Introductory Course Research Articles

Reflective Groupwork For Introductory Proof-Writing Courses

We discuss two proof evaluation activities meant to promote the acquisition of learning behaviors of professional mathematics within an introductory undergraduate proof-writing course. These learning behaviors include the ability to read and discuss mathematics critically, reach a consensus on correctness and clarity as a group, and verbalize what qualities “good” proofs possess. The first of these two activities involves peer review and the second focuses on evaluating the quality of internet resources. All of the activities involve groupwork and reflective discussion questions to develop students' experience with these practices of professional mathematics.

The Use of Guided Reflections in Learning Proof Writing

We investigated written self-reflections in an undergraduate proof-writing course designed to mitigate the difficulty of a subsequent introductory analysis course. Students wrote weekly self-reflections guided by mechanical, structural, creative, and critical thinking modalities. Our research was guided by three research questions focused on the impact of student self-reflections on student metacognition and performance in the interventional and follow-up class. To address these questions, we categorized the quality of the students’ reflections and calculated their average course grades within each category in the proof-writing, the prerequisite, and the introductory analysis courses. The results demonstrated that writing high-quality self-reflections was a statistically significant predictor of earning higher average course grades in the proof-writing course and the analysis course, but not in the prerequisite course. Convergence over the semester of the students’ self-evaluations toward an experts’ scorings on a modality rubric indicates that students improve in their understanding of the modalities. The repeated writing of guided self-reflections using the framework of the modalities seems to support growth in the students’ awareness of their proof-writing abilities.

Does Inquiry-Based Learning Instruction Work for Introductory Psychology?

Background Despite the increased popularity of inquiry-based instruction, there is a paucity of research that directly compares the impacts of inquiry-based approaches on student learning outcomes. Objective The present field study examined the impact of two types of inquiry-based learning on performance in a research-oriented assignment. Method In an introductory psychology course, the assignment was presented through either a partially student-directed learning (SDL) approach (serving as the control condition) or a SDL approach (serving as the treatment condition). Students were first-year students with a didactic instructional past. Results Student-directed learning, which was characterized by a high degree of SDL and a limited contribution by the instructor, was found to yield higher performance. Although there were no prior differences in self-efficacy and assignment performance between the two groups, SDL also yielded higher final test performance. Conclusion These findings suggest that students can benefit from being challenged, and that initial apprehension may be a motivator for peer cohesiveness and ultimately exerted effort. Teaching Implications The SDL approach may be further investigated as a viable instructional method to enrich students’ learning opportunities as well as reinforce their sense of agency.

Changes in Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Efficacy

Grades in introductory STEM courses can impact intrinsic motivation (IM) and self-efficacy (SE). We used an exploratory approach to examine trends in grades and how IM and SE impact students’ grades. It is known that most first-generation (FG) college students are from underrepresented backgrounds (URM), and that these students are least likely to persist in STEM fields. Therefore, gaining a better understanding of motivation in our most underserved students could be critical to improving their success in introductory biology courses and ultimately future persistence in STEM. We found that, on average, URM FG students received the lowest final grades and experienced the greatest declines in IM and SE. This research informs the way we may think about changes in motivation and self-efficacy in our introductory biology courses as these lay the foundation for future learning and success.

Adding Environmental, Social, and Governance Reporting to an Introductory Accounting Course

ABSTRACT As more firms are focusing on sustainability issues, ESG reporting is quickly becoming a beneficial topic for business and accounting students to understand. This learning strategy provides faculty with materials that can be used to introduce ESG reporting in an introductory accounting course. This paper discusses the background on ESG reporting and summarizes the accounting profession’s involvement in compiling and reviewing these reports. The teaching materials include general suggestions and comments, example ESG factors, example ESG disclosures, sustainability accounting scenarios with discussion suggestions, resource links for ESG reporting frameworks and assessment, an example reading assignment, multiple-choice questions, and PowerPoint slides. Sustainability and ESG reporting are topics of increasing importance to stakeholders. Exposing business and accounting students to these topics early into their education can provide them with a foundational knowledge that will surely be built upon in their upper-level courses and eventual careers. JEL Classifications: M41; Q56.

Collaborative Commentary: A New and Innovative Tool for Language Commentary and Analysis

The goal of this article is to introduce the Collaborative Commentary (CC) tool and explain how it can be used in conjunction with the many TalkBank shared databases to enhance research and teaching in many areas of language study. The CC tool and its features are described in a detailed example of an assignment for an introductory course on language development. Students are able to join a CC group set up by their instructor, open specific transcripts in the CHILDES database, watch an interaction on video, follow the interaction in the transcript, and insert comments or codes directly into the transcript which are only available to members of that CC group. Additional examples of teaching, research, and clinical applications are given for using CC with other TalkBank shared databases such as AphasiaBank, TBIBank, DementiaBank, FluencyBank, and ClassBank. CC is an innovative tool that opens the rich resources of the TalkBank shared databases for a variety of purposes. Instructors can use CC to give students the opportunity to apply what they are learning by identifying behaviors such as those associated with typical dysfluencies versus stuttering or typical language development versus late talking that they are learning about in academic classes. Clinical instructors can have students practice scoring various tests or describe the techniques used in a particular treatment program. Researchers can use CC to debate theories on language, refine definitions of commonly used terms, establish coding reliability, and code behaviors of interests such as gestures, errors, coherence, macrostructure, and pragmatics. The CC tool can open up many exciting new ways to investigate language in many disciplines.

Collaborative Commentary: A New and Innovative Tool for Language Commentary and Analysis

The goal of this article is to introduce the Collaborative Commentary (CC) tool and explain how it can be used in conjunction with the many TalkBank shared databases to enhance research and teaching in many areas of language study. The CC tool and its features are described in a detailed example of an assignment for an introductory course on language development. Students are able to join a CC group set up by their instructor, open specific transcripts in the CHILDES database, watch an interaction on video, follow the interaction in the transcript, and insert comments or codes directly into the transcript which are only available to members of that CC group. Additional examples of teaching, research, and clinical applications are given for using CC with other TalkBank shared databases such as AphasiaBank, TBIBank, DementiaBank, FluencyBank, and ClassBank. CC is an innovative tool that opens the rich resources of the TalkBank shared databases for a variety of purposes. Instructors can use CC to give students the opportunity to apply what they are learning by identifying behaviors such as those associated with typical dysfluencies versus stuttering or typical language development versus late talking that they are learning about in academic classes. Clinical instructors can have students practice scoring various tests or describe the techniques used in a particular treatment program. Researchers can use CC to debate theories on language, refine definitions of commonly used terms, establish coding reliability, and code behaviors of interests such as gestures, errors, coherence, macrostructure, and pragmatics. The CC tool can open up many exciting new ways to investigate language in many disciplines.

Exploring the Impact of GitHub Copilot on Health Informatics Education.

The use of artificial intelligence-driven code completion tools, particularly the integration of GitHub Copilot with Visual Studio, has potential implications for Health Informatics education, particularly for students learning SQL and Python. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of these tools in solving or assisting with the solution of problems found in Health Informatics coursework, ranging from simple to complex. The study assesses the performance of GitHub Copilot in generating code to solve programming problems normally given to students in introductory Health Informatics programming courses. Problem statements are provided to the tool; the response is assessed on correctness. The focus is on the impact of detailed explanations on the tool's effectiveness. Findings reveal that GitHub Copilot can generate correct code for straightforward problems. The correctness and effectiveness of solutions decrease with problem complexity, and the tool struggles with the most challenging problems, although performance on complex problems improves with more detailed explanations. The study not only underscores the relevance of these tools to programming in Health Informatics education but also highlights the need for critical evaluation by students. It concludes with a call for educators to adapt swiftly to this rapidly evolving technology.

Instructor Gender Influences Non-Major’s Drawings of an Entomologist

The Draw-a-Scientist Test (DAST) has been extensively researched as a projective test used to assess individuals’ perceptions of scientists. This study investigated student perceptions of entomologists and compared responses of students taught by a male instructor with responses of students who viewed video lectures recorded by the male instructor but interacted with a female instructor. Data were collected from two sections of an introductory entomology course at Oklahoma State University, with one section taught by a male instructor and the other by a female instructor using lecture recordings of the male instructor. Drawings were analyzed for characteristics including facial expression, clothing, equipment, presence of insects, race, and gender. The majority of drawings included smiling faces, glasses, and entomology equipment, while few students illustrated persons of color. Specific criteria to classify drawn entomologists as male, female, or non-gender figures were developed and used to assess drawings. The majority of students in both sections drew male entomologists, consistent with previous DAST studies where male scientists predominate. However, a higher proportion of female entomologists were depicted in the section who interacted with the female instructor. These findings emphasize the impact of instructor gender on students’ perceptions and stereotypes. Even when lectures are given by a male instructor, interaction with a female instructor can positively influence the gender representation in students’ drawings. Efforts should be made to promote diversity and inclusivity in instruction to increase underrepresented groups in science. This study contributes criteria to assess student depictions of gender and provides valuable insights into the gender representation and characteristics depicted in student drawings of entomologists. It highlights the influence of instructor gender on students’ perceptions and stereotypes in entomology and likely applies to other fields of biology.

Creating interactive course directories

Many learning management systems (LMS) enable displaying a public course roster. However, such rosters are limited in several ways. First, they typically contain only basic institutional details about people (e.g., their name and email) and often include generic identification photos, which limits the inclusion of course-specific details and stifles student self-expression. Second, they are often static, with limited ability for users to interact via searching and filtering. This teaching tip describes a method for creating an interactive Course Directory and embedding it within an LMS. Beginning in Fall 2019, variations of this technique have been employed by the authors in an introductory undergraduate course, two upper-level undergraduate courses, and a graduate-level course in Animal and Dairy Sciences. The basic mechanism for creating the Course Directory includes 1) a survey and its responses, 2) a data platform, and 3) an embedded element in an LMS webpage. This method is adaptable to a wide range of survey systems, data platforms, and LMS systems. The present teaching tip describes an example in which we connected a Google Form to Google Looker Studio to embed an inline frame within a Canvas webpage.

PAIR PROGRAMMING FOR LEARNING PROGRAMMING SUBJECT IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

This Systematic Literature Review (SLR) investigates the role of pair programming in higher education, focusing on its impact on students' learning outcomes, collaboration, and programming skill development. As programming courses become increasingly complex, the demand for effective teaching methods has led to the growing popularity of collaborative learning techniques, such as pair programming. However, questions remain regarding its scalability, adaptability, and long-term benefits in educational settings. A thorough search of academic publications from 2021 to 2024 was conducted to explore these issues using databases such as Scopus and Web of Science (WoS). The study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework, starting with 42 articles, of which 22 met the inclusion criteria for further analysis. Articles were excluded for irrelevance, mismatched titles, lack of empirical data, or unavailability of full texts. The review categorized its findings into three key themes: (1) Remote and distributed Pair Programming (RPP), (2) psychological and social dynamics, and (3) pedagogical approaches and tools. The results suggest pair programming enhances students' learning performance, particularly in introductory programming courses, by improving problem-solving skills and coding proficiency. However, challenges such as unequal participation and student resistance persist. The success of pair programming largely depends on proper implementation and teacher facilitation. While the review indicates that pair programming holds promise as an instructional strategy in higher education, it emphasizes the need for further research to assess its long-term impact and address its implementation challenges.

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) in Introductory Technical and Professional Communication (TPC) Courses Across Institutions

ABSTRACT The social justice turn of the last two decades has spurred significant scholarship, but much remains to be done to gauge the impact of social justice scholarship on programmatic and curricular efforts. Programmatic and curricular development provides the primary, most important platform and “nurturing ground for promoting and enacting social justice” (p. 39), and that should engage our attention. This article is one such attempt, even if small, at contributing to this work by investigating justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) initiatives in introductory TPC classes across institutions in TPC programs nationwide. It reports the results of a survey of instructors of introductory TPC courses across US institutions as well as an analysis of syllabi used by those instructors. Noting a multiplicity of macro- and micro-level challenges to JEDI work, the authors call for increased and targeted curricular discussion of JEDI as well as focused support and training for instructors at the institutional and programmatic levels.

The influence of prior knowledge on the self-efficacy of students enrolled in a tertiary introductory accounting course

ABSTRACT Given that self-efficacy has been found to influence the achievement of learning outcomes, this study examines the influence of prior knowledge on the self-efficacy levels of students enrolled in a tertiary level introductory accounting course. The self-efficacy levels of 272 students, captured through an in-class survey, were compared by gender, age, prior knowledge and work experience. The results suggest there was no significant difference in self-efficacy levels between students who had previously studied accounting at secondary school and those who had not. This research makes a theoretical contribution by confirming that prior knowledge does not necessarily influence an individual’s level of self-efficacy when there are few similarities between the prior knowledge gained and the current course being studied. In addition, there is a practical contribution which suggests that students who have not studied accounting at secondary school should not be discouraged from studying accounting at tertiary level.

The Relationship Between Course Structure and Intensity, and Student Success in Developmental Education

Texas legislation mandated that colleges offer developmental education using a corequisite model, where students concurrently enroll in introductory college-level courses with supplemental developmental support. Using data from the population of Texas students in developmental education, we estimated regression models to investigate differential relationships between corequisite characteristics and outcomes, both overall and by student characteristics. Our findings suggest there is no single “magic bullet” course structure that is universally more effective, as relationships between the reform and student success vary by subject and student subgroup. Additionally, even a single credit of corequisite developmental support can be beneficial for some students, potentially more so than traditional three-credit courses.

An Effective Concept for Teaching LabVIEW Programming to Engineering Students

In today’s technology-driven era, the demand for engineers with strong programming skills continues to rise across diverse industries. LabVIEW software stands out as a key tool in engineering, supporting applications ranging from test and measurement systems to automation and control across different sectors, like manufacturing, aerospace, and automotive. Proficiency in LabVIEW therefore enables engineers to work on a wide range of projects and applications. This article presents two distinct pedagogical approaches to teaching LabVIEW programming at the university level. The introductory course is taught using traditional direct teaching methods, with an emphasis on face-to-face teaching and classroom lectures. In contrast, the advanced course uses a flipped classroom model, where students work independently on preparatory material before participating in laboratory exercises. The latter course concludes with a large project, which the student must complete within four hours. The article provides details on the teaching methods and content of the individual courses, as well as an explanation of the assessment process for the final project. The analysis of the final project results confirms that the students have acquired the knowledge necessary to create functional LabVIEW programs with the appropriate programming style.

The unexpected power of linear programming: an updated collection of surprising applications

Linear programming has had a tremendous impact in the modeling and solution of a great diversity of applied problems, especially in the efficient allocation of resources. As a result, this methodology forms the backbone of introductory courses in operations research. What students, and others, may not appreciate is that linear programming transcends its linear nomenclature and can be applied to an even wider range of important practical problems. The objective of this article is to present a selection, and just a selection, from this range of problems that at first blush do not seem amenable to linear programming formulation. The exposition focuses on the most basic models in these selected applications, with pointers to more elaborate formulations and extensions. Thus, our intent is to expand the modeling awareness of those first encountering linear programming. In addition, we hope this article will be of interest to those who teach linear programming and to seasoned academics and practitioners, alike.

Bringing Lecture-Tutorials Online: An Analysis of A New Strategy to Teach Planet Formation in the Undergraduate Classroom

Previous studies conclusively show that pencil-and-paper lecture-tutorials (LTs) are incredibly effective at increasing student engagement and learning gains on a variety of topics when compared to traditional lecture. LTs in astronomy are post-lecture activities developed with the intention of helping students engage with conceptual and reasoning difficulties around a specific topic with the end goal of them developing a more expert-like understanding of astrophysical concepts. To date, all astronomy LTs have been developed for undergraduate courses taught in-person. Increases in online course enrollments and the COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the need for additional interactive, research-based, curricular materials designed for online classrooms. To this end, we developed and assessed the efficacy of an innovative, interactive LT designed to teach planet formation in asynchronous, online, introductory astronomy courses for undergraduates. We utilized the Planet Formation Concept Inventory to compare learning outcomes between courses that implemented the new online, interactive LT, and those that used either a lecture-only approach or utilized a standard pencil-and-paper LT on the same topic. Overall, learning gains from the standard pencil-and-paper LT were statistically indistinguishable from the in-person implementation of the online LT and both of these conditions outperformed the lecture-only condition. However, when implemented asynchronously, learning gains from the online LT were lower and not significantly above the lecture-only condition. While improvements can be made to improve the online LT in the future, the current discipline ideas still outperform traditional lecture, and can be used as a tool to teach planet formation effectively.

How does using an AR learning environment affect student learning of a radical substitution mechanism?

Abstract As the use of augmented reality (AR) in educational settings grows, it becomes increasingly important to understand how to use AR in classrooms. Here, we present an AR learning environment that we designed for teaching an organic chemistry reaction mechanism in high school chemistry classes. This new environment was tested in six tenth-grade chemistry classes (upper secondary) taught by five different teachers in three different schools over the course of five months and evaluated for effectiveness. Students completed knowledge tests before and after they used the AR learning environment to test their learning gain, and surveys to measure their acceptance of the technology, the cognitive load they experienced, and their attitude toward the use of AR to learn the mechanism for radical substitution. Analysis shows that the knowledge posttest scores were significantly higher than the pretest scores (p < 0.001), with a large effect size (r = 0.8). Student responses showed acceptance of the technology, experience of low extraneous cognitive load, and a positive attitude toward the use of AR to learn this reaction mechanism. These findings indicate that this AR learning environment can be used to teach the mechanism of radical substitution to tenth-grade students in introductory high school chemistry courses.

Enhancing the Introductory Statistics Course: Comparing Student Learning and Performance in Traditional and Web-Enhanced Traditional Courses

A redesign of a traditional introductory statistics course was performed with the intent of increasing student success in the course without the extreme burden of implementing a flipped course. A study was then conducted to compare the new format (web-enhanced traditional) to the traditional format taught by the same professor with the same assignments, quizzes, and exams during the same semester. Students selected their own sections of the course to take but were not aware of the different class formats when they enrolled. Students in both course formats were similar demographically, with similar math ACT scores. It was found that students who participated in the web-enhanced traditional course were more successful in completing the course and performed better on course assessments than those students who participated in the traditional introductory statistics course. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.

Differentiated measurement of cognitive loads in computer programming

AbstractThis study had two objectives: (1) to evaluate the validity of an instrument for measuring differentiated cognitive loads in its Spanish version; and (2) to evaluate the three types of cognitive loads and their relationship with self-efficacy, self-concept, and interest in programming of students in an introductory course. Understanding and assessing cognitive loads when learning computer programming is key to supporting student learning. While there are instruments in English and German assessing the different types of cognitive loads, there is no validated instrument in Spanish. This study took place during the implementation of an online training program in basic programming, with a sample of 1162 students. We used Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis to validate the structure of the instrument. The results allowed us to establish a factorial structure of the subjective scale of differentiated cognitive loads, managing to measure the germane, intrinsic, and extraneous cognitive loads. The bivariate correlation analysis allowed identifying statistically significant associations between the study variables, including (a) the negative relationship between extraneous cognitive load and germane cognitive load and (b) the negative relationship between extraneous cognitive load and self-efficacy in programming.