University Classroom Setting Research Articles

Disclosures & Disclaimers: Investigating the Impact of Transparency Disclosures and Reliability Disclaimers on Learner-LLM Interactions

Large Language Models (LLMs) are increasingly being used in educational settings to assist students with assignments and learning new concepts. For LLMs to be effective learning aids, students must develop an appropriate level of trust and reliance on these tools. Misaligned trust and reliance can lead to suboptimal learning outcomes and reduced LLM engagement. Despite their growing presence, there is a limited understanding of achieving optimal transparency and reliance calibration in the educational use of LLMs. In a 3x2 between-subjects experiment conducted in a university classroom setting, we tested the effect of two transparency disclosures (System Prompt and Goal Summary) and an in-conversation Reliability Disclaimer on a GPT-4-based chatbot tutor provided to students for an assignment. Our findings suggest that disclaimer messages included in the responses may effectively mitigate learners' overreliance on the LLM Tutor in the presence of incorrect advice. Disclosing System Prompt seemed to calibrate students’ confidence in their answers and reduce the occurrence of copy-pasting the exact assignment question to the LLM tutor. Student feedback indicated that they would like transparency framed in terms of performance-based metrics. Our work provides empirical insights on the design of transparency and reliability mechanisms for using LLMs in classrooms.

Low-Cost Classroom and Laboratory Exercises for Investigating Both Wave and Event-Related Electroencephalogram Potentials.

Electroencephalography (EEG) has given rise to a myriad of new discoveries over the last 90 years. EEG is a noninvasive technique that has revealed insights into the spatial and temporal processing of brain activity over many neuroscience disciplines, including sensory, motor, sleep, and memory formation. Most undergraduate students, however, lack laboratory access to EEG recording equipment or the skills to perform an experiment independently. Here, we provide easy-to-follow instructions to measure both wave and event-related EEG potentials using a portable, low-cost amplifier (Backyard Brains, Ann Arbor, MI) that connects to smartphones and PCs, independent of their operating system. Using open-source software (SpikeRecorder) and analysis tools (Python, Google Colaboratory), we demonstrate tractable and robust laboratory exercises for students to gain insights into the scientific method and discover multidisciplinary neuroscience research. We developed 2 laboratory exercises and ran them on participants within our research lab (N = 17, development group). In our first protocol, we analyzed power differences in the alpha band (8-13 Hz) when participants alternated between eyes open and eyes closed states (n = 137 transitions). We could robustly see an increase of over 50% in 59 (43%) of our sessions, suggesting this would make a reliable introductory experiment. Next, we describe an exercise that uses a SpikerBox to evoke an event-related potential (ERP) during an auditory oddball task. This experiment measures the average EEG potential elicited during an auditory presentation of either a highly predictable ("standard") or low-probability ("oddball") tone. Across all sessions in the development group (n=81), we found that 64% (n=52) showed a significant peak in the standard response window for P300 with an average peak latency of 442ms. Finally, we tested the auditory oddball task in a university classroom setting. In 66% of the sessions (n=30), a clear P300 was shown, and these signals were significantly above chance when compared to a Monte Carlo simulation. These laboratory exercises cover the two methods of analysis (frequency power and ERP), which are routinely used in neurology diagnostics, brain-machine interfaces, and neurofeedback therapy. Arming students with these methods and analysis techniques will enable them to investigate this laboratory exercise's variants or test their own hypotheses.

A New Generation of Citizen Scientists: Self-Efficacy and Skill Growth in a Voluntary Project Applied in the College Classroom Setting

Using citizen science resources and projects in university education is a burgeoning pedagogical tool that can promote real-world application of science, autonomous learning, and understanding of self-efficacy in science learning. In this case study, we examined several factors relating to self-efficacy and skill growth in STEM and non-STEM majors in life science courses of different levels at one university. Four life science classes in Fall 2022 (n = 109 students) voluntarily participated in a self-guided pollinator training module. Motivations, previous awareness, participation, and self-efficacy and self-identification for citizen science participation and for general scientific inquiry were assessed through pre- and post-surveys before and after module training. Students characterized themselves as STEM or non-STEM majors to understand self-identity. In having students self-report their identity in STEM, we found a trend (79.2%) of natural resource and agricultural majors ranking themselves as non-STEM. Across all participants, we observed a significant increase for learning outcomes between pre- and post-survey results (ɑ = 0.05). Self-reported non-STEM students showed a positive trend between surveys across survey questions. In comparison, self-reported STEM students showed very little increase across surveys but ranked highly in both pre- and post-survey results (mean = 3.42 out of 4). Overall, our findings suggest that even small-scale citizen science–based projects may increase students’ familiarity with concepts based in scientific inquiry and meet learning outcomes benefitting the goals of both higher education and citizen science initiatives.

Gamification integration into multilingual classrooms

This paper discusses today's multilingual classrooms, which are developing under the conditions of digitalization by promoting gamification or incorporating game elements and mechanics into non-game contexts. The purpose of the study is to substantiate and evaluate the impact of gamification on students' motivation, engagement, and enjoyment with the help of action research, and gamification is compared to the game-based learning method. The instruments applied were tests, interviews, and class observations. The gamification of learning is an educational approach that seeks to motivate students for the benefit and purpose of the foreign language class. When applied correctly, gamification can bring new and complex elements to the foreign language learning environment, which created quite favorable overall students' perception of the class. The findings indicate that the action research validates the effectiveness of gamification as a strategy for engaging, motivating and entertaining students in the university classroom setting.

Readiness in Communicating in English as a Second Language

Due to its foreignness, communicating in English as a second language is fraught with fear and discomfort. This paper’s goal was to consider the issues and implications of the autoethnographer’s communication practice in a college classroom setting as seen through the lens of autoethnography. The study’s methodology included self-reflections, observations, and interviews with some of the participant’s classmates. These were evaluated and analyzed within self and cultural praxis using thematic analysis. The study found that communicating in English as a second language is fraught with readiness issues that are centered on fear and anxiety, giving rise to cultural hybridity through the blending of local and foreign expressions relevant to their social world without encroaching on local sensibilities.

Trait Energy and Fatigue Influence Inter-Individual Mood and Neurocognitive Responses during Work Done While Sitting, Standing, and Intermittent Walking: A Randomized-Controlled Crossover Design

College students can be sedentary for a majority of the day, which may exacerbate mental health issues or lead to declines in cognitive task performance; however, interventions to address sedentary behaviors may not positively influence everyone. Therefore, the present study sought to identify inter-individual cognitive performance and mood changes of college students during the performance of a cognitive task battery, while seated, standing and with intermittent bouts of walking. Participants (n = 31, age = 25.80 ± 3.61 yrs, 7 male) completed a series of baseline questionnaires including the Trait Mental and Physical Energy and Fatigue survey. Using a randomized controlled cross-over design, participants completed 3 separate testing sessions. At each session, they performed a series of three rounds of cognitive tasks for 27 min and self-reporting mood states for 1 min in the seated position. Each round of cognitive testing was followed by a 2 min break. Each testing day had participants spend the 2 min break in a different condition: sitting, standing, or walking. A series of mixed ANOVAs were used for the primary analysis and a combination of machine learning regressors and classifiers were used for the secondary analysis. Our results suggest that there are unique inter-individual responses to each of the interventions used during the 2 min break. Participants who were low-trait mental and low-trait physical energy benefited the most from the standing desk intervention, while also reporting significant benefits of intermittent walking. However, participants who were low-trait mental fatigue had significant negative consequences of using both standing desks and walking intermittently, while those who were high-trait mental fatigue saw no change in cognitive responses or moods in those conditions. Post hoc machine learning analyses had modest accuracy rates (MAEs < 0.7 for regressors and accuracy rates >60% for classifiers), suggesting that trait mental and physical energy and fatigue may predict inter-individual responses to these interventions. Incorporating standing desks into college classroom settings may result in some students receiving cognitive benefits when inter-individual variability in mood and cognitive responses are accounted for.

Knowledge Organisers for learning: Examples, non-examples and concept maps in university mathematics

<abstract> <p>Finding effective ways to engage students in sense-making while learning is one of the central challenges discussed in mathematics education literature. One of the big issues is the prevalence of summative assessment tasks prompting students to demonstrate procedural knowledge only, which is a common problem at the tertiary level. In this study, in a large university classroom setting (<italic>N</italic> = 355), an instructional innovation was designed, developed, implemented and evaluated involving novel tasks–Knowledge Organisers. The tasks comprised prompts for students to generate examples/non-examples and construct a concept map of the key mathematical concepts in the course. The initiative's design was based on the current understanding of human cognitive architecture. A concept map is a visualisation of a group of related abstract concepts with their relationships identified by connections using directed arrows, which can be viewed as an externalisation of a schema stored in a learner's long-term memory. As such, we argue for a distinction between a <italic>local conceptual understanding</italic> (e.g., example space) versus a <italic>global conceptual understanding</italic>, manifesting through a high-quality concept map linking a group of related concepts. By utilising a mixed-methods approach and triangulation of the findings from qualitative and quantitative analyses, we were able to discern critical aspects pertaining to the feasibility of implementation and evaluate learners' perceptions. Students' performance on concept mapping is positively correlated with their perceptions of the novel tasks and the time spent completing them. Qualitative analysis showed that students' perceptions are demonstrably insightful about the key mechanisms that supposedly make the tasks beneficial to their learning. Based on the results of the data analyses and their theoretical interpretations, we propose pedagogical strategies for the effective use of Knowledge Organisers.</p> </abstract>

Behavior analysis in college classrooms: A scoping review

AbstractWe conducted a scoping review of interventions that have been implemented classroom‐wide in college classroom settings. We searched nine behavior‐analytic journals from 2000 through 2020. We identified 59 studies that met our inclusion criteria and organized them into 13 categories: acceptance and commitment therapy (n = 1), equivalence‐based instruction (n = 1), SAFMEDS (n = 4), guided notes (n = 4), response cards (n = 5), group contingencies (n = 5), interteaching (n = 6), programmed instruction, PSI, computer‐aided (CA)PSI (n = 7), contingency arrangements (n = 15), feedback (n = 4), online delivery techniques (n = 4), game study sessions (n = 2), and peer‐generated examples (n = 1). The interventions have been used with undergraduate and graduate students across various course topics and modalities. Most interventions produced positive results, commonly assessed via quiz and exam scores. This review presents the scope of interventions, their characteristics, and recommendations for future research.

A Wireless Indoor Environmental Quality Logger Processing the Indoor Global Comfort Index.

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) has a high-level of impact on one’s health and productivity. It is widely accepted that IEQ is composed of four categories: thermal comfort, indoor air quality (IAQ), visual comfort, and acoustic comfort. The main physical parameters that primarily represent these comfort categories can be monitored using sensors. To this purpose, the article proposes a wireless indoor environmental quality logger. In the literature, global comfort indices are often assessed objectively (using sensors) or subjectively (through surveys). This study adopts an integrated approach that calculates a predicted indoor global comfort index (P-IGCI) using sensor data and estimates a real perceived indoor global comfort index (RP-IGCI) based on questionnaires. Among the 19 different tested algorithms, the stepwise multiple linear regression model minimized the distance between the two comfort indices. In the case study involving a university classroom setting—thermal comfort and indoor air quality were identified as the most relevant IEQ elements from a subjective point of view. The model also confirms this findings from an objective perspective since temperature and CO2 merge as the measured physical parameters with the most impacts on overall comfort.

Messy mapping: activating student lifeworlds through the handmade visual analysis of a literary text

ABSTRACT Visual analysis is a commonplace technique in geography pedagogy yet it is rarely used in the Australian literary studies context. This article explores the potential for visual analysis to contribute to the shared understanding of a work of literature in a university classroom setting. The use of visual analysis geography can encourage students to read texts closely and map them spatially using pen and paper. It proposes that literary studies educators may turn to innovative methods derived from geography to engage students with literary works. This article discusses a visual analysis assignment which centres on Jennifer Down’s Melbourne-based novel Our Magic Hour (2016) for a Literary Studies subject at RMIT University delivered predominantly face- to-face in 2018–2019 and then entirely online in 2020. I describe it as a “messy mapping” assignment which encourages students to acknowledge the limitations and erasures of positivist maps, while trying to capture relationships between emotion and place. I argue that “messy mapping” can activate the many connections and overlaps between texts and students’ own personal worlds.

Opening minds by supporting needs: do autonomy and competence support facilitate mindfulness and academic performance?

In a pair of studies, the present research examined mindfulness as a mediator through which perceived support for the basic psychological needs of autonomy and competence facilitate adaptive outcomes in a university classroom setting. In Study 1 (N = 199), dispositional mindfulness mediated the relation between perceived support for autonomy and competence in daily life and generalized test anxiety in college students. In Study 2 (N = 328), perceived support for autonomy and competence in the classroom predicted higher test performance and instructor evaluations among college students. Notably, perceived support for autonomy and competence in the classroom predicted increased state mindfulness minutes before a final exam, which in turn was associated with less test anxiety and better test performance, even after controlling for past academic achievement. In summary, instructor support of students’ basic needs for autonomy and competence in the classroom context predicted heightened states of mindful awareness prior to a final exam, which explained improvements in academic performance among students. This research represents a first step toward identifying situational factors that facilitate mindful awareness in academic contexts.

Description of a Theatre Review Writing Task in an Online University Classroom Setting

The Internet provides us with a plethora of material to read and view and is the tool that people use today to communicate and acquire information. YouTube is a globally-used platform for individuals and organizations to share audio and visual material. Due to the COVID-19 situation, many teachers in schools and universities have looked to this website to supplement their teaching as it provides a scope and depth of material that is easily and readily accessible to the public. Theatres having been forced to close because of the pandemic have used this platform to share their work, and many teachers, especially those teaching theatre or performance-related studies have accessed recordings of performances to use in the online classroom as it is, as far as I know, the only way to access the arts for free during the pandemic. As a teacher of English language with an interest in drama and theatre arts, I had been viewing many free performances as I hope to share and foster an appreciation of drama and theatre in my students. With that in mind, I attempted to design a theatre reviewing task for use in the EFL classroom. The report shows my findings and my reflections of the task, and reveals that viewing and writing about the theatre arts can have a positive influence on students.

Understanding L2 Speech Production : Implications for Teaching Speaking in EFL Classroom

As communicative competence has become a primary goal of English education in many Asian contexts, EFL curricula increasingly focus on students’ speaking performance. Considering the demands of cultivating competent L2 speakers, this study investigates factors associated with L2 speaking performance in a Korean EFL college classroom setting. Fifty-one students enrolled in a basic English speaking course participated. They completed five tasks measuring two linguistic variables (i.e., learners’ perception of segmental and suprasegmental features), a cognitive variable (i.e., short-term memory), and two language ability variables (i.e., listening comprehension ability and vocabulary size). They also completed a production task (i.e., picture narration). The results indicate that sensitivity to suprasegmental features (e.g., pause, stress, and intonation) and listening ability are associated with the quality of the learners’ spontaneous speech production, while sensitivity to segmental information (e.g., minimal pairs), short-term memory, and vocabulary size are not. These findings suggest the importance of explicit instruction in suprasegmental features to improve L2 production as well as perception ability, and that integrating listening and speaking instruction in L2 curricula may be the most effective means of improving learners’ speech.

Identity Negotiation in Chinese University English Classroom

Through a theoretical framework that builds on the Community of Practice construct and the concepts of identity negotiation, imagined identity and investment, this case study examines how one English-as-a-foreign-language student negotiated the identity as an English learner in the Chinese university classroom setting. Then the extent that the student’s oral communication behaviors in the English classroom community were influenced by the negotiated identity is presented. The analysis shows that a student may have multiple identities in the educational setting. By constantly shifting identities in the English learning process, the focal student struggled with the English learner identity perceived by herself and that identified by her English teacher. As a result, the student’s investment in English class oral tasks and communication behaviors in EFL classroom may change with the shift of identities. Suggestions are made for EFL teachers to help students construct desirable identities in order to improve their involvement in English class oral communication activities.

The Effects of Mindfulness Breathing in a Zen-Like Upright-Support Chair on Moods in a College Classroom Setting

The Effects of Mindfulness Breathing in a Zen-Like Upright-Support Chair on Moods in a College Classroom Setting

Can reducing sitting time in the university setting improve the cardiometabolic health of college students?

PurposeThe high prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS), prediabetes, and increased risk of cardiovascular diseases linked with prolonged sitting has created a need to identify options to limit sedentary behaviors. A potentially simple approach to achieve this goal in the university setting is to provide students the option to stand during courses rather than sit. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of standing in the college classroom setting on cardiometabolic risk factors in a cohort of college students.Patients and methodsHealthy college students (n=21) who attended at least two courses per week (a minimum of 5 hours) in a specified university building with standing desks participated in a 7-week intervention that was divided into three phases: 3 weeks of standing, 1 week of washout (sitting), and 3 weeks of sitting. The participants (mean ± SD: age, height, weight, body mass index, and waist-to-hip ratio were 22.7±6.4 years, 174.3±10.0 cm, 70.6±14.3 kg, 23.0±3.0 kg/m2, and 0.76±0.05, respectively) were randomly assigned to the phase of intervention of which they should start (sitting or standing), and all participants engaged in sitting during the washout phase. Cardiometabolic risk factors and metabolic equivalents (METs) were measured at baseline and weekly throughout the intervention.ResultsPaired t-tests revealed significant differences (P<0.05) in all cardiometabolic risk factors between the 3 weeks of sitting and 3 weeks of standing time blocks. Moreover, MetS z-score was significantly improved (P<0.05) during the 3 weeks of standing (–5.91±2.70) vs 3 weeks of sitting (–5.25±2.69). The METs were significantly higher (P<0.05) during standing (1.47±0.09) than during sitting (1.02±0.07). Although there was considerable interindividual variability in the ∆ MetS z-score response, there was a 100% (21/21) incidence of a favorable change (ie, responders) in MetS z-score response.ConclusionA standing desk in the classroom paradigm was found to significantly improve cardiometabolic health throughout a short 3 weeks time span. Increasing standing time in the classroom, and therefore lessening weekly sedentary behavior, could be a potential wide-scale, effective strategy for primordial prevention of cardiometabolic diseases.

Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Cognitive Performance Among Young Adults in a Higher Education Setting

ABSTRACTPurpose: Acute benefits of aerobic exercise on executive functioning have been reported frequently under laboratory conditions. However, to date, a beneficial effect on long-term memory has been less well supported and no data are available regarding nonlaboratory conditions in young adults. The aim of the current study was to investigate acute effects of aerobic exercise on cognitive functioning in a university classroom setting. Method: Using a cross-over design, 51 participants performed a bout of moderately intense running (RUN) and read an article while seated (CON). Afterwards, they completed free-recall tests, followed by a Flanker task and an n-back task. Results: Participants in the RUN condition compared with those in the CON condition showed shorter reaction time on the inhibition task, F(1, 50) = 5.59, p = .022, η2 = .101, and recalled more words in the immediate- and delayed-recall tests, F(1, 50) = 8.40, p = .006, η2 = .144. Conclusion: The present findings suggest that a moderately intense bout of aerobic exercise benefits verbal short-term and long-term memory as well as inhibitory control among students in a classroom setting.

Using Exploratory Structure Equation Modeling to validate a new measure of cohesion in the university classroom setting: The University Group Environment Questionnaire (UGEQ)

Despite evidence that cohesion is a significant determinant of academic outcomes in the university setting, a validated multidimensional measure of cohesion adapted to this context is lacking. The purpose of the present study was to develop and validate a cohesion questionnaire in the university setting based on Carron et al.’s (1985) multidimensional model. After conducting a pilot study and exploratory structural equation modeling analyses, a final 16-item version of the questionnaire was retained. The questionnaire presented strong fit to the data, good internal consistency, and measurement invariance across three different criteria. Findings suggest that researchers can use this questionnaire as a reliable, valid, and theoretically-grounded measure of cohesion in the university setting. Implications of these findings research are discussed.

Bringing Challenge Course Activities Into the Classroom: Pedagogical Strengths, Obstacles, and Recommendations

The challenge course (CC) is a popular element in experiential education, providing individuals with activities and reflective debriefing that build numerous social and psychological processes. To date, little research shows if CC activities can be successfully implemented in a college classroom setting. Using an introductory course at a U.S. liberal arts university, this study examined the perceived strengths and limitations of a classroom-based CC intervention with intentional follow-up activities throughout the semester. Employing a qualitative, descriptive study design, the class instructors (n = 5) and CC facilitators (n = 9) described their experience in two separate 1-hr focus groups. Three overarching themes emerged from the data: (a) perceived benefits of the intervention, (b) perceived challenges of the intervention, and (c) pedagogical recommendations for future interventions. In addition, several subthemes within each theme were also revealed. Despite noting several obstacles, the participants indicated that CC programs provide a unique learning experience that can be modified for the college classroom. Subscribe to JOREL

In-Class Cycling to Augment College Student Academic Performance and Reduce Physical Inactivity: Results from an RCT.

Most college students sit 14 hours per week on average, excluding sedentary study time. Researchers observing workplace and elementary school settings with active workstations to combat sedentary behavior have shown enhanced cognition without distraction. Until now, incorporating active workstations in college classroom settings remained relatively unexplored. This study’s purpose was to assess academic performance using in-class stationary cycle desks during a semester-long lecture course. Twenty-one college students (19–24 years) enrolled in a lecture course volunteered and were split into traditional sit (SIT) and stationary cycle (CYC) groups randomly, matched on a calculated factor equal to a physical activity (PA) score (0–680) multiplied by grade point average (GPA; 4.0 scale). CYC pedaled a prescribed rate of perceived exertion (RPE) of less than 2 out of 10 during a 50-min lecture, 3 × week for 12 weeks. CYC averaged 42 min, 7.9 miles, and 1.7 RPE during class throughout the semester. No significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed between CYC and SIT on in-class test scores or overall course grades. Although statistically insignificant, CYC had higher mean test scores and overall course grades vs. SIT (i.e., B+ vs. B, respectively). Low intensity cycling during a college lecture course maintained student academic performance and possibly reduced weekly sedentary behavior time.