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Less Lecturing, More Learning

Less Lecturing, More Learning. Jen Krumper and Carribeth Bliem - Chemistry Viji Sathy - Psychology CFE Faculty Showcase 2012.

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Less Lecturing, More Learning

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  1. Less Lecturing, More Learning Jen Krumper and Carribeth Bliem - Chemistry Viji Sathy - Psychology CFE Faculty Showcase 2012

  2. “I enjoyed the videos […]. They allowed the student to learn the material at their own pace. In-class problems allowed the teacher and the students better interaction with regards to difficult concepts.” Chem 101 Student Summer 12

  3. “I thought the in-class problem-solving was incredibly useful. Frankly, I wish my department would do the same as I find it to be incredibly effective. “In addition, though, I think homework should still be assigned, as in-class work has the downfall of giving the illusion of understanding […] when in actuality there is simply the understanding of how someone else did the problem.”

  4. “I really liked the group assignments because it forced you to work problems in class (and it gave you a way to meet people). “The videos were a good intro to the lectures. While I may not have understood everything watching the video the night before, the concepts were reinforced the next day in class.” -Chem 101 Student Summer 12

  5. “The structure of the course was great for me. I found it very helpful to be required to look ahead before each day’s class and to be expected to complete problems every day.” -Chem 101 Student Summer 12

  6. Overview • Motivation for change to courses • Does less lecture = more learning? • Why lecture less? Existing literature • Our efforts to add to what has been demonstrated • Implementation through support of CFE grant • Initial impressions, preliminary feedback • Q&A/Discussion

  7. Motivation Psyc 210 Managing • Variety of starting points in statistics course • Variety of levels of comfort/anxiety about statistics Engaging • As many students as possible in a core pre-req course Incorporating • More practice, authentic work

  8. Chem 101 Motivation: A Strange Observation A disproportionate # of low grades in Chem262 were going to URM students…. Checking with the registrar, the trend held throughout our chemistry curriculum….

  9. Lecture Less? An Evidence-Based Approach

  10. Got Lecture?Top 3 Reasons to Lose It • Lectures can turn students to passive observers. Participation → Learning, Accountability • Ability to retain info only in 10-20 minute “chunks.” Pauses, change-up activites → Learning • Better use of class time

  11. Structured Learning OpportunitiesIn Our Classrooms • classroom response systems (clickers), • in-class group work, • peer mentoring, and • online content delivery techniques

  12. Outcomes • Student achievement/academic performance • Problem Solving Skills • Student engagement • Student attitudes • Persistence • Retention • Closing achievement gap Large body of research over 20 years related to a variety of methods

  13. Research: Classroom Response Systems • Clicker research mixed in achievement, highly positive in student attitudes • Example Preszler et al. (2007) • 71% said it they strongly agreed or agreed that it influenced their attendance • 70% said it they strongly agreed or agreed that it improved their understanding • 62% said they would recommend a clicker class From Preszler,R.W., Dawe, A., Shuster, C. B., and Shuster, M. (2007). Assessment of the effeects of student response systems on student learning and attitudes over a broad range of biology courses. CBE-Life Sciences Education.

  14. Research: Group Work/Cooperative Learning Bowen, C. (2000) A Quantitative Literature Review of Cooperative Learning Effect. Journal of Chemistry Education What constitutes cooperative learning? 1. Positive interdependence2. Face-to-Face interaction3. Individual accountability4. Interpersonal skills5. Group processing

  15. Research: Online Content Delivery • Relatively new area of research • Gaining interest but possibly most controversial of methods • Our attempt to learn more about this method

  16. A Chemistry Experiment

  17. Pilot High Structure Chem 262 Class (Sp’12) • Replaced 1 lecture with online video.*** • Instead, used CRS + PLTL in class 1 day/week. • Grade data inconclusive, but some THMs: • Students comment that high attendance matters! • Course evaluations: mixed bag • Poll results…

  18. Late-Semester In-Class Poll (n = 105) If you were designing this class, would you: • Keep the structure as it is. (22%) • Turn Wednesdays back into straight lectures (no quizzes, no problem sets) (10%) • Use the same structure, but students choose own working groups. (25%) • Modify the structure to do a little bit of problem solving every day. (43%)

  19. The General Chemistry Experience CHEM 101 (3 credit hr) • MWF 50-min class or TTh 75-min class • Sections of 200-400 students each • Nearly 1600 students every academic year Question: How to test Structured-Learning model in this context?

  20. Experiment Goals Evaluate Structured-Learning model on several dimensions: • Level of student engagement • Sense of community & collaboration • Performance • Retention in STEM major

  21. Data Collection • Surveys Compare SL sections with Lecture-only sections • Performance on common exams Compare SL with archived exam data • Longitudinal study of retention in STEM major Follow SL students into future

  22. Baseline data: Chem 101, F’11

  23. 101 Course Re-design • Videos and reading for “easy” content. • Start each class with a quiz . • Students in sit in assigned seats: groups of 3-4. Forming groups on the fly

  24. 101 Course Re-design • Replace ~50% of class time with 10-15 minute GRADED (CRS) problem solving activities. • use 15-20 in-class peer mentors (~20:1 ratio) to facilitate in-class problem solving Polling is fun for everyone! Mentors make it possible... ... they really do!

  25. We Kept Some Elements of the “Old” Chemistry 101 Experience • Online homework (Mastering Chemistry) • Interventions for bottom ~25% of students after each exam. • The Chemistry Bonanza • Invitations to office hours

  26. Nitty Gritty • Used commercial clickers (TurningPoint) to create a Laptop/cell free (JRK) OR laptop minimal (CB) classroom. • Registering clickers = a pain! …but worthwhile once the semester gets rolling.

  27. Nitty Gritty • Youtube videos work great, just reference ‘em in class. • Helpful to recap video at lecture start. “From the video, you should have learned…”

  28. Peer Mentors • attend class • Monitor sakai discussion boards • 1/wk (or less) training meetings

  29. Successes • Students attend class (!) and they are highly engaged in class activities. • The expectation that students are responsible for their own learning is explicit. • Instructor can spend class time discussing nuances and extensions of course material as well as addressing common misconceptions. • Multiple ways of addressing course material: videos, online homework, structured activities.

  30. Challenges • Organizational effort required by students to succeed • Group work may install false sense of understanding for some individuals • Less time to model problem-solving strategies (model is better suited to 75-min classes) • Concern: Do students have a narrower understanding of chemistry as a discipline? How to weave all the parts together into the larger picture?

  31. Pilot data: Chem 101 (Summer) “I thought the in-class problem-solving was incredibly useful. Frankly, I wish my department would do the same as I find it to be incredibly effective. “In addition, though, I think homework should still be assigned, as in-class work has the downfall of giving the illusion of understanding […] when in actuality there is simply the understanding of how someone else did the problem.”

  32. Large course redesign support CFE100+ cfe.unc.edu/100plus/ New RFP for grants program will be announced in November CFE contact: Bob Henshaw

  33. Pilot data: Chem 101 (Summer) “The structure of the course was great for me. I found it very helpful to be required to look ahead before each day’s class and to be expected to complete problems every day.”

  34. Pilot data: Chem 101 (Summer) “I enjoyed the videos […]. They allowed the student to learn the material at their own pace. In-class problems allowed the teacher and the students better interaction with regards to difficult concepts.”

  35. Pilot data: Chem 101 (Summer) “I really liked the group assignments because it forced you to work problems in class (and it gave you a way to meet people). “The videos were a good intro to the lectures. While I may not have understood everything watching the video the night before, the concepts were reinforced the next day in class.”

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