On Reading Dante: The Swinging Bridge

Abstract

Mindfulness meditation involves focusing one's attention on the present moment in a non-judgmental way. Several recently published investigations have demonstrated that a brief session of mindfulness meditation, practiced before a higher-education course lecture, can improve performance on a quiz over lecture content given immediately following the lecture. It is less clear how mindfulness meditation, practiced before multiple course lectures, impacts performance on quizzes over time as well as on a cumulative exam over all lecture contents. The present experiment compared a mindfulness meditation group to an active control group; each practiced 6 min of mindfulness or relaxation prior to seven course lectures. Following each lecture, a quiz was given over lecture contents to measure short-term academic achievement. A cumulative exam was later given over all lecture content to measure long-term academic achievement. In contrast to prior published investigations, there were no effects of mindfulness meditation on academic achievement. Given these promising yet inconsistent effects, future work should explore the moderators (i.e., individual differences; duration, frequency, and style of meditation practice) of mindfulness meditation's salutary benefits.     

Use of Student Notes and Lecture Summaries as Study Guides for Recall

Abstract

This study represents an extension of previous research on interfering and facilitating variables affecting the encoding function of note taking by adding several review conditions. Ninety-six subjects were assigned to five note-taking and three non-note-taking groups. Subjects heard a 16-minute segmented lecture and recalled lecture content 48 hours later. The review of notes neutralized both the interfering and facilitating effects on recall of note-taking manipulations reported in previous research. Review of student-generated notes resulted in better recall than did review of lecturer-generated summaries.     

The impact of interactive,computerized educational modules on preclinical medical education

Interactive computerized modules have been linked to improved retention of material in clinical medicine. This study examined the effects of a new series of interactive learning modules for preclinical medical education, specifically in the areas of quiz performance, perceived difficulty of concepts, study time, and perceived stress level. We randomly allocated 102 medical student volunteers into control and experimental groups. All participants studied selected anatomical and physiologic concepts using existing material (lecture notes, textbooks, etc.), while those in the experimental groups used the new interactive modules as well. All participants completed a quiz to test their knowledge of the assigned concepts and a survey to assess their subjective experiences in studying with the modules. We found a trend toward higher quiz scores in the experimental group relative to the control group, though it did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.31). Perceived concept difficulty was significantly reduced among those who studied with the modules (P < 0.001), and the number of hours spent studying the concepts was significantly increased (P = 0.028). Of those who used the modules, 83% rated them as “very helpful” or “extremely helpful.” No significant differences existed between participants' reported stress levels during the course of the study (P = 0.44). Our data suggest that medical students may learn more effectively and feel less intimidated by difficult concepts when interactive modules supplement traditional instruction. Anat Sci Ed 1:247–251, 2008. © 2008 American Association of Anatomists.     

Multimedia,It's How You Use It

SUMMARY

The current study chronicles what one professor learned from teaching a distance education course with and without the aid of PowerPoint multimedia presentation software. It compares student ratings of three lectures from the same classes by the same professor; the first, a traditional lecture without any audiovisual aids; the second, a lecture supplemented by PowerPoint notes outlining the lecture; and finally, a multimedia lecture utilizing PowerPoint notes with pictures, music and animations. Students reacted no differently to any of the presentations when delivered by an experienced teacher. The students did, however, prefer PowerPoint multimedia to PowerPoint outline presentations. Suggestions for the optimal uses of presentation software are provided.     

An Analytical Study of the Reading Habits of Deaf Children

The efficacy of behavioral objectives in improving student achievement was assessed in a college setting. The Ss were nineteen senior and graduate students enrolled in a research course in educational psychology. Ss randomly assigned to two groups were separated before treatment. One group received a list of precise instructional objectives, while the other group discussed an unrelated topic. The two groups were reunited, exposed to the same lecture, and then administered a 12-item quiz covering the day’s lesson. Results of an analysis of covariance revealed that behavioral objectives had a desirable effect on student achievement.     

An Evaluation of Two Hands-On Lab Styles for Plant Biodiversity in Undergraduate Biology

We compared learning cycle and expository formats for teaching about plant biodiversity in an inquiry-oriented university biology lab class (n = 465). Both formats had preparatory lab activities, a hands-on lab, and a postlab with reflection and argumentation. Learning was assessed with a lab report, a practical quiz in lab, and a multiple-choice exam in the concurrent lecture. Attitudes toward biology and treatments were also assessed. We used linear mixed-effect models to determine impacts of lab style on lower-order cognition (LO) and higher-order cognition (HO) based on Bloom''s taxonomy. Relative to the expository treatment, the learning cycle treatment had a positive effect on HO and a negative effect on LO included in lab reports; a positive effect on transfer of LO from the lab report to the quiz; negative impacts on LO quiz performance and on attitudes toward the lab; and a higher degree of perceived difficulty. The learning cycle treatment had no influence on transfer of HO from lab report to quiz or exam; quiz performance on HO questions; exam performance on LO and HO questions; and attitudes toward biology as a science. The importance of LO as a foundation for HO relative to these lab styles is addressed.     

Using guided notes with academically at‐risk high school students during a remedial summer social studies class

This study evaluated the effects guided notes on the performance of academically at‐risk high school students during a remedial summer American History class. The study compared students' own notetaking strategies with that of short‐ and long‐form guided notes. Three students were selected for data collection due to their low baseline notetaking accuracy and quiz scores and a history of severe learning problems: One was enrolled in special education programs for developmental disabilities and the other two were enrolled in English as a Second Language programs (ESL). A modified ABAB reversal design with an imbedded alternating treatments design during intervention (A. E. Kazdin, 1982) was used to compare the effects of students' notetaking accuracy and daily quiz scores while taking their own notes with the effects of responding under the short‐ and long‐form guided notes. The results indicated that both guided notes procedures were successful at increasing the accuracy of students' notes, improving session quiz scores, and were overwhelmingly preferred when compared with students taking their own notes. Differences were the number of concepts written correctly. Practical considerations and implications for adoption in the classroom were discussed. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

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.     

Interactive Multimedia Instruction Versus Traditional Training Programmes: Analysis of their Effectiveness and Perception

Abstract

In this article, the practicability of introduction of computer multimedia as an educational tool was compared with the traditional approach for training sugarcane growers in ratoon management practices in three villages of Tamil Nadu state, India using pre-test, post-test control group experimental design.

A CD-ROM was developed as a multimedia resource to support the training process using Macromedia Flash as the authorware. Three modes of message delivery—traditional lecture alone, lecture followed by multimedia and multimedia alone were analyzed for their effectiveness in terms of knowledge gain, learning index and extent of adoption. The group which was exposed to lecture followed by multimedia had better knowledge gain and learning index. Farmers perceived that the use of different multimedia building blocks made it an interesting and educative tool. The message, when given through lecture alone was perceived as boring and monotonous with limited attention span. The extent of adoption of ratoon management practices was almost on par; however the group which had received instructions through lecture followed by computer multimedia had a better adoption rate. Such a comparative analysis is an opportunity for a better understanding of the role that multimedia could play in technology transfer to farmers.     

A Comparison of Audio-Tutorial Lecture Methods of Teaching

Abstract

The study to determine if concepts of school law could be effectively taught, using simulated materials presented audio-tutorially, to preservice teachers. A senior class of 219 students at Iowa State University was randomly divided into two groups. One group was taught school law concepts utilizing the traditional lecture method of instruction, the other was subjected to the A-T style of instruction. A pretest and posttest was administered to each group and the growth of each group over time was determined. The experimental (A-T) group showed a significantly greater (.01 level of confidence) increase in achievement than did the traditional group. Three factors and their interactions were considered in the experiment: achievement level of the student; possible student teaching experience, and group assignment. The only significant factor was group assignment, indicating that teaching technique was responsible for the difference in the learning rate of the two groups.     

Researching Teaching Methodologies in the Classroom

ABSTRACT

This paper presents the findings of a research project comparing the effectiveness of two teaching models used in a graduate social work practice course. Two teaching methodologies, the lecture/discussion model and the cooperative learning model, were used in two separate sections of Foundations of Social Work Practice, a first semester graduate course in the MSW program at a large public university.

A pretest/posttest comparison group model was used. One section of this course used a cooperative learning model while the other used the lecture/discussion model. Both sections spent the same amount of time on the material in the knowledge questionnaire and administered the posttest and follow-up on the same date. T-test and effect size statistics were used which demonstrated the greater efficacy of the cooperative learning model, particularly on long term retention of information.

In the course of describing the teaching models used in the study, the cooperative learning model and its history is discussed in some detail. It is expected that after this introduction many social work educators will be motivated to use the model in their own classrooms.

This paper further serves as a model for how instructors can effectively conduct small scale research in their own academic setting. It is an example of how educational research can be done expeditiously and with limited resources.     

A Study of Comparative Validity as Shown by a Group of Objective Tests

Abstract

The technique described was used as a trial method to achieve increased efficiency in teaching and to insure the highest possible performance of the class and especially among the below-average members. Programmed instruction material was modified as to style and used as a lecture preview. Freshmen medical students were divided into control and experimental groups with only the latter having access to programmed lecture preview material.

Expectations were supported in that the below-average student in the experimental group improved his performance and in this study the above-average student also showed significant improvement.

This teaching technique appears valuable and warrants further experimental use as an ancillary technique for teaching in professional schools.     

A more equitable account of the note-taking functions in learning from lecture and from text

Previous research investigating the encoding, encoding-plus-storage, and extermal-storage functions of note taking has failed to equate processing opportunities among the groups. The present studies did so by having the encoding group take notes on two occasions without review, the encoding-plus-storage group take notes one time and review notes the next, and the external-storage group twice review a set of borrowed notes. Three forms of note taking were used: conventional, and note taking on skeletal and matrix frameworks. In both Experiment 1, involving lecture learning, and Experiment 2, involving text learning, an advantage was found for the encoding-plus-storage function on tests involving factual-recall and recognition performance but not on tests measuring higher-order performance. With respect to note-taking forms, no advantage existed for any form when information was acquired from lecture. When text material was used there was some advantage for conventional notes and a clear advantage for not taking notes at all, but instead twice reading the material. These findings were explained relative to observed note-taking behaviors, the opportunity for review, and the processing demands proposed by the combination of reading and note taking, particularly when notes must be classified into an existing framework.     

Durkheim Said What?: Creating Talking Textbooks With Augmented Reality and Project-Based Activities

Abstract

This study explored utilizing augmented reality (AR) and project-based learning (PBL) strategies to increase students’ understandings of sociological paradigms and the theorists’ motivations behind their development. Using a posttest-only quasi-experimental control group design with experimental intervention, three groups of students’ scores were compared on a post-unit assessment. The PBL-only group, the PBL-AR group, and a control group were also compared over time on the post-unit assessment, a quiz, and the midterm. PBL-AR students’ scores were higher on all three assessments. The project’s design, implementation, and findings are discussed, along with implications for future curricular redesign using novel tools and technologies.     

The (Embodied) Performance of Physics Concepts in Lectures

Lectures are often thought of in terms of information transfer: students (do not) “get” or “construct meaning of” what physics professors (lecturers) say and the notes they put on the chalkboard (overhead). But this information transfer view does not explain, for example, why students have a clear sense of understanding while they sit in a lecture and their subsequent experiences of failure to understand their own lecture notes or textbooks while preparing for an exam. Based on a decade of studies on the embodied nature of science lectures, the purpose of this article is to articulate and exemplify a different way of understanding physics lectures. We exhibit how there is more to lectures than the talk plus notes. This informational “more” may explain (part of) the gap between students’ participative understanding that exists in the situation where they sit in the lecture on the one hand and the one where they study for an exam from their lecture notes on the other. Our results suggest that in lectures, concepts are heterogeneous performances in which meaning is synonymous with the synergistic and irreducible transactions of many different communicative modes, including gestures, body movements, body positions, prosody, and so forth.     

Instructional Tools in Educational Measurement and Statistics (ITEMS) for School Personnel: Evaluation of Three Web-Based Training Modules

In the current No Child Left Behind era, K‐12 teachers and principals are expected to have a sophisticated understanding of standardized test results, use them to improve instruction, and communicate them to others. The goal of our project, funded by the National Science Foundation, was to develop and evaluate three Web‐based instructional modules in educational measurement and statistics to help school personnel acquire the “assessment literacy” required for these roles. Our first module, “What's the Score?” was administered in 2005 to 113 educators who also completed an assessment literacy quiz. Viewing the module had a small but statistically significant positive effect on quiz scores. Our second module, “What Test Scores Do and Don't Tell Us,” administered in 2006 to 104 educators, was even more effective, primarily among teacher education students. In evaluating our third module, “What's the Difference?” we were able to recruit only 33 participants. Although those who saw the module before taking the quiz outperformed those who did not, results were not statistically significant. Now that the research phase is complete, all ITEMS instructional materials are freely available on our Website.     

Impact of Positive Interdependence During Electronic Quizzes on Discourse and Achievement

Abstract

The authors examined the effects of positive interdependence vs. no interdependence on students' academic achievement. Participants included 151 U.S. college students who took weekly electronic quizzes on which they could interact with group mates in a chat room. In the positive interdependence condition, 1 member was chosen at random, and his or her score was given to all members of the group. In the no-interdependence condition, each group member received his or her own score on each quiz. Achievement was measured by biweekly examinations that students took by themselves and that produced their own independent scores. Students in the positive-interdependence condition engaged in significantly more interaction and more promotive interaction while taking the electronic quizzes and achieved higher scores on the subsequent examinations taken individually.     

Students' note-taking behaviors and the efficacy of providing the instructor's notes for review

College students viewed a videotaped lecture with or without taking notes. Average performance between the two groups did not differ on an immediate test. The encoding effect of note taking was therefore unsupported. Two days later, note takers reviewed their notes while listeners reviewed the instructor's notes in preparation for the delayed exam. Subjects who reviewed the instructor's notes achieved significantly more, on factual items, than did subjects who reviewed their own relatively brief and unorganized notes. Thus, listening to a lecture and subsequently reviewing the instructor's notes prior to a delayed exam leads to relatively higher achievement than does the traditional method of taking and reviewing personal lecture notes.     

Reduced performance on examinations following untimed short assessments

The internet has allowed for the online asynchronous assessment of acquired knowledge; however, the delivery formats of these online assessments do require evaluation. To this end, the summative examination and preceding formative quiz performances of students enrolled in a freshman-level course were evaluated between four cohorts in which each cohort was administered formative quizzes differing in testing location (in-class versus online), time limitation and ability to use notes. Results indicate decreased monitoring of formative quizzes such as those that are untimed and delivered online leads to increased formative performance but decreased performance on proceeding summative examinations. While the use of online testing may appear enticing, care must be taken to ensure student learning.     

Teaching Grammar and Mechanics in Freshman Composition

Abstract

A study was conducted using a combination of radio lectures and small group discussion meetings to teach an introductory psychology course to resident freshmen. There were two radio lectures each week, broadcast at 3:00 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and again at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays; these were supplemented by small group meetings on Fridays, during which films were sometimes presented, and during which there was an opportunity for questions to be raised and points in the lecture to be clarified. About one-third of the 2,300 freshmen were taught by means of this radio procedure and about two-thirds were taught by the usual lecture method; the results of the two methods were then compared. Variables such as personality of instructors, type of test, test questions, and time allowed for testing were controlled. Also, all radio students were assured that their grades would not be penalized in any way as a result of this experimental procedure. Results indicated that, in terms of scores on objective tests in the course, there were no significant differences between the radio group and the regular lecture group. However the attitudes of the students toward these two types of instruction were quite different. Those who took the course by means of the radio procedure were generally rather negative in their attitudes toward this method of instruction.