skills ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Educational Context ◽  
Online Student ◽  
Art Form

Combining nudge theory with learning analytics, ‘nudge analytics’, is a relatively recent phenomenon in the educational context. Used, for example, to address such issues as concerns with student (dis)engagement, nudging students to take certain action or to change a behaviour towards active learning, can make a difference. However, knowing who to nudge, how to nudge or when to nudge can be a challenge. Providing students with strategic, sensitive nudges that help to move them forward is almost an art form. It requires not only technical skills to use appropriate software and interpret data, but careful consideration of what to say and how to say it. In this article a nudge protocol is presented that can be used in online courses to encourage student engagement with key course resources that are integral to supporting their learning.

Student Anticipations and Reactions to Hybrid Format Education

2008 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah M. Ginsberg
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Learning Styles ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Traditional Classroom ◽  
Traditional Learning ◽  
Online Platform ◽  
Hybrid Format

Abstract This qualitative study examined student perceptions regarding a hybrid classroom format in which part of their learning took place in a traditional classroom and part of their learning occurred in an online platform. Pre-course and post-course anonymous essays suggest that students may be open to learning in this context; however, they have specific concerns as well. Students raised issues regarding faculty communication patterns, learning styles, and the value of clear connections between online and traditional learning experiences. Student concerns and feedback need to be addressed through the course design and by the instructor in order for them to have a positive learning experience in a hybrid format course.

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