A Delicate Balance: Integrating Active Learning into a Large Lecture Course

A lecture section of introductory biology that historically enrolled more than 500 students was split into two smaller sections of approximately 250 students each. A traditional lecture format was followed in the “traditional” section; lecture time in the “active” section was drastically reduced in favor of a variety of in-class student-centered activities. Students in both sections took unannounced quizzes and multiple-choice exams. Evaluation consisted of comparisons of student survey responses, scores on standardized teaching evaluation forms, section averages and attendance, and open-ended student comments on end-of-term surveys. Results demonstrate that students perform as well, if not better, in an active versus traditional environment. However, student concerns about instructor expectations indicate that a judicious balance of student-centered activities and presentation-style instruction may be the best approach.     

Writing Assignments with a Metacognitive Component Enhance Learning in a Large Introductory Biology Course

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.     

Flipping the Math Classroom for Non-Math Majors to Enrich Their Learning Experience

Students’ learning experiences in an introductory statistics course for non-math majors are compared between two different instructional approaches under controlled conditions. Two sections of the course (n = 52) are taught using a flipped classroom approach and one section (n = 30) is taught using a traditional lecture approach. All sections are taught by the same instructor in the same semester. General perceptions as well as students’ understanding and retention of the course material are measured and compared. The flipped classroom students outperform their traditional lecture peers on exams, especially in terms of their mathematical problem-solving skills. The flipped classroom students are also more confident than their traditional lecture peers about their abilities and their understanding of the course material, crediting their understanding primarily to the in-class activities, which are made possible because the flipped classroom design promotes an experiential, active-learning environment without compromising content.     

College students' ratings of student effort,student ability and teacher input as correlates of student performance on multiple-choice exams

In the class session following feedback regarding their scores on multiple-choice exams, undergraduate students in a large human development course rated the strength of possible contributors to their exam performance. Students rated items related to their personal effort in preparing for the exam (identified as student effort in the paper), their ability to perform well on the exams (identified as student ability), and teacher input that might have affected their exam performance. Students rated most student effort items higher than teacher input and student ability items. Notwithstanding, across all exams, ratings of student ability and teacher input correlated more strongly with exam performance than did student effort ratings. High and low performers on the exams differed significantly on ratings of student ability and teacher input, but were more similar on ratings of student effort.     

Collaborative Testing Improves Performance but Not Content Retention in a Large-Enrollment Introductory Biology Class

Collaborative testing has been shown to improve performance but not always content retention. In this study, we investigated whether collaborative testing could improve both performance and content retention in a large, introductory biology course. Students were semirandomly divided into two groups based on their performances on exam 1. Each group contained equal numbers of students scoring in each grade category (“A”–“F”) on exam 1. All students completed each of the four exams of the semester as individuals. For exam 2, one group took the exam a second time in small groups immediately following the individually administered test. The other group followed this same format for exam 3. Individual and group exam scores were compared to determine differences in performance. All but exam 1 contained a subset of cumulative questions from the previous exam. Performances on the cumulative questions for exams 3 and 4 were compared for the two groups to determine whether there were significant differences in content retention. Even though group test scores were significantly higher than individual test scores, students who participated in collaborative testing performed no differently on cumulative questions than students who took the previous exam as individuals.     

Online versus face‐to‐face learning: looking at modes of instruction in Master’s‐level courses

This study examined performance of Master’s‐level students in an online course in Cognition, Learning and Assessment and compared it with the performance of students in a face‐to‐face classroom setting of the same course (N = 70). Data were collected from six sections of the course over a two‐year period. The same professor taught all sections. Identical final exams plus two common assignments were used to determine whether there were differences in performance. An analysis of covariance, with graduate record exam scores as the covariate, was applied using each of the dependent variables. Students in the face‐to‐face class scored significantly higher on two out of the three measures.     

Even after thirteen class exams,students are still overconfident: the role of memory for past exam performance in student predictions

Students often are overconfident when they predict their performance on classroom examinations, and their accuracy often does not improve across exams. One contributor to overconfidence may be that students did not have enough experience, and another is that students may under-use their knowledge of prior exam performance to predict performance on their upcoming exams. To evaluate the former, we examined student prediction accuracy across 13 exams in an introductory course on educational psychology. For the latter, we computed measures that estimate the extent to which students use the prior exam score when predicting performance and whether students should use the prior exam scores. Several outcomes are noteworthy. First, students were overconfident, and contrary to expectations, this overconfidence did not decline across exams. Second, students’ prior exam scores were not related to subsequent predictions, even though prior exam performance showed little bias with respect to predicting future performance. Thus, students appear to under-use prior performance despite its utility for improving prediction accuracy about future exam performance.     

Timing of Homework Completion vs. Performance in General Chemistry

The goal of this study was to investigate the timing of online homework completion and its effects on student performance. Data was collected from two large, first-semester general chemistry sections at a southwestern university. Specifically, this study aims to explore the link between when students complete their homework relative to the date the material was covered in lecture and student performance in that class. Topics covered in the study included VSEPR, Lewis structures, and molecular geometry. Performance was measured by different variables, namely in-class clicker scores (short-term) and exam grade (long-term). Students were divided into three groups: students who completed the relevant homework within 2 days after the lecture (before the next lecture), those who completed the homework 2 to 4 days after the lecture, and students who completed the homework more than 4 days after the material was covered in lecture. The study also took into consideration student reasoning abilities, as measured by the Test of Logical Thinking (TOLT), with a focus on at-risk students (low TOLT students). Results showed promising findings for low TOLT students. Instructors can employ results from this study to help their students better utilize the online homework resources.

     

The Impact of Exam Environments on Student Test Scores in Online Courses

While enrollment in online courses has tripled in ten years, little is known about the impact of different exam-taking environments on learning. A recent study of economics students found that online students taking un-proctored exams scored one letter grade higher than online students taking proctored exams. However, there were no apparent systematic safeguards against cheating in the un-proctored section. This study adds to the literature by comparing student’s performance in online classes with proctored exams to the performance of online students in a carefully controlled online testing environment (Respondus Lockdown Browser [RLB]). Methods: Data refer to 287 students enrolled in a criminology course at a Carnegie research-extensive university. The experimental group consisted of students in online sections who were called back to campus to take exams in a proctored environment. The control group took exams off campus using RLB. All sections were taught by the same instructor. The dependent variable is the score on the standardized final examination. The central independent variable is the type of exam environment: proctored vs. the RLB environment. Results: Controlling for other constructs, there was no significant difference between student exam scores in the proctored sections and the sections employing RLB. Conclusion: The results suggest that the judicious use of RLB can level the playing field between exam scores in proctored vs. nonproctored online sections. Technology such as RLB, which minimizes opportunities for cheating online, may provide tools for fairness in grading. Future work is needed for other courses, other fields, and other types of academic institutions.     

Comparison of student performance using web and paper‐based homework in college‐level physics

Homework gives students an opportunity to practice important college‐level physics skills. A switch to Web‐based homework alters the nature of feedback received, potentially changing the pedagogical benefit. Calculus‐ and algebra‐based introductory physics students enrolled in large paired lecture sections at a public university completed homework of standard end‐of‐the‐chapter exercises using either the Web or paper. Comparison of their performances on regular exams, conceptual exams, quizzes, laboratory, and homework showed no significant differences between groups; other measures were found to be strong predictors of performance. This indicates that the change in medium itself has limited effect on student learning. Ways in which Web‐based homework could enable exercises with greater pedagogical value are discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 40: 1050–1071, 2003     

The Teacher in the Two Year College

Interest in the use of technology in the classroom continues to grow. The current study included 100 students who registered for a 200 level child development class at a private university in Northern Virginia. Students were from 4 different sections taught by the same professor in different semesters. Two of the sections used a textbook. The other two used an online virtual simulation program. Results revealed that students using the simulation program had exam scores that were significantly higher than those for the sections that used a textbook. Students using the program reported that it helped them relate to class material, was more engaging and interactive than a textbook, and helped them connect class material to the real world.     

Students’ continuity norms in the university and exam calendar: do they affect university academic performance? / Normas de permanencia y calendario de exámenes: ¿afectan al rendimiento académico universitario?

Students’ academic performance is a key factor in evaluating the efficiency and quality of university degree programmes. Not only do personal characteristics and the students’ own performance affect these results, but so does the university’s academic organization. Based on a database that contains the overall results by course and exam period in three different degree programmes from 2007–15, we estimate what external factors influenced the percentages of students sitting for and passing exams. The analysis of the data panel shows that the order of the exams and the students’ continuity norms established by the university to penalize failing grades are two incentives that improve student performance only in the ordinary exam periods. These results also imply first keeping the incentive system at the university and secondly strategically using the exam calendar for the courses with the worst overall results.     

Dividing attention in the classroom reduces exam performance

The intrusion of internet-enabled electronic devices (laptop, tablet, and cell phone) has transformed the modern college lecture into a divided attention task. This study measured the effect of using an electronic device for a non-academic purpose during class on subsequent exam performance. In a two-section college course, electronic devices were permitted in half the lectures, so the effect of the devices was assessed in a within-student, within-item counterbalanced experimental design. Dividing attention between an electronic device and the classroom lecture did not reduce comprehension of the lecture, as measured by within-class quiz questions. Instead, divided attention reduced long-term retention of the classroom lecture, which impaired subsequent unit exam and final exam performance. Students self-reported whether they had used an electronic device in each class. Exam performance was significantly worse than the no-device control condition both for students who did and did not use electronic devices during that class.     

Examination of Factors that Predict Academic Adjustment and Success of Community College Transfer Students in STEM at 4-Year Institutions

ABSTRACT

There are a limited number of individuals who possess the skills to fulfill the workforce demand in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) in the United States. Therefore, community colleges and 4-year institutions must be able to identify academic and social factors that impact students’ participation in the areas of STEM. These institutions must also explore the possibility that these factors contribute to the high rate of students switching out of STEM fields. This study’s purpose was to develop a better understanding of the perceptions of community college transfer students who continue at a 4-year institution to determine academic and social factors that influenced their academic success in STEM. To collect the quantitative data, the Laanan-Transfer Students’ Questionnaire was utilized. The results of this study reveal that Academic Adjustment was predicted by father’s highest level of education, interaction with faculty at the community college and university, and perception as a transfer student at the university. The cumulative grade point average (GPA), was predicted by the highest level of education of the father, associate degree obtained at the community college, community college transfer GPA, general courses from the community college, transfer credit hours, and university course learning. Overall, the findings indicate that community colleges and 4-year institutions should encourage students to be connecting more in class and after class—not only with their peers, but also with faculty. Findings also suggest that students should become more involved academically and socially to enhance their academic and social adjustment at a 4-year institution.     

Undergraduate Students’ Preferences for Constructed Versus Multiple-Choice Assessment of Learning

Students (N = 161) in seven sections of an undergraduate educational psychology course rated ten performance-assessment options in collegiate courses. They rated in-class essay exams as their most preferred assessment and multiple-choice exams (in-class and out-of-class) as their least preferred. Also, student ratings of multiple papers and a term paper did not differ significantly from the rating for in-class essay exams. Overall, students preferred constructed forms of assessment over more objective assessment. With minor exceptions, student ratings of assessment preferences were generally consistent across gender and academic levels. In the main, student ratings of assessment options did not significantly correlate with exam performance in the course.     

Using Student Diaries to Develop an Evaluative Instrument for Teacher Education Programs

Abstract

This study compared the attitudes of high school juniors toward three types of institutions: 4-year colleges, 2-year colleges, and the “ideal college.” Students rated each institution on forty attitude dimensions. Attitudes toward 4-year colleges were more favorable than attitudes toward 2-year colleges on twenty-seven of the forty dimensions; fifteen of these differences were statistically significant. In contrast, 2-year colleges received more favorable ratings on twelve dimensions, with only five of the differences being significant. The correlation between ratings of the 4-year college and the ideal college was + .601, which was significantly higher than the correlation of + .437 between ratings of the 2-year college and the ideal college. When student attitudes were factor analyzed, three dimensions were identified: Social Activities, Supportive Interpersonal Environment, and Intellectual Climate. The data indicate that high school students have more favorable attitudes toward 4-year than 2-year colleges, and that they do not share the perceptions of community college proponents concerning certain advantages of attendance at 2-year colleges. These findings may have implications for college attendance plans made by students, and for their performance in college.     

The Effect of Plain-English Vocabulary on Student Achievement and Classroom Culture in College Science Instruction

This study examined the effect of the translation of traditional scientific vocabulary into plain English on student achievement in college science instruction. The study took place in the context of an introductory microbiology course. Data were collected from course sections instructed with traditional microbiology vocabulary as well as sections instructed with plain-English equivalent terms. Both treatment groups followed the same inquiry-based curriculum. Data collected included written and practical exam scores as well as pre and post-course surveys on subject knowledge and impressions of biology, science, and the course. Students subjected to plain-English instruction performed significantly better on written exams that assessed higher-order abilities to apply and analyze knowledge from the course. They gained similar amounts of lower-order knowledge during the course when compared to peers instructed with standard vocabulary. Results supported the hypothesis that improved achievement in the plain-English treatment was caused by students’ ability to utilize extant neural networks to ground new learning.     

Examining the Role of Advanced Placement® Exam Participation in 4‐Year College Enrollment

The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between Advanced Placement (AP) exam participation and enrollment in a 4‐year postsecondary institution. A positive relationship was expected given that the primary purpose of offering AP courses is to allow students to engage in college‐level academic work while in high school, and potentially receive college credit by earning qualifying scores on the corresponding AP exam. Therefore, college preparation and planning is an implicit and explicit part of AP participation. Analyzing a national sample of over 1.5 million students, the current study found that AP participation was related to college enrollment, even after controlling for student demographic and ability characteristics and high school level predictors. For example, the odds of attending a 4‐year postsecondary institution increased by at least 171% for all three AP participation groups (taking either one AP exam, two or three AP exams, or four or more AP exams) as compared to students who took no AP exams. Given the current political environment and the renewed interest in readying high school students for college, these results may help inform and shape educational initiatives targeted at the school, district, state, or even national level.     

The College Teaching Profession

Abstract

This article describes how a traditional biology lecture course was transformed into an interactive class. A review the activities used, changes made to grading policy, and practical tips for integration of active learning in the classroom are provided. Analysis of student responses to course assessments indicated that active learning experiences helped them focus on and understand key concepts of the course. Students performed as well as, or better than, those in previous classes that used a more traditional lecture technique. Active learning enriches the classroom learning experience and can be incorporated into a large lecture setting with relative ease.     

Exploring Flipped Classroom Instruction in Calculus III

In an undergraduate Calculus III class, we explore the effect of “flipping” the instructional delivery of content on both student performance and student perceptions. Two instructors collaborated to determine daily lecture notes, assigned the same homework problems, and gave identical exams; however, compared to a more traditional instructional approach, the flipped instructor utilized videos to communicate more procedural course content to students out-of-class, with time in-class spent on more conceptual activities and homework problems. Findings from two semesters indicate similar performance on more procedural problems and small to moderate gains for the flipped students (N = 74) over their traditional counterparts (N = 77) on more conceptual exam problems. However, student perceptions remain mixed, with flipped students reporting increased communication during class but traditional students perceiving more effective use of class time, despite the gains in performance for flipped students.