An approach to engaging students in a large-enrollment, introductory STEM college course

Jonathan A. Walter ,R. J. Swap

doi:10.14434/josotl.v16i5.18910

Abstract

While it clear that engagement between students and instructors positively affects learning outcomes, a number of factors make such engagement difficult to achieve in large-enrollment introductory courses. This has led to pessimism among some education professionals regarding the degree of engagement possible in these courses. In this paper we challenge this pessimistic outlook through a case study involving a large-enrollment introductory, general education, STEM college course. Several pedagogical approaches related to social constructivist theory offer possibilities for increasing student engagement in the learning process, but they may be difficult to implement, particularly in environments yielding little or no reward for classroom innovation. Here, we present an approach to developing an engaging learning environment by hybridizing aspects from a range of pedagogical approaches varying from the didactic (e.g. traditional lecture) to the more constructivist (e.g. peer instruction, project-based learning). We describe the course in question and our pedagogical approach, provide evidence for its effectiveness, and discuss contextual factors affecting the development of our approach and its adoption to other subjects and institutions. We also discuss important remaining challenges regarding the adoption of our approach and similar practices.

Highlights

A recent article posted on the website of the Chronicle of Higher Education entitled “A Caring Professor May Be Key in How a Graduate Thrives” touted the positive impact of engaged professors on the learning outcomes of their students (Carlson, 2014)
This paper aims to challenge the conventional wisdom that engagement cannot be achieved in large-enrollment introductory courses by sharing an approach to creating an engaging classroom environment in a large, introductory STEM course in conservation ecology
There is some pessimism in higher education and many challenges to engaging students in large-enrollment introductory college courses, we illustrate in this case study a hybrid approach, combining elements of traditional lecture and student-centered social constructivist pedagogies, that we argue has been effective in our context and could inspire adaptation to other institutions and course subjects

Summary

Introduction

A recent article posted on the website of the Chronicle of Higher Education entitled “A Caring Professor May Be Key in How a Graduate Thrives” touted the positive impact of engaged professors on the learning outcomes of their students (Carlson, 2014). While such findings are not necessarily new, what was interesting to the authors here, as co-instructors, was the insight gained from the thread of comments that followed, ostensibly largely from higher education professionals, discussing the pros and cons of the article.

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