A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Online Instructional Strategies Optimized With Smart Interactive Tools Versus Traditional Teaching for Postgraduate Students

To solve the problem that lack of interaction in online courses affects motivation and effectiveness of students’ learning, smart interactive tools were introduced into the online Neurobiology course. This study aimed to evaluate the students’ satisfaction with online teaching mode and assess the academically higher and lower performing students’ learning effectiveness in the online course optimized with smart interactive tools compared to face-to-face learning. Descriptive statistics and independent t-tests were used to describe student samples and determine the differences in students’ satisfaction and performance. Reflections of students’ satisfaction revealed that about 65.8% were satisfied with the learning involvement and about 60.5% were satisfied with the class interaction. Almost two-thirds of the class agreed that the smart interactive tools applied in the online course could help them attain their learning goals better. Among all the smart interactive functions, the class quiz was the most effective one in helping students grasp the main points of the course. No significant differences were found between the two teaching modes in the overall and academically higher or lower performing students’ final exam average scores. Compared to each band score of such two teaching modes, no one failed to pass the final exam in the online course, however, three lower-performing students who were taught in the traditional course failed. This study suggested that optimized online teaching with smart interactive tools could produce the same learning effectiveness for the academically lower-performing students as for the higher-performing students. Meanwhile, the instructors could know the learning status in which each student was and perform personalized guidance and improve exam passing rate accordingly.

Helping higher education students succeed: An examination of student attributes and academic grade performance

Academic grade performance can be influenced by individual attributes, including motivation, attitudes, and beliefs. These attributes can be manifested by current events, such as technology or world events. Through a survey-based study using validated measures coupled with student grade performance at three instances during their tenure in higher education, we document that attributes common to current students influence academic grade performance differently for higher versus lower performers. Among other findings, we identify that higher performing students’ grade performance is positively affected by the attributes: fear of punishment and distributive justice; while lower performing students’ grades were not affected by those attributes. We provide practical recommendations for faculty to help influence attributes in order to potentially improve academic grade performance. Indeed, this study has important implications for those involved in fostering student success.

Rethinking extra credit: How gamification can reduce grade inflation and strengthen soft skills

Gamification, the use of game-based principles to promote learning (Kapp 2012), allows instructors a pathway through which they can maintain curricular rigor while simultaneously fostering strong work habits and soft skill development. In this paper I describe my own experience of gamifying an online linguistics undergraduate course as I sought to combat engagement challenges such as spotty attendance and assignment procrastination. By implementing a gamified bonus level in the course, I was able to reimagine the traditional notion of extra credit in a way that incentivized self-regulation and engagement without creating a high amount of grade inflation in the process. Unlike traditional extra credit which advantages high-performing students, the bonus level sought to provide equity to the lower-performing students at a regional university with a predominant first-generation population.

Insights into Student Cognition: Creative Exercises as an Evaluation Tool in Undergraduate First-year Organic Chemistry

It is known that while students can be adept at recalling specific information, especially in end of semester summative exams, they can still often struggle to connect or link this information over different topic areas. In many cases, this issue is exacerbated by traditional assessments and teaching styles that focus on and reward students who have only interacted with the learning materials on a more surface level. Many attempts have been made over time to rectify this, with one such example shown in the use of Creative Exercises (CEs). CEs are open-ended tasks that allow students to connect as much prior knowledge as possible into one cohesive response, potentially developing a student’s ability to link and connect disparate topic areas and content. In this study, CEs were introduced into a large scale first-year course and focused on fundamental organic chemistry reactions for the first time (to the best of our knowledge). Students performed the CEs in groups, and the paper responses were collected over six weeks (N=945 in total). Analysis of these artefacts revealed that students did indeed struggle to connect information over subsequent teaching weeks. This inability to connect information was despite being encouraged to do so both by the tasks and the teaching staff. Additionally, while more ‘advanced’ students (as noted by prior performance) were noted to raise more topics in a given week, they were just as susceptible to ‘siloing’ the information as lower-performing students. Recommendations are made on the future use of CEs.

Team-based learning within the veterinary curriculum

Team-based learning (TBL) was introduced to the Veterinary Science (BVSc) curriculum in 2013 as a method of aiding students in their integration of knowledge across multiple subjects using case-based scenarios. TBL is learner-centred and requires student accountability for learning within their team using an outcomes-based approach, and has been shown to increase medical student exam performance, particularly for lower performing students. The TBL format includes pre-reading, individual and group readiness assurance tests, instructor review, and team application, all of which are considered essential for the successful implementation of TBL. In this paper, we describe the use of TBL within the BVSc curriculum and discuss potential reasons for successes and failures related to student engagement and assessment, alongside considering enhancements required for future implementation.

Learning from error episodes in dialogue-videos: The influence of prior knowledge

In laboratory study environments, dialogue-videos, or videos of a tutor and a tutee solving problems together, have been shown to more effectively improve student learning than monologue-videos, or videos of tutors solving problems alone. Yet, few studies have replicated these findings in the context of authentic university classrooms. Here, we investigate the impact of dialogue-videos, and more specifically the effect of errors made by tutees in dialogue-videos, on student learning in the context of an undergraduate biology course. To understand why, we investigated students’ effort spent on watching videos, perceived influence of dialogue-videos, and worksheet completion rates. We found that higher-performing students perceived that they used the dialogue-videos to review content. We also found that higher-performing, but not lower-performing, students learned better from dialogue videos where tutees made errors. We also discuss the complexities of replicating laboratory studies in the classroom and implications of our findings. Implications for practice or policy: Tutee errors can be intentionally included in dialogue-videos to promote student learning. When students lack the necessary prior knowledge, monologue-videos may be more effective in presenting the course content. When using dialogue-videos, instructors can encourage students to collaborate to resolve any confusion in time to maximise the benefit of dialogue-videos in teaching and learning.

Accountability in Distance Learning: The Effect of Remote Proctoring on Performance in Online Accounting Courses

Distance education allows educators, with the use of technology, to deliver curriculum to students who are separated from their instructors. As higher education evolves, enrollment in distance education continues to present challenges of academic dishonesty. Proctoring services can provide educators with a practical and cost effective approach to reduce academic dishonesty in accounting programs. This study examines the effects of online proctoring programs on students’ exam performance in an online accounting course. Our findings show lower exam performance when proctoring services are used, consistent with a reduction in academic dishonesty. More importantly, we show that proctoring affects lower performing students’ exam performance more than higher performing students. These results have implications for accounting faculty in designing accounting courses, which can be delivered through a distance learning approach while maintaining the academic integrity and rigor demanded by the accounting profession.

Impact of Zero Tolerance Policies on K-12 Education

Since the mid-1990s, zero tolerance policies have been utilized in K-12 education as a means of addressing and deterring acts of violence on school grounds. While originally designed to address serious infractions, such as possession of weapons and drugs in schools, these policies have been expanded to include less serious offenses, such as fighting, absences, and other minor disturbances. Critics argue that this punitive approach has not only led to the inconsistent use and application of these policies but has also been used as a means of forcing lower performing students and minorities out of school by criminalizing minor acts thereby creating a school-to-prison pipeline. Research has identified that these policies are ineffective and has had a detrimental impact on kids both in school and beyond, yet they are still popular. This chapter examines these various issues and harmful consequences of zero tolerance while offering recommendations for schools to implement restorative justice practices, or a similar philosophy, in their response to wrongdoings by students.

Senpai: Learner Responses to a Near-Peer Role Modeling Intervention

Though Japanese learners often express a preference for so-called “native” English teachers, a growing body of research indicates that their development of multilingual identity is more positively influenced by those with whom they readily identify—other successful Japanese learners. This mixed methods study, conducted in tandem with an existing communication strategy curriculum, explored university students’ responses to a “near-peer role modeling” intervention combining prerecorded video with reflective practice. Participants included two groups, both majoring in Japanese, enrolled in a compulsory 1st-year English conversation tutorial course. Results indicate that less confident students may experience positive belief changes and increased classroom participation following exposure to near-peer role models. More confident learners did not exhibit these changes to a significant degree. Moreover, following this intervention, lower-performing students responded more positively to statements expressing self-efficacy. Participants’ use of Japanese respect language may illuminate to what extent near-peers are valued as role models. 日本の学習者達は「英語母語話者」である英語教師から指導を受ける事が理想的だという意見をよく示すが、近年の研究調査では、学習者にとって最もお手本となる人物は自身の身近に存在する英語を使いこなす日本人英語学習者(NPRM)であると主張されている。本研究では、混合研究法を用い1学期間のNPRM活動を通して学習者の信念の変化を探究した。映像と反省的実践を用いた実験的手法は、既存の会話手法習得の為のカリキュラムと並行して導入された。結果として、英語能力に自信のない学習者達は模範的な日本人から受ける自己効力感について肯定的な変化を示し、学習活動への参加が増加した。一方で、英語能力に自信のある学習者達は明確な変化を示さなかった。量的な結果は面談調査と映像を見た後の学習者による感想文を用いた質的データにより解釈が可能となった。参加者たちが使用する日本語の尊敬語である先輩という表現はどの級友がロールモデルであると理解されているかの程度を示している。本研究は独特な教育環境によって行われた為、更なる詳細な研究調査が必要となるだろう。

Marathon, Hurdling, or Sprint? The Effects of Exam Scheduling on Academic Performance

Would you prefer a tighter or a more prolonged exam schedule? Would you prefer to take an important exam first or last? We exploit quasi-random variation in exam schedules across cohorts, grades and subjects from a lottery to identify distinct effects of the number of days between exams, the number of days since the first exam, and the exam order on performance. Scheduling effects are more pronounced for STEM exams. We find a positive and a negative relationship between STEM scores and exam order (warm-up) and number of days since the first exam (fatigue), respectively. In STEM, warm-up is estimated to outweigh fatigue. Marginal exam productivity in STEM increases faster for boys than for girls. Higher-performing students exhibit higher warm-up and lower fatigue effects in STEM than lower-performing students. Optimizing the exam schedule can improve overall performance by as much as 0.02 standard deviations.