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.

     

An eight‐year study of online lecture use in a medical gross anatomy and embryology course

Online lectures have been used in lieu of live lectures in our gross anatomy and embryology course for the past eight years. We examined patterns of online lecture use by our students and related that use to academic entry measures, gender and examination performance. Detailed access records identified by student were available from server logs. Total views per page of lecture material increased over the first six years, then decreased markedly between years seven and eight, possibly due to the recent availability of alternate forms of lecture audio. Lecture use peaked in midafternoon and again in the evening, although some use was seen at all hours. Usage was highest at midweek and lowest on Fridays as might be expected. Individual student's use varied widely from rates equivalent to less than one viewing/page to more than three viewings per page. Overall use by male students was greater than that of females and gender‐specific differences in the daily pattern were seen. Lecture use was correlated to the Medical College Admission Test® (MCAT®) Verbal Reasoning and Physical Sciences scores but not to composite MCAT scores or undergraduate grade point average. Overall use appeared to be driven by scheduled team‐based learning (TBL) sessions and major examinations. Specific subsets of lecture material were most often viewed before related TBL sessions and again during review for examinations. A small but significant correlation between lecture use and examination and course performance was seen, specifically in the male student population. These findings, along with earlier observations, suggest that varied use of online lectures is attributable to multiple factors. Anat Sci Educ © 2012 American Association of Anatomists.     

Medical Student Video Use and Summative Exam Performance during the First-Year Pre-Clinical Coursework and Implications in Distance Education

ABSTRACT

Medical student use of lecture video (live-streaming and/or recorded) at a regional medical school campus that utilized distance educational technology to deliver first-year pre-clinical lecture content, was examined. Additionally, medical student video lecture use was compared to student performance on summative exams and final course grades. All learners achieved desired scientific competencies across all courses irrespective of their use of live-streamed or recorded video formats. Throughout the course of the year, medical student video use partitioned into one of two groups: students that only watched lecture in live-streaming format, and those that watched lecture only in recorded format. Interestingly, those medical students that predominantly preferred view lectures using the live-streaming format tended to achieve better summative test scores and final course grades compared to their peers that primarily utilized recorded video to obtain lecture content. Retrospectively, dimensions of personality scores were compared between the two groups (live-streaming viewers versus recorded viewers), and, of the five dimensions of personality, only the domain of conscientiousness differed between the two groups. This study suggests that, while medical students reached academic milestones utilizing either recorded or live-streamed video for obtaining lecture content during their first-year pre-clinical courses, there may be factors of learner personality influencing video use preference which in turn enhances student performance on summative exams and final course grades. These findings may have implications in curriculum design for other distance educational formats emphasizing classical scientific competencies in post-undergraduate study that rely on video delivery of lecture content.     

The Impact of Instructional Design on College Students’ Cognitive Load and Learning Outcomes in a Large Food Science and Human Nutrition Course

The effective design of course materials is critical for student learning, especially for large lecture introductory courses. This quantitative study was designed to explore the effect multimedia and content difficulty has on students’ cognitive load and learning outcomes. College students (n = 268) were randomized into 1 of 3 multimedia groups: text + graphics (Group 1–TG); audio + text + graphics (Group 2–ATG); or video + audio + text + graphics (Group 3–VATG). Participants answered a demographic survey and pretests before viewing 2 food science supplemental lecture materials (i.e., water mobility and amino acid structures) and completing the cognitive load instrument and post‐tests within a noncontrolled setting. Cognitive load scores were tabulated and compared using a 3 × 3 ANOVA and Tukey post hoc analysis across multimedia groups and food science supplemental lecture materials. Based on the post hoc, students in Group 1–TG had higher intrinsic cognitive load scores than Group 2–ATG (ANOVA, P < 0.05). Cognitive load and post‐test scores were tabulated and compared using a spearman correlation across groups. In Group 1–TG, students that reported less intrinsic cognitive load had higher post‐test scores. Also, students that reported more germane cognitive load had higher post‐test scores. In Groups 2–ATG and 3–VATG, students that reported less extraneous cognitive load had higher post‐test scores (ANOVA, P < 0.05).     

The effects of digital storytelling on student achievement,social presence,and attitude in online collaborative learning environments

This study investigated the effects of digital storytelling on student achievement, social presence, and attitude in online collaborative learning environments. Students in one middle school course were randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups after they received initial general instruction regarding teamwork skills. The “digital storytelling-based online collaborative learning (DST-OCL)” and the “general online collaborative learning (G-OCL)” groups received subsequent associated skills training. The overall results indicated that after each group took part in the treatment during online collaborative learning activities, the “DST-OCL” groups had significantly higher social presence than the “G-OCL” groups. Specifically, using “DST-OCL” strategies was significantly more effective than using “G-OCL” strategies for improving the “online communication,” “interactivity,” and “privacy” components of students’ social presence in online collaborative learning environments. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding student achievement and attitude. The findings of this study offer an insight into methods for using digital storytelling as an instructional strategy for improving online collaborative learning effectiveness.     

A study of student participation and nonparticipation in prelecture electronic surveys

Student nonparticipation in electronic surveys represents a challenge to educators as it may impact significantly on the implementation or evaluation of the associated teaching activities. We here study the student evaluation of a pedagogical project consisting of prelecture online polling followed by linked revision lectures. This investigation involves studying the responses from 43 undergraduate students following a course in accounting at a British university. With regard to the students' views on the use of prelecture polling, our study shows that there are no statistically significant differences between those who did not participate in the online polling and those who did. Both groups of students were generally positive about the use of (1) polling results in structuring the revision lecture, (2) online survey in helping them prepare for the examination and (3) online polling as a teaching platform in other courses. Our findings therefore suggest that prelecture electronic surveys can help engage students with follow‐up lectures, including those who did not participate in the prelecture survey.     

Using socrative as an online homework platform to increase students’ exam scores

Socrative is an online assessment and student response tool that provides opportunities to increase student engagement in the classroom. We used Socrative as an online homework completing platform to increase students’ exam scores in physics. To explore the relationships among factors and the educational effectiveness of Socrative, data from 85 undergraduate students’ final and midterm grades, and their responses to an attitude survey were used. The ANCOVA results demonstrated that the use of Socrative positively influenced students’ exam scores and a fairly significant correlation was found between students’ attitudes toward Socrative and final exam scores. Moreover, the results of the survey showed that students have moderately positive attitudes toward the use of Socrative as an online homework assignment platform. This empirical study indicates that the use of Socrative can go beyond engaging and motivating students and can be used as an online homework completing tool.     

Effectiveness of Podcasts Delivered on Mobile Devices as a Support for Student Learning During General Chemistry Laboratories

Chemistry instructors in teaching laboratories provide expert modeling of techniques and cognitive processes and provide assistance to enrolled students that may be described as scaffolding interaction. Such student support is particularly essential in laboratories taught with an inquiry-based curriculum. In a teaching laboratory with a high instructor-to-student ratio, mobile devices can provide a platform for expert modeling and scaffolding during the laboratory sessions. This research study provides data collected on the effectiveness of podcasts delivered as needed in a first-semester general chemistry laboratory setting. Podcasts with audio and visual tracks covering essential laboratory techniques and central concepts that aid in experimental design or data processing were prepared and made available for students to access on an as-needed basis on iPhones^® or iPod touches^®. Research focused in three areas: the extent of podcast usage, the numbers and types of interactions between instructors and student laboratory teams, and student performance on graded assignments. Data analysis indicates that on average the podcast treatment laboratory teams accessed a podcast 2.86 times during the laboratory period during each week that podcasts were available. Comparison of interaction data for the lecture treatment laboratory teams and podcast treatment laboratory teams reveals that scaffolding interactions with instructors were statistically significantly fewer for teams that had podcast access rather than a pre-laboratory lecture. The implication of the results is that student laboratory teams were able to gather laboratory information more effectively when it was presented in an on-demand podcast format than in a pre-laboratory lecture format. Finally, statistical analysis of data on student performance on graded assignments indicates no significant differences between outcome measures for the treatment groups when compared as cohorts. The only statistically significant difference is between students who demonstrated a high level of class participation in the concurrent general chemistry lecture course; for this sub-group the students in the podcast treatment group earned a course average that was statistically significantly higher than those in the lecture treatment group.     

Computer-Assisted Instruction Augmented with Planned Teacher/Student Contacts

This paper discussed a study of the differences in student learning achievement and retention in a college-level statistics course taught in a variety of teaching/learning environments. Statistical test results revealed that students experiencing a CAI environment performed no differently on achievement or retention tests than students experiencing a traditional lecture/discussion environment. However, students experiencing an “enriched” CAI environment (CAI plus planned teacher/student contacts) performed significantly better on achievement tests than students experiencing any of several other environments, including: lecture/discussion, lecture/discussion supplemented with planned teacher/student contacts, PI texts, PI texts supplemented with planned teacher/student contacts, and CAI.     

E–Learning in Hong Kong: comparing learning outcomes in online multimedia and lecture versions of an introductory computing course

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of Web–based, highly interactive, and multimedia–rich e–learning materials by comparing students' learning outcomes in the lecture and online versions of an introductory computing course. The course versions differed only in that face–to–face lectures were replaced with e–learning modules in the online course; the other course elements (laboratory sessions, use of computer–mediated communications, examinations) were the same. The e–learning trial took place at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, where the first author taught the lecture course to 105 students, and the online course to 180 and 129 students in the following semesters. The lecture and online students achieved comparable factual learning outcomes and the online students outperformed the lecture students in applied–conceptual learning. Findings suggest that the use of carefully designed interactive e–learning modules fosters higher–order learning outcomes.     

An Exploratory Study of Minority Students’ Technology Usage and Perceptions of Technology: Nontraditional Adult Students in Technology-Based Environments

Abstract

The study examines nontraditional, African-American adult students’ use of technologies and their perceptions toward this in technology-based environments. Technology perceptions included computer self-efficacy, Internet self-efficacy, user attitude, and computer anxiety. The effects of student characteristics on these factors and the relationships between these factors were examined throughout this study. Participants included minority students who participated in face-to-face or online undergraduate courses offered in continuing education. A quantitative approach was undertaken to analyze the collected data. Results indicated that nontraditional minority students utilized basic software tools more frequently than the advanced ones, suggesting that many of them may lack the knowledge or skills for advanced technologies. Age, hours spent online, and previous online course experiences influenced students’ technology perceptions. Gender did not have an impact on technology perceptions. Internet self-efficacy was affected by most of the student characteristics variables. Computer self-efficacy was found to be a good predictor for both user attitude and computer anxiety. (Keywords: technology usage, technology perceptions, student characteristics, computer and Internet self-efficacy, minority students)     

An Immersion Approach to Teaching Food Science

ABSTRACT: Introductory Food Science courses are most often lecture-based courses, but some include limited laboratory experiences. As described in this paper, the course minimizes lecture and maximizes experiential or "hands-on" learning by using an immersion approach to teach basic concepts of food science. Additionally, it requires students to work in groups to accomplish tasks, thus providing valuable experience in working cooperatively. The course has been taught in this basic manner at Ohio State for 10 y. Analysis of pre-test and post-test results shows that none of the students pass the pre-test and 92% pass the post-test. In 2002, the average increase in scores from the pre-test to the post-test was 65.7 ± 14.7 (n = 22).     

Using interactive content and online activities to accommodate diversity in a large first year class

As in many universities, class sizes have increased more quickly than teaching and learning resources. A related challenge is the increasing diversity of the student body in terms of socio-economic background, learning styles, English language ability and preparedness. This paper explores ways in which traditional face-to-face teaching methods (such as lectures and tutorials) can be combined with online teaching and learning activities in a “blended” learning approach to improve teaching and learning and to accommodate student diversity. Using a large first year Economics class as a case study, data were collected on student perceptions of the use of blended learning. A statistical model was used on a sample of 50 students to determine which online activities were most beneficial in improving student performance. The majority of students agreed that replacing one lecture a week with online activities and resources improved their learning, although about 20 % of the class would have preferred more lecturing and fewer online resources. Statistical finding showed that more active online resources, such as multiple choice and graphing questions, were most beneficial in improving student performance, but that more passive lecture capture was also useful in modelling the discourse of the discipline.     

Chickering's Seven Principles of Good Practice: Student Attrition in Community College Online Courses

As online enrollments escalate, so does concern about student attrition rates. There is an abundance of literature addressing student success in online courses, particularly using constructivist learning theories to create engaging learning experiences. Also emerging from the literature is the Seven principles of good instructional practice by Checkering and Gamson as an accepted rubric for evaluating effective online instruction. This study focused on whether the use of instructional strategies as measured by the seven principles had an effect on student attrition rates in online courses. Full and part-time faculty at three community colleges in Virginia who taught online course(s) in the last three semesters completed an online survey to determine the extent to which they used instructional strategies reflecting the constructivist-based seven principles in their online courses. Scores from the survey were then compared to the attrition rates in their courses. Results indicated both groups strongly used instructional strategies reflecting the seven principles of good practice in their online courses with full-time faculty scores ranging a bit higher. When the results for the principles were examined individually rather than as a set, both groups scored lower on principles reflecting innovative instructional strategies. No relation between the extent to which faculty reported using those instructional strategies and student success as measured by attrition rates were found. However, a moderate relation was found with the third principle, “encourage active learning.” This indicated that faculty who made strides toward actively engaging students found some success in reducing student attrition.     

Exploring the influences of MOOC design features on student performance and persistence

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) face persistent challenges related to student performance, including high rates of attrition and low student achievement scores. Previous studies that have examined the performance of students in MOOCs have done so using qualitative analysis and the quantitative analysis of small samples. This study is the first to examine general course features of MOOCs on a large scale and to quantify the influences of these course features on student performance. Informed by the theory of web-based online instruction, this study used two-stage K-means clustering to analyze more than 200 MOOCs that had enrolled about 300,000 students, identifying three patterns of course features among the MOOCs. A MANOVA test and follow-up statistical tests revealed that these patterns of course features influenced the MOOCs’ dropout rates and student achievement scores to statistically different degrees. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Cutting the distance in distance education: Perspectives on what promotes positive,online learning experiences

This qualitative research study was designed to inform the development and implementation of effective online learning environments by exploring, from both teacher and student perspectives, what constitute effective online learning experiences. The study examined course content, tasks, and pedagogical approaches, as identified by students and instructors, which contributed to or hindered positive online learning experiences. Researchers interviewed 6 online course instructors and 10 adult students to understand their experiences in undergraduate and graduate level online degree programs. Using a Cognitive Apprenticeship Model to inform the analysis of data, findings revealed an emphasis on text-based content and lecture; instruction that led to disconnect between students, teachers, and course content and goals; and one innovative program that links real-world experiences with online classroom learning. Given the growing number of online programs, the study provides insight for course development and pedagogy as well as offers possibilities for additional research.     

Teaching Behavior and Student Learning Outcomes in Dutch Mathematics Classrooms

Abstract

In this article I described the means of identifying teaching behaviors that have cognitive and affective learning effects on students who are taking a course in mathematics. This study was conducted on 50 mathematics teachers who were teaching in the eighth grade. I obtained the data on teaching behaviors through direct systematic observation. Multiple regression was used as the method of analysis. For the cognitive domain, the results showed that effective teaching behaviors are: (a) high-level questions put to a large group of students; (b) probing, followed by a correct student response; (c) teacher waiting after asking a question; (d) successful redirecting; and (e) all forms of positive acknowledgement. Effective teaching behaviors in the affective domain are: (a) all forms of teacher lecture/explanations; (b) probing, followed by correct student response; and (c) all forms of positive acknowledgement. More teaching behaviors have a positive effect on mathematical knowledge than have a positive effect on students’ attitude toward mathematics.     

Facilitating learning in large lecture classes: testing the "teaching team" approach to peer learning

We tested the effect of voluntary peer-facilitated study groups on student learning in large introductory biology lecture classes. The peer facilitators (preceptors) were trained as part of a Teaching Team (faculty, graduate assistants, and preceptors) by faculty and Learning Center staff. Each preceptor offered one weekly study group to all students in the class. All individual study groups were similar in that they applied active-learning strategies to the class material, but they differed in the actual topics or questions discussed, which were chosen by the individual study groups. Study group participation was correlated with reduced failing grades and course dropout rates in both semesters, and participants scored better on the final exam and earned higher course grades than nonparticipants. In the spring semester the higher scores were clearly due to a significant study group effect beyond ability (grade point average). In contrast, the fall study groups had a small but nonsignificant effect after accounting for student ability. We discuss the differences between the two semesters and offer suggestions on how to implement teaching teams to optimize learning outcomes, including student feedback on study groups.     

Factors associated with students’ attitude change in online peer assessment – a mixed methods study in a graduate-level course

Abstract

Positive student attitude towards peer assessment can be demonstrated through high-quality peer assessment activities. Research findings on students’ attitudes before and after such activities were mixed. This study was conducted using a mixed-methods approach to investigate the underlying factors influencing students’ attitude change. Participants were students enrolled in an online graduate-level assessment course in the college of education in a university in the southeast United States in the fall of 2017 (N?=?31). Surveys and interviews were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data separately, both of which indicated that perceived accurate and specific feedback tended to help students shift to more positive attitudes towards online peer assessment. In addition, final task score improvement after the activity was correlated with positive attitude change. Qualitative results also identified other factors, such as communication with the peers’ work and logistic concerns. The current study offers insights for researchers and instructors to promote positive attitude changes in online peer assessment activities.