scholarly journals Redesigning first year anatomy and physiology subjects for allied health students: Impact of active learning strategies

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Andrea Zimanyi ◽  
Nicholas F. Emtage ◽  
Pamela Lee Megaw
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Flipped Classroom ◽  
First Year ◽  
Science Students ◽  
Sport Science ◽  
Anatomy And Physiology ◽  
Active Learning Strategies

To combat high failure rates in an Anatomy and Physiology for first year Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Sport Science students, a flipped classroom was introduced in 2015. It became apparent that students did not engage with materials prior to classes, but they did engage with in-class active learning strategies. In subsequent years of this study, our focus changed to delivery with student active learning in mind. The active learning approaches introduced resulted in improvements in academic performance for all three student cohorts. Occupational Therapy students’ marks improved by 12.9% when comparing pre-intervention (2014) results to the end of the post-intervention period (2017), Physiotherapy students’ marks increased by 6.9%, while the greatest gains of 14.8% were seen in Sport Science students. When investigating the relationship between student performance and university entrance scores, students with high entrance scores demonstrated modest gains in performance, while those students with lower entrance scores benefited the most. Our results suggest that the introduction of active learning may result in the transition of the learning style of students under-prepared for university studies, to be more like those of more successful students; that is, to a deeper level of learning.

scholarly journals Redesigning first year anatomy and physiology subjects for allied health students: Introducing active learning experiences for physiology in a first semester subject

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pam Lee Megaw ◽  
Monika Andrea Zimanyi
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Flipped Classroom ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
First Year ◽  
Anatomy And Physiology ◽  
Allied Health Students ◽  
Active Learning Strategies

In this paper we describe the initial development of flipped classroom learning activities for the physiology component of a first year anatomy and physiology class for allied health students, and the subsequent transformation to focus on active learning strategies over a period of three years. The learning activities incorporated included the use of audience response systems for in-class quizzing, mini case studies, role plays, and simulations. Results of on-course assessment items, consisting of on-line quizzes, was compared in order to determine whether active learning approaches improved academic performance. We found that academic performance increased across the cohorts when first implemented as flipped classroom, and the increase was maintained in the subsequent years focussing on the active learning strategies alone. We conclude that the introduction of active learning experiences to this class enhanced engagement and academic performance across the student cohorts.

scholarly journals Promoting student engagement and academic achievement in first-year anatomy and physiology courses

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 443-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole B. Reinke
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
First Year ◽  
Science Students ◽  
Exercise Science ◽  
Anatomy And Physiology ◽  
Sport And Exercise ◽  
Physiotherapy Students

Students from three undergraduate programs at James Cook University, Queensland, Australia, studying combined first-year anatomy and physiology courses, showed different academic achievement in physiology. Physiotherapy students were more active and social when completing learning tasks and achieved significantly higher grades in physiology compared with students enrolled in Sport and Exercise Science and Occupational Therapy programs. To promote academic engagement and achievement by all three groups, discussion questions, case studies, and study guides were included. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of using these modified resources to promote active learning, enhance academic social interactions, and provide a supportive learning environment. The occupational therapy students showed increased academic achievement (from 57.9 to 66.5%) following implementation of the new resources, but there was no change in the already high-performing physiotherapy students (73.1%) and, more concerningly, the sport and exercise science students (from 54.6 to 56.7%). Fewer sport and exercise science students had prior learning in chemistry (30.4% of participants) and also spent little time outside class studying (8 h/wk), compared with the physiotherapy cohort (70.0% chemistry; 13 h/wk studying). Findings of this research demonstrate that creating a supportive and active learning environment are important factors in promoting the learning of physiology for some cohorts. Background knowledge, academic self-regulatory skills, and the experience of teaching staff are factors that must be considered when endeavoring to increase student academic achievement. Future studies should examine the effect of students’ academic self-regulation and the use of remedial chemistry classes when learning physiology.

scholarly journals A combination of active learning strategies improves student academic outcomes in first-year paramedic bioscience

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Puspha Sinnayah ◽  
Joseph A. Rathner ◽  
Daniel Loton ◽  
Rudi Klein ◽  
Peter Hartley
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Inquiry Learning ◽  
First Year ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Guided Inquiry ◽  
Active Learning Strategies ◽  
Assessment Outcomes ◽  
Small Team

Bioscience is a foundational unit (subject) of undergraduate allied health degree programs, providing students the scientific basis underpinning their clinical practice. However, despite its significance, bioscience is a difficult academic hurdle for many students to master. The introduction of active learning strategies, including small team-based guided-inquiry learning approaches, has been shown to significantly reduce this hurdle and improve assessment outcomes for the learner. Guided team-based activities can aid in this approach by also building broader skills and capabilities, like teamwork and communication, as well as subject-specific knowledge and skills, thereby positively influencing student assessment outcomes. This paper details the redesign and evaluation of two first-year Bioscience for Paramedics units with the introduction of guided-inquiry learning, as well as other active learning strategies, and assesses their impact on student performance. Results indicate that active learning used within a classroom and in the large lecture theater setting improved students’ grades with positive student perception of their learning experience.

Promoting active learning in introductory financial accounting through the flipped classroom design

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camillo Lento
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Flipped Classroom ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Classroom Design ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Active Learning Strategies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe a classroom design for introductory financial accounting that promotes active learning through a flipped classroom approach. A course learning management system, white-board voice-over video applications, an online homework manager and online tutorials pre-packaged with the course textbook were all adopted to facilitate the flipped classroom. The in-class sessions were refocussed around active learning strategies, including case analysis, concept mapping, solving comprehensive problems, mini lectures with bookends, and small group discussions. Design/methodology/approach – A quasi-experimental design, combined with student surveys, are utilized. A Wilcoxon rank-sum test is used to assess the significance of any difference in student performance between a lecture-based course (control group, n=92) and the flipped classroom course (experimental group, n=97). Student performance is measured based on final exams and overall course grades. Findings – The results suggest that the flipped classroom improved student grade point averages, final exam performance, and pass rates. Both the stronger and weaker students benefited from the technologies and active learning strategies adopted in the flipped classroom. Originality/value – This is the first known study to investigate the efficacy of promoting active learning in introductory financial accounting through a flipped classroom design. This study is valuable for accounting educators, and educators in other similarly technical disciplines, who seek to combat the high failure rates that typically plague complex, technical introductory courses.

Using Active Learning Strategies to Motivate Students

2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-51
Author(s):  
Kimberly R. Boyer
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Mathematics Teacher ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Eighth Grade ◽  
First Year ◽  
Mathematical Connections ◽  
Eighth Grade Students ◽  
Active Learning Strategies

Icouldn't believe my ears when i heard a colleague make this statement during my first year of teaching: “Eighth grade is the year that the students' brains are turned off.” Was it true? Were eighth-grade students really that hopeless? In my early years of teaching, I was on a mission to be the best mathematics teacher I could be by incorporating problem solving, reasoning, communication, and mathematical connections into each lesson. I wanted to take time to involve my students personally so that they could see how mathematics directly affects their lives. However, I quickly learned that there is “no one way to be a topnotch teacher” (Harmin 1998, p. 2).

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