Using Padlet to Enable Online Collaborative Mediation and Scaffolding in a Statistics Course

Henrik Skaug Sætra

doi:10.3390/educsci11050219

Abstract

Students often perceive statistics as a difficult subject, and it is frequently named as one of the primary causes of high dropout rates in economics educations in Norway. In order to support the learning process in statistics courses, and in order to make the courses more flexible, the author experimented with the use of Padlet in two different student groups taking an introductory course in statistics for economists. The purpose was to overcome the difficulty of engendering social engagement and activity and fostering effective mediation, scaffolding and collaborative learning in large student groups scheduled for traditional lectures in large auditoriums. The author’s experiences and the students’ evaluations of the model is presented here, along with the theoretical justification of the use of Padlet and the context in which it was tested. The results show that computer-supported collaborative learning can be an effective supplement or alternative to traditional study groups for those that either prefer this or cannot take part in regular study groups. The students used Padlet actively, and a majority of the students reported that it was a significant or highly significant factor in their learning process.

Highlights

Statistics is a challenging subject both for students and professors, as it is often difficult for students to stay motivated throughout the challenging journey through a mixture of foundational mathematics and at times abstract and complex applications [1].One particular challenge is associated with teaching introductory statistics courses for large groups of relatively fresh students in large auditoriums
This article discusses one attempt to overcome this challenge by fostering computersupported collaborative learning (CSCL) through the active use of Padlet [2] in two different student groups taking an introductory statistics course for students of economics
Padlet proved to be an effective tool for CSCL, and the author’s experience from two different student groups taking an introductory statistics course showed that the students used it, enjoyed it, and found it to be highly valuable for their learning process

Summary

Introduction

One particular challenge is associated with teaching introductory statistics courses for large groups of relatively fresh students in large auditoriums In such settings it can be difficult to implement and foster collaborative learning, mediation and scaffolding—three important aspects of effective learning according to Lev Vygotsky. A key challenge is that large groups in auditoriums tend to engender relatively low levels of student engagement and activity, and this was historically the case both during and between lectures for the courses here described These challenges are relevant to remote learning more generally, and this makes the findings interesting as COVID-19 has forced a large number of lecturers to implement remote teaching, creating a need to substitute natural social learning situations with virtual ones. Numbers from Statistics Norway show that these degrees are popular and recruit a lot of students, but only 43 percent complete their degrees within the scheduled three years [4]

Methods

Results

Conclusion