Active Learning In Lectures Research Articles

“Nursing students’ experiences with concept cartoons as an active learning strategy for developing conceptual understanding in anatomy and physiology: A mixed-method study”

AimThe aim of this study was to explore bachelor-level nursing students’ experiences with concept cartoons as an active learning strategy and formative assessment to develop conceptual understanding in anatomy and physiology (A&P). BackgroundMany first-year nursing students struggle to understand central concepts in A&P. Concept cartoons–cartoon characters proposing scientifically acceptable statements and misconceptions combined with an illustration–might facilitate active learning in lectures, overcome misconceptions and promote deep learning. Voting on the most precise statement using a student response system gives formative information about the students’ conceptual understanding. DesignParallel mixed methods design with an emphasis on a qualitative approach. MethodsNine concept cartoons were developed based on former students’ written answers to exam items and applied in lectures at three universities/university colleges. Qualitative data of students’ experiences were collected in three focus group interviews during November 2019, one focus group at each of the three universities/university colleges (n = 5, 8 and 8). A short questionnaire was also applied (n = 343) to all students at the three universities/university colleges. Qualitative data were analysed using qualitative content analyses, whereas frequency analysis and Chi-square statistics were applied for the quantitative data. The study was approved by the Norwegian Centre for Research Data, ref. 779586. ResultsQualitative data analysis indicated that the use of concept cartoons addresses different learning styles and could promote deep learning and enhance the environment for learning. The concept cartoons were also seen as valuable for examination preparation. Regarding potential improvements, more information about concept cartoons, how they were developed and how they were supposed to be used would be beneficial, and the cartoons could be used in a more time-efficient manner during lectures. Quantitative data indicated that most of the students thought that concept cartoons were useful and inspiring in learning A&P, and they would recommend further use to increase their understanding of central concepts. There were no significant differences across sex, age, or entrance qualifications when it comes to the benefits of using concept cartoons in learning A&P. Compared to students born in Scandinavia, a larger proportion of students born outside Scandinavia found the use of concept cartoons inspiring for their learning in A&P. ConclusionsThe use of concept cartoons was appreciated by the students to develop a conceptual understanding in A&P. Most students recommended future use.Registration number: At point of submission put this on title pageTweetable abstract: Concept cartoons are appreciated as an active learning strategy and formative assessment in developing nursing students’ conceptual understanding of anatomy and physiology.

FROM THE EXPERIENCE OF ACTIVATION OF COGNITIVE ACTIVITY OF STUDENTS - FUTURE SOCIAL WORKERS

The article is devoted to the problem of finding the most effective methods of activating the cognitive activity of students - future social workers. It is noted that in the conditions of crisis phenomena experiencing the whole world, social work and training of a social worker in higher educational institutions acquire special significance. The necessity of choosing such means of activating the cognitive activity of students that meet the needs and specifics of the future specialty is substantiated. The experience of teaching the professional discipline "Social work with people with special needs" to fourth-year students majoring in 231 "Social Work" FLSK NAU is analyzed. A brief overview of scientific works devoted to solving the problem of activating the cognitive activity of students is offered. The longitudinal method of organizing the research, which was conducted in the first semesters of 2018/19 and 2019/20 academic years, was used. Among the empirical methods of obtaining scientific data, observational (observation) and diagnostic scale methods in the form of questionnaires and surveys were used. In the process of processing the results of the study were selected as standard methods of statistical data processing (quantitative processing) and methods of qualitative analysis. The most popular methods of activating the cognitive activity of students - future social workers are analyzed, namely: interactive lectures, multimedia technologies, project activities. Empirical research has shown that the learning material is best learned at the beginning and end of the lecture, so it was suggested to pay the most attention to the leading methods of active learning in lectures. Recommendations for a competent multimedia lecture are given. The advantages of project activities in the context of training future social workers are emphasized. Peculiarities of using forms of organization of educational activity at practical and lecture classes in the conditions of distance learning are experimentally investigated. It is determined that in these conditions students prefer not only active but also traditional reproductive forms of education. The direction of further scientific researches is outlined.

Do International Students Appreciate Active Learning in Lectures?

Active learning has been linked with increased student motivation, engagement and understanding of course material. It promotes deep learning, helping to develop critical thinking and writing skills in students. Less well understood, however, are the responses of international students to active learning. Using social constructivist theory, the purpose of this study is to examine domestic and international student perceptions of active learning introduced into large undergraduate Accounting Information Systems lectures. Several active learning strategies were implemented over one semester and examined through the use of semi-structured interviews as well as pre- and post- implementation surveys. Our results suggest broad improvements for international students in student engagement and understanding of unit material when implementing active learning strategies. Other key implications include international student preference for active learning compared with passive learning styles, and that international students may receive greater benefits from active learning strategies than domestic students due to social factors. Based on these findings this paper proposes that educators should seek to implement active learning to better assist and integrate students of diverse backgrounds.

Evaluation of a Faculty Development Program Aimed at Increasing Residents' Active Learning in Lectures

Active engagement in the learning process is important to enhance learners' knowledge acquisition and retention and the development of their thinking skills. This study evaluated whether a 1-hour faculty development workshop increased the use of active teaching strategies and enhanced residents' active learning and thinking. Faculty teaching in a pediatrics residency participated in a 1-hour workshop (intervention) approximately 1month before a scheduled lecture. Participants' responses to a preworkshop/postworkshop questionnaire targeted self-efficacy (confidence) for facilitating active learning and thinking and providing feedback about workshop quality. Trained observers assessed each lecture (3-month baseline phase and 3-month intervention phase) using an 8-item scale for use of active learning strategies and a 7-item scale for residents' engagement in active learning. Observers also assessed lecturer-resident interactions and the extent to which residents were asked to justify their answers. Responses to the workshop questionnaire (n = 32/34; 94%) demonstrated effectiveness and increased confidence. Faculty in the intervention phase demonstrated increased use of interactive teaching strategies for 6 items, with 5 reaching statistical significance (P ≤ .01). Residents' active learning behaviors in lectures were higher in the intervention arm for all 7 items, with 5 reaching statistical significance. Faculty in the intervention group demonstrated increased use of higher-order questioning (P = .02) and solicited justifications for answers (P = .01). A 1-hour faculty development program increased faculty use of active learning strategies and residents' engagement in active learning during resident core curriculum lectures.

Teaching

Can we model scientific practice better through conscientious course design and lecture strategies? Transformations is an up-to-date source book that addresses this question with teaching ideas drawn from the primary literature of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) and accumulated teacher lore in biology. This book starts from the uncontroversial premise that more active-learning approaches will promote learning in biology courses, but extends this premise toward course engagement and self-reflection about how we interact with our students.The authors have reprinted a series of features they published in CBE–Life Sciences Education. These features, arranged thematically, are intended to be used as independent segments for faculty who want to tool up on particular topics or practices. The volume opens with seven techniques for boosting active learning in lectures, briefly introduced in order of increasing prep time for the instructor. Several of these techniques – especially problem-based learning (PBL), peer-teaching, and cooperative learning – are elaborated upon in later chapters. The second group of chapters outlines ideas about course design, assessment, and content standards, and the reader is directed to more in-depth sources on those topics.For me, some of the most interesting ideas were from the section about student engagement, particularly the chapters about developing cultural competence as well as the practice of framing scientific content with historical or cultural perspectives in order to engage students. Their discussion of cultural competency offered starting points for faculty to self-reflect about our attitudes when working with students whose backgrounds differ from our own. Some of the practices introduced there may stop students from underrepresented groups from switching away from science because they don’t see themselves as belonging to the scientific culture.The final chapters emphasize teaching scientists’ ongoing development in scientific education. Many of these ideas are attainable by a single faculty member, such as exploring the literature of SoTL or developing partnerships with teachers in P–12 settings. Some chapters are more polemical in nature, particularly in regard to developing the teaching skills of biology graduate students as a systematic element of their training. Surprisingly, offices of teaching and learning that are dedicated to faculty development get no mention in this section.Even with the authors’ stated goal of producing stand-alone chapters, I would have preferred more integration across the volume. For example, three fine short chapters about questions in class, student talk, and evaluating answers could have been integrated into a single cohesive unit. The citations also reflect this lack of integration – features the authors had written (often summaries of the primary literature of SoTL) are cited as stand-alone publications in this book, despite also appearing as chapters in the volume. Sometimes the references are even contradictory: for example, student-group projects are introduced offhandedly in chapter 1 as a way to promote active learning, but in an expanded treatment in chapter 13 this model is revealed to be quite intensive in terms of preclass planning and ongoing coordination by faculty.Some practices and resources get very short shrift. The authors basically do not stray into the laboratory at all. I think that the proliferation of worksheet-based laboratory manuals has dulled the discovery aspect of doing science, particularly in the first-year or nonmajor experience. The inquiry-based practices of PBL or cooperative learning appear in several chapters, but they aren’t applied to the activities in the laboratory or the field. Some classroom-response systems are mentioned, but there is little coverage of other classroom technology.As a teaching scientist, I know that I am responsible for setting the tone and the level of the learning experience of my students. However, something crystallized for me in this book when I read about how “students experience learning (p. 157).” Do students experience learning or do they learn? I believe that we should strive to guide students toward more scientific sophistication, but throughout the text the authors seem to attribute very little agency to students for their own learning. Overall, the strategies the authors present for modeling how science is done are quite good, but these feature articles and others are already available as a collection on the journal’s open-access website. More time spent to integrate these ideas for the reader would have made this volume an even stronger contribution in its own right.

How to make a lecture course an engaging learning experience?

This paper investigates engagement and active learn ing in university mass education. It presents the results of an empirical study on the level of interest and the academic emotions that were experienced during an engaging lecture course, and how such variables were related to flow experience, self-study time, and study success. The participants (n=107) were Finnish first-year teacher students in an educational psychology lecture course. The data were collected by using a ques tionnaire that measured interest, academic emotions, sense of competence, challenge experienced, and self-study time five days before the final examina tion. Correlations among variables were measured, a step-wise cluster analysis and two ANOVA tests conducted. The participants were highly engaged and interest ed during the course. Interest, enthusiasm, sense of competence, and self-study time correlated positively with the grade awarded for the course. Three clusters (emotional profiles) were identified: engaged (36 %), unstressed (25 %), and anxious (39 %) student groups. Engaged students spent the most hours in self-study and received the best grades. Unstressed students were the least active in self-study and also achieved the lowest grades. Interest and sense of competence were decisive variables in successful studying during an engaging lecture course. Opportunities to develop blended learning environments that foster active learning in lectures were further discussed.

Impact of Faculty Development on Increasing Residents' Active Learning in Lectures

Impact of Faculty Development on Increasing Residents' Active Learning in Lectures

Is attending lectures still relevant in engineering education?

A case study was conducted on a group of undergraduate chemical engineering students to assess the relevance of attending lectures from a student perspective and to understand why these students attend and do not attend lectures with a view to developing approaches to teaching, which are of greater interest and benefit to student learning. The students were surveyed by means of a questionnaire-type survey, which collected both quantitative and qualitative data from them. The majority of students stated that lectures are still very beneficial to their learning and are not an out-of-date mode of education. The major reasons for lecture non-attendance were time priority and curriculum overload issues with other scholarly activities and poor quality teaching. The students provided a number of suggestions to improve lectures and lecture attendance, including the incorporation of active learning in lectures, linking lectures to assessment and adding extra value to what is already in the notes.

Promoting student-centered active learning in lectures with a personal response system

We investigated whether an active learning approach, facilitated by a personal response system, would lead to improved student engagement and learning outcomes in large-group physiology lectures for undergraduate science students. We focused on encouraging students' active learning in lectures, whereas previous studies have made more use of audience response technology during lectures for formative or summative assessment. Students voluntarily answered questions posed during lectures with their personal response system (clickers), with individual answers automatically collated for immediate histogram display. This feedback then dictated the focus of followup discussions in the lecture. Student and instructor attitudes were surveyed through voluntary interviews with student responses correlated with their degree of clicker participation and individual exam results. Active lectures were found to increase both student motivation and engagement. Students who participated in answering questions achieved better results than students who chose not to. Students with the lowest scores in a prerequisite course (previous semester physiology exam marks of < 60%) showed significantly better outcomes from the use of clickers than both middle-achieving (60-75%) and high-achieving (>75%) entry students. Significant improvement was evident in both mid- and end-semester exam results compared with student cohorts from preceding years, although this could also be influenced by many other factors. Increased student engagement and the immediate feedback obtained during lectures were advantages commonly noted by lecturing staff.

Early Mornings and Apprehension: Active Learning in Lectures

Early Mornings and Apprehension: Active Learning in Lectures

Active learning in lectures introducing magnetic induction

I describe a method of introducing magnetic induction to an introductory physics class, which encourages active participation by students in the process of learning.