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Transforming tertiary education: overview of an AKO Aotearoa project involving a large 100-level Cell Biology class. . Rosie Bradshaw, Maggie H artnett, Gemma Cartwright, Natalie Burr, Ewen Cameron, Ben Kennedy & Zoe Jordens.
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Transforming tertiary education: overview of an AKO Aotearoa project involving a large 100-level Cell Biology class. Rosie Bradshaw, Maggie Hartnett, Gemma Cartwright, Natalie Burr, Ewen Cameron, Ben Kennedy & Zoe Jordens Applying the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (CWSEI) Model within the New Zealand Tertiary Environment
Students have diverse aims, background and abilities
The team • Mixed team- Education specialists, motivated science lecturers and research assistants. The aim • Improve student engagement and learning by: • - implementing ‘interventions’ • - measuring the effects on engagement & learning based on Six science classes: four in Geology at Canterbury and two in biology at Massey
The method • Interventions: • Improved learning goals and alignment • Emphasis on relevance • Interaction in lectures: activities and ‘clickers’ • Measuring effects: • classroom observations engagement • attitude survey • ‘knowledge’ survey learning
A A A A a A a a a a D D D d D D d d d d A a D d The cell shown here is a human diploid cell destined to undergo meiosis to make an egg cell. The cell is heterozygous for genes A and D. Assuming no crossing over occurs, choose the diagram that best represents what this cell would look like in metaphase of Meiosis I. D E A D C B A a d
The method 162101 Biology of Cells semester 1 2011 PRE POST • 2 3 • surveys 162212 Microbial World semester 2 2010 semester 2 2011 POST PRE • 2 • surveys • 2 • surveys
Results: Classroom observations • Observe lecture material and teaching style • Measure students engagement through observation
Results: Classroom observations Observe lecture material and teaching style Measure students engagement through observation
Results: Classroom observations enthusiasm Skimmed content Movie near end of lecture Overview Time (mins)
Results: Classroom observations Link to lab Lecture
Results: Attitude survey Significant shifts compared to ‘expert-like attitudes’ (for all of the example Qs ‘strongly agree’ is expert-like and therefore favourable) shifts in attitude over the whole semester : ns not significant; got worse (less ‘favourable’); got better (less ‘unfavourable’)
Results: Knowledge survey semester 1 2011 PRE POST • 2 3 Values are % test scores: mean ± SD for 161 matched surveys (questions were designed to be difficult!) Two-tailed paired T-test of significant difference between pre and post mean gains shows no significant difference (P = 0.103)
Results: Knowledge survey Values are means of matched % test scores Conclusions: Most of the ‘post’ (interventions) gain was in the top student group More needs to be done to facilitate learning in other groups! BUT - there are many limitations to this survey. - deleting toughest 2 Qs from each survey only 40-59% show sig gain
But what do students think? Clicker-vote at end of 162101 2011: To assist my learning in lectures, I would prefer: A) 'Traditional style' information delivery lectures B) Mixture of clickers/interactive questions and 'traditional style', with some recommended reading prior to lecture. C) Completely interactive (clickers/activities/discussion) with mandatory pre-reading and on-line pre-lecture quiz. Results: A 5%, B 70%, C 25% (n=207)
Conclusions No increase shown in student engagement BUT - engagement declines over the semester - positive feedback on use of clickers Mixture of attitude shifts BUT - some attitudes change over the semester anyway (eg. enjoyment) Significant increase in knowledge gain after interventions BUT - only with top performing students (final exam >80%) - mid students (40-59% FE) gained when toughest Qs removed. • Overall I think my teaching has improved • Better learning goals, etc • Improved style of interactive questions • & many ideas of how to improve more… So – was it worth it?
Acknowledgements Zoe Jordens– Massey Project Leader Maggie Hartnett – Education Consultant Gemma Cartwright, Natalie Burr– Research Assistants EwenCameron – T&L director, MUHEC approval Ben Kennedy - Canterbury Uni. and overall project leader Applying the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (CWSEI) Model within the New Zealand Tertiary Environment