Elements Of Active Learning Research Articles

Design and Modeling of Educational Scenarios for Collaborative Online Learning Activities

Collaborative learning has evolved from traditional classroom teaching to e-learning platforms, at this level of revolution, Educational scenarios for online collaborative learning activities must be carefully designed to make an interactive and engaging learning experience. This research aims to model collaborative educational scenarios within the framework of online learning activities to allow learners to participate in online activities. We discuss the appropriate educational scenario, which combines multimedia content, interaction between the collaborative group, and active learning elements, and then we model this scenario with the UML modeling language. As a result, we represent how the design of educational scenarios, provides a better enhancement of the collaborative learning experience through the use of new technologies so that learners are encouraged to reflect on their learning processes and their group's collaboration, thus promoting better understanding. In conclusion, designing and modeling a collaborative learning educational scenario emphasizes collaboration, interaction, and knowledge acquisition between learners within a collaborative learning activity.

Exploring the Elements that Support Student Motivation to View Pre-Recorded Lecture Content in Physiology and Related Health Sciences

Within higher education, course content has traditionally been delivered via didactic lectures. In line with evolving pedagogical theory & approaches, there has been a shift towards incorporating more active learning elements & evidence-based teaching methods into the curriculum, including offering more flipped learning opportunities. In a flipped learning environment, students are provided material to review and study before attending an in-person scheduled class session (pre-work). In class, the instructor facilitates active learning opportunities to promote learning & application at higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy of learning. Studies show that students who complete assigned pre-work before an in-person learning session perform better in a course than those who do not, yet motivating students to complete assigned pre-work in advance has been identified as a significant challenge in the flipped classroom. One primary mode of delivery for pre-work in the flipped classroom is via pre-recorded lecture content. The format, duration, and design of pre-recorded lectures varies widely across disciplines, depending almost entirely upon the determination of the instructor. While effective design methods for creating and delivering pre-recorded lectures are well-established, identifying factors which either motivate or deter students from viewing pre-recorded lectures in advance remains a challenge. To explore factors which motivate students to view pre-recorded lectures, we examined the experiences of students at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia following their encounters & usage of pre-recorded lecture content during the Physiology block of the first-year curriculum. Preclerkship medical students who had been assigned a series of pre-recorded lecture content as a component of the curriculum were invited to participate in semi-structured focus group interviews to discuss their experiences with pre-recorded lecture videos and the subsequent in-person learning sessions. Ten students out of a class of 97 volunteered to participate and interview transcripts were qualitatively analyzed to identify factors that motivated students to view pre-recorded lecture content in advance as well as factors that impeded their ability to do so. Factors which students identified as motivators for viewing lecture recordings in advance fell into two general categories: (1) those which served as intrinsic motivators (self-determination theory) and (2) those which reduced cognitive load (cognitive load theory). In line with self-determination theory, instructor attempts to enforce extrinsic motivators were not identified by students as supporting their attempts to view lectures in advance, instead being reported to have hindered their ability to effectively study the material. Overall, we identified the in-class learning environment to have had the greatest impact on students’ decision to view pre-recorded lectures in advance. Ongoing steps of this study include delivery and analysis of a Likert-style survey to all students who have been assigned a series of pre-recorded lecture content as a component of the curriculum to further explore the themes identified in our qualitative discovery. We hope that other educators may use these findings to optimize the design and delivery of flipped and active learning environments. This project was internally funded by the University of South Carolina's Student Opportunities for Academic Achievement Through Research Program and a Center for Teaching Excellence Innovative Pedagogy Grant. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

RESCUER: Combining Passive and Active Learning Techniques to Teach Food Sustainability

This paper discusses the creation and implementation of an experiential learning assignment focused on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12, which aims to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. Using a grounded theory approach that combines analyzing 90 senior-level marketing students’ reflective essays alongside 63 pre- and post-assignment survey responses, we develop the “RESCUER” framework which combines active and passive learning elements. We demonstrate how active learning layered on top of passive methods can be an effective means to generate more responsible consumer behaviors within a complex food supply system. Students begin with passive learning components in the form of readings and lectures (labeled Resources), before Engaging with mindfulness in an active learning activity that involves the selection, purchase, and preparation of perishable food for a salad. The framework also includes the important effects of Social influence and its role in how Cognizance and Underlying problem salience are generated. Finally included are factors that Expedite the process of generating cognizance and problem salience such as the ready availability of relevant facilities (e.g., the existence of a garbage sorting system), which can enable more Responsible consumer behaviors.

Need of the hour: Student-centered Learning in undergraduate Medical Curriculum

Background: Student-centered learning is becoming more prevalent in medical education, especially during large-group lectures. The variety and abundance of active learning techniques used in first-year MBBS large group format were investigated. Aim: To investigate the relationships between student-centered learning and the characteristics and distribution of student-centered teaching approaches in large group settings. Methods: This was a descriptive exploratory study in which by means of purposive sampling 25 faculty members who were involved in teaching in large and small groups were identified, out of these 25 faculty members, 15 members were chosen for interviews by convenient sampling. Retrospective curriculum evaluations and semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. The authors tested a taxonomy of student-centered learning strategies and linked those strategies to the characteristics of education. Results: Over the course of six modules in the first year, teachers used 13 different strategies for active learning. 996 out of 1190 hours of large group teaching included a minimum of one active learning element. 83% of the curriculum's hours in the first year of MBBS had an active learning component. Practical implications: Many small group-learning approaches are included in active learning, and they may help undergraduate students achieve a higher level of cognitive skills through group engagement. Different kinds of small-group learning have been shown to be successful in fostering higher academic accomplishment, more positive attitudes toward learning, and enhanced persistence. Conclusions: The frequency and diversity of active learning elements incorporated into the first-year MBBS curriculum show how acquainted faculty are with these techniques and how supportive they are of interactive teaching culture. This research has stimulated discussion about instructional strategies and aided the transition from teacher-centered to learner-centered teaching. Keywords: Student-centered learning, active learning, interactive studies, critical thinking, game-based.

Education for Colombian Civil Engineers under Problem-Based E-Learning Modalities

It is well known that material resistance is a core course for any civil engineer, since construction work requires the use of materials that are subject to constant exposure to internal and external factors. The University of Medellín has implemented a new strategy in its materials resistance course that includes elements of virtual education and elements of active learning focused on PBL (Problem-Based Learning). This article describes the use of the new educational methodology and its advantages. According to the results of this study, it can be concluded that only lectures do not contribute to the active involvement of students in the learning process and do not allow students to acquire the practical skills necessary to apply the studied courses in their future work. Active involvement in solving practical problems has not only a great impact on student motivation, but also improves academic engagement and performance.

Fostering Active Learning in an International Joint Classroom: A Case Study

Engaging students in an international online setting that is interdisciplinary and culturally diverse is a challenge. A joint classroom between German and Ugandan universities used a formative assessment approach paired with active learning elements to foster individual and peer learning in an international virtual setting. A survey at three different times across the semester explored students’ perceptions towards the value of the active learning activities and evaluated how perceptions changed over time. Overall, students enjoyed the diverse active learning activities and perceived value toward their success in class. This was more pronounced and unidirectional for individual tasks than it was for group work. In addition to the findings of the structured survey, observation and feedback indicated that other elements contributed to effective course delivery. These included clear and frequent communication to the students from the primary instructor, prompt feedback from the instructor on graded exercises, such as a reflective learning diary and ungraded quizzes, and student confidence that sincere effort would achieve a good grade.

Counting Tents: Pedagogical Reflections on Faculty–Student Collaboration in a Real-World Project on Homelessness

This teaching note describes the design and implementation of an undergraduate research team project to conduct a tent census. Previous studies highlight the importance of real-world research as a part of sociology curriculum. Tents, as a visible sign of homelessness, represent one such contemporary social problem. Our undergraduate research team documented and geolocated tents in the city of Seattle between 2019 and 2020. This project integrated elements of active learning, collaborative learning, and problem-based learning. The strengths of our student research team were experiential learning, greater awareness and engagement in homelessness, and development of research and problem-solving skills. We offer some generalizable “lessons learned” from our assessment of the successes and challenges of a unique tent census project for student learning and engagement. This article concludes with the challenges of these kinds of real-world projects as well as recommendations for future faculty–student collaborations on important sociological issues.

A Novel Module Based Method of Teaching Electrocardiogram Interpretation for Emergency Medicine Residents.

A Novel Module Based Method of Teaching Electrocardiogram Interpretation for Emergency Medicine Residents.

Redesign of the Statistics Course to Improve Graduates’ Skills

In general, college students have concerns about mastering the Statistics course. Several scientific articles suggest that methodologies in which the student is an active part of the educational process lead to their greater involvement in teaching activities and better results in their overall assessment. A modified form of the Mathematics course inspires this study. The Mathematics course precedes the Statistics course. This study presents students’ results from both affected courses for the last 12 years. The authors obtained the data from the Modular Academic Information System (MAIS). The study describes the Statistics course, which is a combination of the traditional form of teaching and learning with elements of active learning. The product is a redesign of this course. The proposed changes are based on the requirements of some stakeholders. The results are from a survey of course graduates, from the experience of online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the introduction of active-learning elements. The authors of the article point out the risks and opportunities they found in teaching the Statistics course.

Evaluating Simultaneous Group Activities Through Self- and Peer-Assessment: Addressing the "Evaluation Challenge" in Active Learning

Instructors seeking to add active learning elements to their courses encounter an “evaluation challenge” when trying to assign grades to discussion-based activities that do not produce a final product. By creating a way to incorporate evaluation into hard-to-observe activities, the protocol presented here can help instructors make active learning elements a key part of the evaluation of courses and, by providing a simple framework, reduce time spent marking. Drawing on debates in the scholarship of teaching and learning focused on reducing bias and grading irregularities in peer-evaluation, and building directly on Lawrence Li’s normalization protocol, this procedure combines marks from both self- and peer-evaluations, controlling for irregular grading practices and differences in subjective marking “toughness.” As the community of the scholarship of teaching and learning in politics and international relations continues to grow, continued attention on evaluation can help ensure that this important element of pedagogical practice can be improved to better fit the realities of today’s classroom (real or virtual).

The Role of E-learning Platforms in Supporting the Active Learning Elements for the First Three Grades

This study explores the role of e-learning platforms in supporting the active learning elements for the first three grades. The study’s instrument is represented in a questionnaire consisting of 35 items. This questionnaire targets 4 areas, namely: speaking and listening, reading, writing, in addition to meditation and thinking. The sample consists of 336 female and male teachers. Results show that classroom teachers believe that e-learning platforms play a moderate role in supporting the active learning elements. Such platforms play a major role in supporting the elements of speaking, listening, and reading, while they play a minor role in supporting writing as well as meditation and thinking elements. The study recommends holding annual periodical conferences which might aim at developing the classroom teachers’ skills in relation to applying the elements of active learning. The study also recommends developing such platforms to improve teachers’ skills.

What Makes a Good Anatomy E‐module? A Quantitative and Qualitative Evaluation of Occupational Therapy Introductory Anatomy E‐modules

IntroductionThe Master of Occupational Therapy (MScOT) program at Western University attracts students from diverse backgrounds, including those from non‐science fields. As anatomical competency is essential for effective patient management and safe practice, students in this Master’s program are required to complete training in anatomy. However, past student feedback had indicated that those with no prior experience in anatomy struggled with basic anatomical concepts, as limited time is allotted to foundational anatomical knowledge in the first year of the curriculum. Therefore, four introductory anatomy e‐modules were developed to prepare students for the anatomical components of the program. Our previous pilot study in 2020 had described the design of e‐modules and quantitative results indicated that completion of the introductory e‐modules allowed first‐year MScOT students with minimal prior anatomy experience to gain baseline knowledge and draw level with students who have more anatomical experience. The current study, conducted on the 2021 cohort of first‐year MScOT students, shifts the focus to evaluating how multimedia design elements in the e‐modules foster or hinder students’ anatomy learning experience. The collection of qualitative data in this study aims to complement the quantitative results from our previous findings to provide a holistic understanding of how learning design shapes module effectiveness.MethodsThis study consists of two components. The quantitative portion assesses the effectiveness of the introductory e‐modules through the comparison of first‐year MScOT students’ knowledge test scores before and after completion of the e‐modules. The qualitative portion analyzes responses in an evaluation survey to identify emerging themes regarding multimedia module design through thematic and content analysis. Further analysis will group knowledge test questions by their associated module to examine the alignment between actual and students’ perceived effectiveness of multimedia elements incorporated into e‐modules in enhancing learning outcomes.ResultsPreliminary results indicate significant improvements in performance in the post‐test, consistent with our findings in the previous study. In the evaluation survey, the majority of participants rated the interactive yoga studio section in Module 1 and recurrent learning checks as the most effective multimedia elements that fostered learning. Conversely, the rapid pace of the narration and the busyness of slides were most commonly listed as elements that hindered learning.ConclusionThis study utilizes Mayer’s theory of multimedia learning in the development of e‐modules to identify multimedia design elements that students perceive to be beneficial for learning. Preliminary findings suggest the need to incorporate active learning elements in a virtual environment to enhance students’ anatomy learning experience. In addition, instructors should account for greater expectations from students regarding the quality of computer‐assisted technology compared to in‐person learning – such as optimal pacing and content – to reduce the extrinsic load and prevent hindrance of students’ learning.

Problem-Based Learning Impacts Students’ Reported Learning and Confidence in an Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Course

Recent advances in teaching, many of which incorporate elements of active learning, seek to provide students with learning experiences indicative of real-world problem solving. Problem-based learning (PBL) is one form of active learning that challenges students to address open-ended problems. In this work, we evaluate the efficacy of PBL in achieving the various levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, compared to the traditional teaching methods of lecture, in-class problems, and homework. In this two-year study of undergraduates at a mid-sized research university, students report their perceived rating of various teaching methods in mastering the educational goals on each level of Bloom’s Taxonomy, from which a cumulative linked mixed model was formed. Students also evaluated their preparedness and increases in skill and confidence for a range of specific tasks associated with completing a PBL project. PBL was the only teaching method to preferentially activate high levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Students also reported increases in their skills and confidence (p < 0.01), with more time spent on high-level tasks, compared to low-level tasks. Qualitative survey responses indicate a plurality of students found PBL engaging and rewarding, with additional benefits to their development of professional skills. Though PBL is not comprehensively better at addressing all levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy compared to other teaching methods, this work has shown it is far superior at addressing the highest Bloom’s Taxonomy levels of Evaluate and Create. Time spent in PBL improves students’ self-efficacy in high-level tasks, preparing them for difficult and ill-defined tasks they may expect to see in future professional and academic environments.

Effect of shift to virtual teaching on active learning: A snapshot.

Active learning engages students via interaction for deeper understanding and retention. A global pandemic resulted in an abrupt mid-semester transition from in-person to virtual learning. This study examined student reporting on active learning before and after this transition. First-year DDS candidates took an anonymous survey, reflecting on three Spring (January-April) 2020 courses (lecture-style, small-group case-based, and pre-clinical). Survey questions included: (1) basic demographics, (2) reporting frequency (1-Never, 2-Rarely, 3-Sometimes, 4-Often, 5-Always) of active learning elements from a pre-set list before/after the shift to online learning, and (3) Likert-style questions regarding effects on active learning and learning environment preference. The traditional lecture course manifested two active learning activities in the category Sometimes prior to the transition to virtual; one of those activities (question and answer) experienced the most significant difference (p<0.0001) in frequency change. The small group, case-based course incorporated nine activities in-person in the category Sometimes; although small significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) in frequency were noted for five of those activities between virtual and in-person, these differences may have not have made a difference in practice. The pre-clinical course incorporated four activities in the category Sometimes pre-transition, with no significant differences detected in frequency. Students slightly leaned toward preferring in-person for the small-group and pre-clinical courses, but had no preference for the traditional lecture course. Course structure may correlate more with student experience of the frequency of active learning activities and preference for in-person versus virtual environment than the environment itself.

Gamification of Applied Technical Disciplines

Three forms of interaction between teacher and students, which have become widespread, are described. The main purpose of the work is to study the fundamental differences between games and gamification in order to identify and modify the most effective methods for introducing active learning elements in the educational process. After decomposition of games and gamification, the following features of activities were revealed. Already at this stage, differences are noticeable between the goals of games where you need to win, and gamification – to learn. It is shown that the selection of optimal game mechanics, to improve the learning process, was carried out according to subjective criteria, and the result according to objective – academic performance, aimed at students of technical specialties. Thus, repeated studies for groups of other specialties can give different, but no less interesting situations. It was found that the use of game scenarios during a laboratory practice objectively increases academic performance, thereby increasing the formation of skills and abilities of professional competencies.

Active Learning Through Student-Centered Activity in the Instruction of Islamic Education Teachers as An Implementation of The 21st Century Learning: A Case Study

Active learning through student-centered activity has a significant impact on learning as well as the mastery of the students. The implementation of student-centered activity blended with elements of active learning is among the foundation that forms the 21st century education. However, its implementation is often underestimated due to constraints faced by teachers. This article discusses the elements of active learning within student-centered activity implemented by Islamic Education teachers in primary schools applying the concept of 21st century learning in the process of teaching and learning. This study adopted the qualitative method conducted on seven teachers of Islamic Education primary school in the state of Melaka. In-depth interviews, observations and document analysis were performed for this study and the data were analyzed using NVivo 12.0. The finding indicated that there are six elements of active learning in the activities of student-centered learning that was implemented by the Islamic Education primary school teachers in the state of Melaka. All of the elements involved had demonstrated a pattern, in which all students are involved in the activities, all students perform their own activities, students learn from the activities, varied activities according to the level of students, several sets of activities in a single teaching session and edutainment activities. This study generally suggests a method that could serve as a guideline for teachers to carry out active learning through the student-centered activity in order to realize the concept of 21st century learning in the teaching and learning process.

A flipped classroom approach to teaching search techniques for systematic reviews to encourage active learning

This project report describes the rationale for moving a one-shot library teaching session on advanced searching for systematic reviews to a flipped classroom approach (e-learning ahead of face-to-face teaching) and the process this took. It examines the e-learning and active learning elements designed to support learners engage with challenging threshold concepts including subject headings. Learner feedback during, immediately at the end of each session, and in response to a follow-up impact survey is considered. Overall, learner feedback on the flipped classroom was very positive and teachers reported improved learner outcomes (formative in-class informal assessment). Areas identified for development are presented. The report extends the body of research on the use of the flipped classroom in information literacy and provides evidence that active learning techniques can be successful in increasing learner engagement and achievement even in a one-shot setting.

The implementation of active learning practices in a South African physiology class: a follow-up study.

Although there is increased uptake of active learning approaches in especially developed countries, this is still lagging within the African context. The current study therefore focused on the implementation of group learning at Stellenbosch University, with several modifications versus our earlier, pilot study. Students freely formed small groups at the start of a 5-wk cardiovascular physiology lecture series and were apportioned three separate assignments to complete over this period. This included three in-class group-learning sessions, while students also completed group work outside class times. The active learning element was embedded within a constructive alignment framework. Our data revealed that 75% of the students felt that the in-class sessions was a good use of their time and that they progressively improved their assignment scores, i.e., 67.5 ± 9.3%, 72.4 ± 9.8%, and 76.1 ± 9.5% for the first, second, and final ones, respectively (P < 0.0001). Moreover, the average class score for their final test (68 ± 15.1%) was higher when compared with the average class score (57.5 ± 19.4%) calculated for the previous 3 yr (P < 0.0001). This study revealed two major findings: i.e., 1) students displayed a strong positive response regarding the adoption of in-class collaborative group work, and 2) the introduction of such active learning elements correlated with improved student assignment and test scores. Based on these findings, we propose additional modifications (including a shift to more formative assessments) to ensure even greater success with the roll-out of such active learning elements within the African context.

Survey of case study users during pandemic shift to remote instruction

Before COVID-19, the use of case studies to learn science was well established in high school and postsecondary classrooms. Once the pandemic ensued, many faculty continued to use the method as a way to infuse elements of active learning remotely. The results of a survey taken by 600 faculty reveal how they accomplished this feat. Respondents to the survey found that the case method readily transferred to online learning. Most used a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous classrooms. Serious challenges were encountered, primarily due to the difficulty instructors had in keeping track of learner participation. Many obstacles were overcome by creative strategies such as using Google Forms. Some semblance of a normal classroom was achieved by using online conferencing tools and using small groups in synchronous breakout rooms. Cases were commonly broken into chunks and spread over several days. This worked especially well with cases that were already structured this way, including interrupted cases and problem-based learning exercises. Assessment of student performance largely followed the traditional path of exams, projects, and essays, although a third of the faculty attempted to evaluate participation. Classes conducted via an asynchronous approach were largely lecture based, with cases given to learners to complete as homework either individually or as groups. The greatest challenge in this setting was that answers to case questions were often readily available to learners on the internet. This was avoided by faculty modifying questions or creating their own.

Active Learning: Basic Science Workshops, Clinical Science Cases, and Medical Role-Playing in an Undergraduate Biology Course

Effective undergraduate courses increasingly blend elements of active learning with a more traditional lecture format. Designing and implementing active learning sessions that engage, educate, and are challenging and workable in a group setting are essential for student learners. In addition, active learning sessions take concepts of fundamental knowledge and apply them to a more relevant and real-world environment. Thus, effective active learning lesson plans enable students to thrive in their educational experience, and this potentially enhances material retention. Presented here are examples of the critical components of active learning engagement in an undergraduate biology course. First, basic science workshops let students apply basic scientific principles to biomedical science scenarios. Second, clinical science case studies help students understand the interplay between basic and clinical sciences in a patient-based medical case format. Finally, medical role-playing allows student teams to understand the complexity of medical care, moving from the patient’s presenting symptoms to formulating a diagnosis and treatment plan. These exercises strengthen several aspects of active learning, especially those related to student-team-based collaboration, conversation, coordination, and compilation.