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1.
Writing assignments, including note taking and written recall, should enhance retention of knowledge, whereas analytical writing tasks with metacognitive aspects should enhance higher-order thinking. In this study, we assessed how certain writing-intensive “interventions,” such as written exam corrections and peer-reviewed writing assignments using Calibrated Peer Review and including a metacognitive component, improve student learning. We designed and tested the possible benefits of these approaches using control and experimental variables across and between our three-section introductory biology course. Based on assessment, students who corrected exam questions showed significant improvement on postexam assessment compared with their nonparticipating peers. Differences were also observed between students participating in written and discussion-based exercises. Students with low ACT scores benefited equally from written and discussion-based exam corrections, whereas students with midrange to high ACT scores benefited more from written than discussion-based exam corrections. Students scored higher on topics learned via peer-reviewed writing assignments relative to learning in an active classroom discussion or traditional lecture. However, students with low ACT scores (17–23) did not show the same benefit from peer-reviewed written essays as the other students. These changes offer significant student learning benefits with minimal additional effort by the instructors.  相似文献   

2.
This study offers an innovative and sustainable instructional model for an introductory undergraduate course. The model was gradually implemented during 3 yr in a research university in a large-lecture biology course that enrolled biology majors and nonmajors. It gives priority to sources not used enough to enhance active learning in higher education: technology and the students themselves. Most of the lectures were replaced with continuous individual learning and 1-mo group learning of one topic, both supported by an interactive online tutorial. Assessment included open-ended complex questions requiring higher-order thinking skills that were added to the traditional multiple-choice (MC) exam. Analysis of students’ outcomes indicates no significant difference among the three intervention versions in the MC questions of the exam, while students who took part in active-learning groups at the advanced version of the model had significantly higher scores in the more demanding open-ended questions compared with their counterparts. We believe that social-constructivist learning of one topic during 1 mo has significantly contributed to student deep learning across topics. It developed a biological discourse, which is more typical to advanced stages of learning biology, and changed the image of instructors from “knowledge transmitters” to “role model scientists.”  相似文献   

3.
This multiyear study helps elucidate how the instructional practice of student‐generated questions support learning in a blended classroom in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects. Students designed multiple‐choice pre‐exam questions aimed at higher levels of learning, according to Bloom's taxonomy. Student‐generated questions were edited by the instructor and then discussed by the students in the classroom and in an online forum. We tested the hypothesis that this intervention improves student learning, measured as student achievement on the exam following the intervention, and compared to student achievement on the traditional exam (prior to which a review session focused on instructor‐led recitation of the key concepts). Following the intervention in all years, average grade on the post‐intervention exam increased by 7.44%. It is important to point out that not all students benefited equally from this activity. Students who were in the 4th quintile (60% to 80%) based on the results of the 1st exam demonstrated the highest achievement improving their performance on average by 12.37% percentage points (measured as a score on the 2nd exam). Gains were not observed in the semesters when the intervention was not implemented. In this study we provided students detailed instructions on how to design questions that focus on testing higher levels of learning.  相似文献   

4.
Meta-analyses of active-learning research consistently show that active-learning techniques result in greater student performance than traditional lecture-based courses. However, some individual studies show no effect of active-learning interventions. This may be due to inexperienced implementation of active learning. To minimize the effect of inexperience, we should try to provide more explicit implementation recommendations based on research into the key components of effective active learning. We investigated the optimal implementation of active-learning exercises within a “lecture” course. Two sections of nonmajors biology were taught by the same instructor, in the same semester, using the same instructional materials and assessments. Students in one section completed in-class active-learning exercises in cooperative groups, while students in the other section completed the same activities individually. Performance on low-level, multiple-choice assessments was not significantly different between sections. However, students who worked in cooperative groups on the in-class activities significantly outperformed students who completed the activities individually on the higher-level, extended-response questions. Our results provide additional evidence that group processing of activities should be the recommended mode of implementation for in-class active-learning exercises.  相似文献   

5.
Prescribed active learning increases performance in introductory biology   总被引:4,自引:0,他引:4  
We tested five course designs that varied in the structure of daily and weekly active-learning exercises in an attempt to lower the traditionally high failure rate in a gateway course for biology majors. Students were given daily multiple-choice questions and answered with electronic response devices (clickers) or cards. Card responses were ungraded; clicker responses were graded for right/wrong answers or participation. Weekly practice exams were done as an individual or as part of a study group. Compared with previous versions of the same course taught by the same instructor, students in the new course designs performed better: There were significantly lower failure rates, higher total exam points, and higher scores on an identical midterm. Attendance was higher in the clicker versus cards section; attendance and course grade were positively correlated. Students did better on clicker questions if they were graded for right/wrong answers versus participation, although this improvement did not translate into increased scores on exams. In this course, achievement increases when students get regular practice via prescribed (graded) active-learning exercises.  相似文献   

6.
A total of 232 college students in six different courses in three departments participated in a study to examine the effect of perceived course mean on course and instructor evaluations. Following a midsemester exam, students were given their actual earned exam scores and a manipulated class mean that was either ten percentage points higher or lower than the actual class average on the exam. Participants then completed an evaluation of the course and instructor. It was hypothesized that students scoring above the manipulated mean would rate the course and instructor more highly than students scoring below the manipulated mean. It was further hypothesized that students who were told that the class mean was higher would rate the course and instructor more highly than students who were told that the mean was lower. Results supported the first hypothesis. However, hypothesis two was not supported. Students receiving the lower manipulated class mean rated instructors more favorably. Results suggest the need to consider both individual exam scores and class averages in understanding the grade-teaching evaluation relationship.  相似文献   

7.
Abstract

Students were asked to rank instructors, who differed by age, gender and political leaning, by their expected helpfulness, and how much a student expected to learn. Students selected older instructors as those from whom they would learn the most, but chose young instructors as the most helpful. Overall, male instructors were preferred over female instructors, especially when emphasis was placed on learning. The political leaning of the instructor was a discriminating factor in humanities classes, with liberal instructors preferred over conservatives. The preferred age, gender and political leaning patterns were distinctly different for instructors who were helpful, and from those from whom students thought they would learn the most, indicating a dichotomy between perceived helpfulness and learning. The stereotypic images of instructors did not differ significantly by the students’ own gender and academic major, except for male students ranking conservative instructors higher than females. Students do have stereotypical images of instructors based on the instructor’s age, gender and political leaning.  相似文献   

8.
Previous research has suggested that adding active learning to traditional college science lectures substantially improves student learning. However, this research predominantly studied courses taught by science education researchers, who are likely to have exceptional teaching expertise. The present study investigated introductory biology courses randomly selected from a list of prominent colleges and universities to include instructors representing a broader population. We examined the relationship between active learning and student learning in the subject area of natural selection. We found no association between student learning gains and the use of active-learning instruction. Although active learning has the potential to substantially improve student learning, this research suggests that active learning, as used by typical college biology instructors, is not associated with greater learning gains. We contend that most instructors lack the rich and nuanced understanding of teaching and learning that science education researchers have developed. Therefore, active learning as designed and implemented by typical college biology instructors may superficially resemble active learning used by education researchers, but lacks the constructivist elements necessary for improving learning.  相似文献   

9.
In this study, we used targeted active-learning activities to help students improve their ways of reasoning about carbon flow in ecosystems. The results of a validated ecology conceptual inventory (diagnostic question clusters [DQCs]) provided us with information about students' understanding of and reasoning about transformation of inorganic and organic carbon-containing compounds in biological systems. These results helped us identify specific active-learning exercises that would be responsive to students' existing knowledge. The effects of the active-learning interventions were then examined through analysis of students' pre- and postinstruction responses on the DQCs. The biology and non-biology majors participating in this study attended a range of institutions and the instructors varied in their use of active learning; one lecture-only comparison class was included. Changes in pre- to postinstruction scores on the DQCs showed that an instructor's teaching method had a highly significant effect on student reasoning following course instruction, especially for questions pertaining to cellular-level, carbon-transforming processes. We conclude that using targeted in-class activities had a beneficial effect on student learning regardless of major or class size, and argue that using diagnostic questions to identify effective learning activities is a valuable strategy for promoting learning, as gains from lecture-only classes were minimal.  相似文献   

10.
Student-centered strategies are being incorporated into undergraduate classrooms in response to a call for reform. We tested whether teaching in an extensively student-centered manner (many active-learning pedagogies, consistent formative assessment, cooperative groups; the Extensive section) was more effective than teaching in a moderately student-centered manner (fewer active-learning pedagogies, less formative assessment, without groups; the Moderate section) in a large-enrollment course. One instructor taught both sections of Biology 101 during the same quarter, covering the same material. Students in the Extensive section had significantly higher mean scores on course exams. They also scored significantly higher on a content postassessment when accounting for preassessment score and student demographics. Item response theory analysis supported these results. Students in the Extensive section had greater changes in postinstruction abilities compared with students in the Moderate section. Finally, students in the Extensive section exhibited a statistically greater expert shift in their views about biology and learning biology. We suggest our results are explained by the greater number of active-learning pedagogies experienced by students in cooperative groups, the consistent use of formative assessment, and the frequent use of explicit metacognition in the Extensive section.  相似文献   

11.
Student Response Technology (SRT) involves the use of hand‐held remotes by students during classroom lectures to electronically respond to questions. This study surveyed 350 students enrolled in one of 13 lower‐division university science classes taught by five different instructors who used SRT. The survey probed students’ perceptions of SRT in terms of enhancing student learning, and investigated which features of SRT students felt had the greatest/least impact on student learning. The majority of students reported that the SRT increased their content understanding, class participation, alertness, and interactions with fellow students, helped with examination preparation, provided important and immediate instructor feedback, and made class more enjoyable. Students in this study scored more positively than peer groups on survey questions related to student engagement in academic and intellectual experiences, suggesting that SRT helps to promote student engagement. Important instructor actions identified during this study that augment the enhancing effects of SRT on student learning, even in large lecture settings, include designing clear, substantive questions, reviewing correct and incorrect answers with students, and making pedagogical adjustments based on class responses.  相似文献   

12.
The author discusses the results of a study about the effect of students' and instructional variables on satisfaction and achievement in a Web-based course. Results indicated that gender, age, learning styles, time spent on the course, and perceptions of student–student interactions, course activities, and asynchronous Web-based conferences were not related to satisfaction and learning outcomes. Those students who entered the course with better Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) scores achieved higher final grades in the course, but did not express more satisfaction with the learning environment. Computer experience did not influence achievement but experienced computer users were more satisfied with the course. Students who perceived the student–instructor interactions positively felt that their discussion group had performed well during the conferences, and viewed the learning materials used in the conferences positively improved grades and were more satisfied with the course. Students expected instructor-led learning. There is a need to explicitly design an organising strategy to assist students in completing the problem-based learning processes during the Web-based conferences.  相似文献   

13.
Peer-facilitated workshops enhanced interactivity in our introductory biology course, which led to increased student engagement and learning. A majority of students preferred attending two lectures and a workshop each week over attending three weekly lectures. In the workshops, students worked in small cooperative groups as they solved challenging problems, evaluated case studies, and participated in activities designed to improve their general learning skills. Students in the workshop version of the course scored higher on exam questions recycled from preworkshop semesters. Grades were higher over three workshop semesters in comparison with the seven preworkshop semesters. Although males and females benefited from workshops, there was a larger improvement of grades and increased retention by female students; although underrepresented minority (URM) and non-URM students benefited from workshops, there was a larger improvement of grades by URM students. As well as improving student performance and retention, the addition of interactive workshops also improved the quality of student learning: Student scores on exam questions that required higher-level thinking increased from preworkshop to workshop semesters.  相似文献   

14.
This case study of an online graduate course determines the message characteristics of the instructor, volunteer teaching assistants, and students in online discussions, and proposes a mentoring, coaching, and facilitating model for online discussions. The researchers developed a coding system based on the literature of mentoring, coaching, and facilitating to identify the characteristics of conference discussion messages. The instructor fostered the development of volunteer teaching assistants into coaches and of student discussion facilitators into facilitators of learning. The proposed constructivist model fosters active learning, provides scaffolding for students to become facilitators of learning, and suggests creative ways for online instructors to manage different types of teaching responsibilities. Recommendations for further research are included.  相似文献   

15.
Similarity of student ratings across instructors,courses, and time   总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1  
This study raised three questions about the similarity or generalizability of student ratings of courses and instructors. First, how stable are student ratings of the same instructor giving the same course during twodifferent semesters? Second, how similar are student ratings of the same instructor in twodifferent courses? Third, how similar are student ratings of a given course being taught bydifferent instructors? Instances were identified in which student ratings on seven different factors were available for pairs of courses for each of these questions. For the case of the same instructor — same course—different semesters, student ratings were reasonably similar (median r for seven factors about 0.70). For the case of the same instructor—different courses, the median r was surprisingly low — about 0.40. For the case of the same course—different instructors, substantial correlations were obtained for some factors and insignificant correlations for other factors. Implications of these findings for practical use of student ratings and suggestions for further research in the area are discussed.  相似文献   

16.
17.
Conclusion Technology advancement is shifting our education paradigm. The role of the instructor is changing from an information-giver to a facilitator. Students no longer passively receive information but may become instructional resources in class. Given opportunities, they may be self-learners and self-trainers. In a multimedia course, the instructor employed teaching methods allowing her to be a facilitator and her students to be self-learners. It was discovered that the course motivated students; fostered active, meaningful, and constructive learning; enhanced critical thinking skills; and increased students’ confidence. Class observations, interviews, and student feedback revealed that the new teaching methods and new role of the instructor had a positive impact on student learning. As a university professor in Instructional Technology, the author might have experienced the education paradigm shift and its impact on the role of an instructor earlier or faster than instructors of other subject areas might. However, the new paradigm is expected to spread widely in education. As NCATE stated in 1997, teachers need to develop a new understanding, new attitude, new approach, and new role. Every instructor should be open to the changes and explore the possibility of creating a learning community in which instructors, students, and community members may contribute, benefit, and generate meaningful learning experiences. One can only look forward to participating in the dynamic learning and expect its positive impact on our society.  相似文献   

18.
The impact of the Guided Problem Based Learning (Guided PBL) approach on Critical Thinking (CT) skills in a core business analysis course was examined. The implementation of this approach included using a textbook created for this purpose, which presents problems first, with blank spaces for students to work them out. Discussion of the concepts and theory needed to understand and solve the problems, as well as the solutions, come later in the book. This book is referred to as the Reversed Textbook. Students attempt to answer questions or solve problems in class with instructor guidance as needed, before discussion of theory. Student learning in sections taught prior to implementing the Guided PBL method was compared with student learning in sections taught with the method. Results indicate that the approach motivated learning and improved student performance on a departmental final exam by an average of 9%. When measured on CT questions alone, the improvement was on average 24%. Finally, the Guided PBL approach also improved group task performance by 6%. All the improvements were statistically significant.  相似文献   

19.
Engineering education has been slow to adopt research-based educational innovations. Few prior works on such adoption have investigated the combined classroom experiences of instructors and students when such innovations are being implemented. Therefore, this work focuses on the lived experiences of an instructor and her students when adopting an active, blended, and collaborative learning environment, known as Freeform, in a second-year dynamics course. Weekly reflections from the instructor were processed alongside student interviews using Thematic Analysis to discern prominent themes in their perspectives for comparison and discussion. The results indicate that the instructor navigated internal tensions between her previous instructional preferences and the philosophy and resources of Freeform. Similarly, students had to adapt to this new philosophy and suite of resources that were uncommon for their institution. Ultimately, this work highlights the contextual natures of teaching and learning, and how situational factors can influence educational innovation.  相似文献   

20.
Several student and course characteristics were examined in relation to student ratings of instruction. Students at a major Canadian university completed the Universal Student Ratings of Instruction instrument at the end of every course over a three‐year period, providing 371,131 student ratings. Analyses of between‐group differences indicate that students who attend class often and expect high grades provide high ratings of their instructors (p < .001). In addition, lab‐type courses receive higher ratings than lectures or tutorials, and courses in the social sciences receive higher ratings than courses in the natural sciences (p < .001). Regression analyses indicated, however, that student and course characteristics explain little variance in student ratings of their instructors (<7%). It is concluded that student ratings are more related to teaching instruction and behavior of the instructor than to these variables.  相似文献   

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