Evidence based research in education

1. Evidence based research in education Cathy Gunn University of Auckland

2. Design Theory Implementation Evaluation Overview

3. Objective • Capture contextual complexity • Learn from collective experience • Enhance educational design

4. Aims • Move research beyond simple observation & ‘one off’ case studies • Engineer situations to enhance and understand learning • Combine rigor of experiment with sensitivity of case study research

5. A rose by any other name! • Evidence based research • Design based research

7. Qualitative Case studies Evidence based research Experimental studies

8. Why • ‘Tradition’ & ‘superstition’ relied on for too long • Integrate research & practice • Instructional science needs to progress and be transformed

9. How • Integrate professional wisdom with empirical evidence to inform instructional development decisions

10. How • Teaching methods are backed by quality data AND educational theory

11. How • Results reflect or advance theory AND demonstrate impact in context

12. How • The functional relationship between intervention & behavioral response is established & clearly defined

13. So what’s different? • A key aim is to identify, explore, confirm & advance theoretical concepts

14. So what’s different? • Move beyond impact observation to a fully ‘engineered’ approach • The researcher is a key player

15. So what’s different? • Instructional ‘engineering’ & research are instrumental to learning outcomes

16. So what’s different? • Relevance of theory is proved by ability to work in real world contexts

17. A practical example • Learning theory underpins activities • Explicit strategies for students • Pilot new learning activities • Evaluate, reflect and refine before full implementation • Conclusion - it works fine but doing it takes energy, time and commitment

18. Integrated approach • Pre and post lecture self-assessment tests for mastery • Animations for learning through visualization • Online resources for review, reflection & integration of information • Tutorials to address ‘sticky’ issues

19. Engineering • Empower students with explicit expectations • Set achievable milestones & help them stay on task • Be available & in regular contact • Explain & integrate different learning strategies

20. Benefits to students • Increased confidence & motivation through: • sustained communication • 24/7 access to resources and activities • control over learning process via feedback • coaching to make informed choices

21. What next? • Further developments for other levels • Longitudinal tracking of: • improvement in academic performance • retention of students • recruitment of mature students & facilitation of life long learning

22. Benefits of evidence based research • Empower, engineer & evaluate • Improve, enhance & integrate • Understand & respond to dynamics of situations • Build innovation on what is already known to work

23. Benefits (2) • Meet accepted professional standards for research • Produce compelling evidence of effectiveness • Respect contextual difference and complexity • Build top quality learning environments for students