Using data to get your students to take responsibility for their own learning.

1. Using data to get your students to take responsibility for their own learning. Stephen Burton Biology Department Looking for the Light January 26, 2006

2. We have an interesting position… Our work is supposed to result in a product produced by someone else. While we give all the students the same components, not all the products look the same. Further, the quality of the product is dependent both on what we put in (making sure they have quality components), but also on what the student puts into the product.

3. So how do we get them to take responsibility? • We give them homework… • We give them readings… • We give them activities… WHY DO SOME STILL DO POORLY?

4. BIO 121 Lab – Winter 05 • Freshman and Sophomore biology majors • Introduces students to the major groups of living organisms, adaptations, anatomy, and physiology. • Graded by weekly quizzes • Students take quiz over topic from the week before

5. Students were inconsistent in the first 3 weeks

6. Students were inconsistent in the first 3 weeks Students requested assistance through a “study guide” after second exam THIRD EXAM INCLUDES STUDY GUIDE

7. Next quiz • After quiz, students described on their quiz how they studied • I sorted the study methods into: • Re-reading the lab – very passive • Re-reading the lab and answering the questions on the study guide • Doing something else that relied on them to manipulate the information – rewrote notes, wrote their own quiz, re-read lab and generated notes from reading, talked with colleagues

8. The results…sort of: • Students who just studied by re-reading the lab writeup averaged approximately 40.0% • Students who did the study guide only averaged approximately 60% • Students who manipulated the material to make it their own averaged approximately 85.0% I SHARED THIS WITH MY STUDENTS AND EXPLAINED THAT APPARENTLY MY STUDY GUIDE WAS NOT THE BEST METHOD FOR STUDYING – I STOPPED GIVING IT AFTER THE EVALUATION

9. Students were more consistent in the in the remaining weeks

10. Was the trend because of what I did? F04 W05 MAYBE???

11. So how do we know if something we require is helping our students? • SCI 225 – Course for non-science elementary-ed • Freshman and Sophomores • Designed to introduce them to life science content in a way that represents best teaching practices for K-8. • Students are required to work on “study” questions – that require them to think beyond the material expressly covered in class

12. SCI 225 – Reflection Questions • Are often application, analysis, or synthesis level questions • Require students to think more deeply about the material outside of class • Done in small groups through discussion board on blackboard. • One student is responsible for answering the question, but the rest assist by helping clarify the answer through discussion

13. After the midterm… Students who earned better than 80% on the exam always contributed at least 12 times. But this just looked at contributions.

14. After the final You are more likely to get an 80% or better if you earned better than 70% on the reflection questions. Clearly this helps, but other factors are involved, such as effort in learning the material.

15. Concept Mapping Concept mapping as a way to review the material for the comprehensive final may also be useful, when taken seriously.

16. What was my take home message? I am pretty confident that requiring students to • Actively participate in online discussions to answer reflection questions is useful and will continue to do so. • Require students to design a concept map as a way to help them prepare for the final exam IN MY NEXT CLASS I WILL SHOW THESE TO THE STUDENTS SO THEY UNDERSTAND WHY I AM REQUIRING THEM.