Active Learning Opportunities Research Articles

Using a flipped classroom in a veterinary systems physiology course increases student performance on basic knowledge and clinical applicability questions.

Flipped classrooms are being utilized more frequently in biomedical education in order to provide more active learning opportunities to students although there are mixed results on the benefits of the flipped classroom in biomedical education. In this study, the effects of using a flipped classroom with case-based learning in the endocrine section of a first-year veterinary integrated histology and physiology course was investigated. Results demonstrated that the flipped classroom improved performance on the endocrine section exam by 15.9% (Cohen's d = 1.08, p<0.001) with improvements on both clinically-applicable and basic-knowledge questions. Student satisfaction with the flipped-classroom was also investigated. Students reported high satisfaction with the in-class case-based learning opportunities but lower satisfaction with the asynchronous content delivery and the time required outside of class. Student perceptions of the flipped classroom were measured again after being exposed to the results of the flipped classroom on student learning. After seeing the results, students were significantly more likely to value the time spent in the flipped classroom and to desire more opportunities for flipped classrooms in the future.

Research on Children’s Game Activity Design Strategies Based on Embodied Cognition Theory

Edutainment, in the kindergarten education stage, emphasizes the game as the basic activity and combines the content of education with the form of the game, thus it also forms the educational method of gamification teaching. Through investigation and analysis, it is found that the current kindergarten game activity design has the problem of improper combination of educational content and game form. The current kindergarten game activity design has problems such as stereotypes, children’s lack of active learning opportunities in activities, teachers’ insufficient theoretical understanding, inappropriate teacher guidance methods, and so on. Embodied cognition theory attaches importance to the important role of the body in the development of cognition, provides new guidance for classroom teaching, and opens up a new path for classroom teaching reform. Based on the perspective of embodied cognition theory, the concept of body and mind integration should be adhered to in kindergarten teaching with games as the basic activity, experiential teaching situation should be created, children’s subjective experience should be respected, and games and interactions should be designed to promote children’s physical and mental participation, thus laying a foundation for the realization of children’s individual freedom, autonomy, and all-round development. Therefore, this paper aims at the existing problems in the current kindergarten gamification teaching and discusses the design strategy of children’s game activities based on embodied cognition theory.

Computer simulation and hands-on labs: A case study of teaching robotics and AI

When teaching robotics, instructors face the challenge of finding an effective approach to bridge theoretical concepts and practical applications. Both computer simulations and hands-on laboratory experiments provide learners with opportunities for active, immersive, and experiential learning. As students progress from introductory to advanced topics and from theory to practice, their performance is contingent upon earlier knowledge and may increase, remain unchanged, or decrease. The question that arises is whether computer simulation can serve as a viable foundation for fostering an understanding of theory that enables the subsequent grasp of advanced practical concepts in robotics. Put another way, when students are introduced to the field of robotics through computer simulation, how will they perform when presented with advanced hands-on tasks involving the construction of physical robots to solve problems in physical space? To answer this question, we examined undergraduate student performance ( n = 107) across two robotics courses—an introductory course using computer simulation (Robot Operating System, Rviz, and GAZEBO) and an advanced course using physical hardware (Puzzlebot), leveraging the hardware's capability for AI tasks such as machine vision (Nvidia Jetson Nano development kit). Our findings suggest that student performance increased as they progressed from using computer simulation to engaging with hardware in the physical environment, further suggesting that teaching with computer simulations provides an adequate foundation to learn and complete more advanced tasks.

Alignment of learning objectives, assessments, and active learning to promote critical thinking in a first-year medical physiology course: lessons learned.

Medical students must be adept at critical thinking to successfully meet the learning objectives of their preclinical coursework. To encourage student success on assessments, the course director of a first-year medical physiology course emphasized the use of learning objectives that were explicitly aligned with formative assessments in class. The course director introduced the physiology discipline, learning objectives, and evidence-based methods of studying to students on the first day of class. Thereafter, class sessions started with a review of the learning objectives for that session and included active learning opportunities such as retrieval practice. The instructor provided short answer formative assessments aligned with the learning objectives, intended to help the students apply and integrate the concepts. Midsemester, students received a link to an online survey with questions on studying habits, class attendance, and student engagement. After finals, students were invited to participate in focus groups about their class experience. A qualitative researcher moderated focus groups, recorded responses, and analyzed the narrative data. Of 175 students, 95 submitted anonymous online surveys. Student engagement was significantly correlated with in-person class attendance (r = 0.26, T = 2.5, P = 0.01) and the completion of open-ended formative assessments (r = 0.33, T = 3.3, P = 0.001). Focus groups were held via videoconference. From the class, 14 students participated in 4 focus groups; focus group participants were mostly women (11 of 14) and mostly in-class attendees (13 of 14). The students in this sample valued critical thinking but misunderstood expectations on exams and few students used learning objectives to study.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We introduced formative assessments and study techniques to first-year medical students in a physiology course. Mastery of learning objectives was emphasized as the key to success. We asked how they studied physiology through an anonymous online survey and focus group interviews. The students enjoyed physiology but had difficulty with exam expectations. Helping students use learning objectives to guide their study may lead to improved exam scores. It may also help administrators meet their curriculum goals.

Inclusive learning and development practices for children with autism spectrum disorders and the ICT’s role

Nowadays, the inclusive orientation of education has promoted the inalienable right of all children, including those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), to be educated in mainstream schools alongside their typically developing (TD) peers. The autism spectrum includes developmental disorders that appear in early childhood and are characterized by qualitative deficits in social communication and adaptive behavior, impeding academic learning and social-emotional development. The aim of this paper is to study those practices that form the conditions for realizing the functional inclusion of ASD children in the traditional classroom. For this reason, through the literature review of modern foreign language scientific articles, an attempt was made to search and study the most widespread and research-documented intervention procedures and techniques, which develop the readiness skills of ASD children, providing them with quality opportunities for active learning and socialization alongside their TD peers. The results showed that when the earlier targeted educational approaches are used in the inclusive classroom, in a structured and predictable learning environment, taking into account their unique characteristics, interests and assessed educational needs, with the support of adequately trained teachers and an interdisciplinary team, in cooperation with the family, their dynamic involvement in the activities of the school program is facilitated. Furthmore, quality interactions with their TD peers are increased and therefore, the appearance of socially acceptable behaviors is promoted, which contributes to their acceptance by their classmates, laying the foundations for their smooth integration into society.

Student perspectives on peer education using a virtual platform to enhance advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused dramatic disruptions in the education of pharmacy students who graduated in 2022. As an additional active learning opportunity at a New York City hospital site with multiple preceptors and faculty, a monthly student-led virtual educational conference was implemented. The objective of this study was to assess student perspectives on the implementation of a virtual peer education conference. Methods: Between May 2021 and May 2022, a total of twenty-eight students participated as presenters or attendees. All students completed a 13-item survey to evaluate the impact their participation in the virtual conference had on their overall learning and how similar opportunities could impact their future learning experiences. Results: When asked to rate on a scale from 1 (did NOT improve at all) to 5 (greatly improved my learning), 93% (26/28) of students rated their change in learning after attending the student-led conference as a four or five. Students identified that participation enhanced their drug/disease state knowledge, improved their presentation skills and/or improved their critical thinking and clinical application skills. Conclusion: In the future, advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE) can consider the inclusion of peer education through an online platform as a strategy to facilitate learning in pharmacy programmes.

An Effective Online Learning for Listening Skill Subject: Students' Voice

This study aims to investigate the expectations of English Language Education students regarding effective online learning, with a focus on the listening subject. Qualitative research was conducted with 68 participants in the 2019 academic year, using online questionnaires to collect data. Results indicate that students anticipate clear communication, lecturer presence, an appropriate tone, and support from the online learning environment. They expect online courses to be challenging and offer opportunities for active learning, self-reflection, small group discussions, and practical application of theory. Positive social interactions are highly valued by learners, both online and offline. While time management and the home environment are concerns, participants’ express confidence in their ability to complete online exercises and learn independently with effective time management, the flexibility offered by online courses, and support from family and friends. Findings suggest that students have high expectations for their online learning experience and believe that they can achieve their goals with the appropriate resources and support.

Progressive Reduction of Captions in Language Learning

Aim/Purpose: This exploratory qualitative case study examines the perceptions of high-school learners of English regarding a pedagogical intervention involving progressive reduction of captions (full, sentence-level, keyword captions, and no-captions) in enhancing language learning. Background: Recognizing the limitations of caption usage in fostering independent listening comprehension in non-captioned environments, this research builds upon and extends the foundational work of Vanderplank (2016), who highlighted the necessity of a comprehensive blend of tasks, strategies, focused viewing, and the need to actively engage language learners in watching captioned materials. Methodology: Using a qualitative research design, the participants were exposed to authentic video texts in a five-week listening course. Participants completed an entry survey, and upon interaction with each captioning type, they wrote individual reflections and participated in focus group sessions. This methodological approach allowed for an in-depth exploration of learners’ experiences across different captioning scenarios, providing a nuanced understanding of the pedagogical intervention’s impact on their perceived language development process. Contribution: By bridging the research-practice gap, our study offers valuable insights into designing pedagogical interventions that reduce caption dependence, thereby preparing language learners for success in real-world, caption-free listening scenarios. Findings: Our findings show that learners not only appreciate the varied captioning approaches for their role in supporting text comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, pronunciation, and on-task focus but also for facilitating the integration of new linguistic knowledge with existing background knowledge. Crucially, our study uncovers a positive reception towards the gradual shift from fully captioned to uncaptioned materials, highlighting a stepwise reduction of caption dependence as instrumental in boosting learners’ confidence and sense of achievement in mastering L2 listening skills. Recommendations for Practitioners: The implications of our findings are threefold: addressing input selection, task design orchestration, and reflective practices. We advocate for a deliberate selection of input that resonates with learners’ interests and contextual realities alongside task designs that progressively reduce caption reliance and encourage active learner engagement and collaborative learning opportunities. Furthermore, our study underscores the importance of reflective practices in enabling learners to articulate their learning preferences and strategies, thereby fostering a more personalized and effective language learning experience. Recommendation for Researchers: Listening comprehension is a complex process that can be clearly influenced by the input, the task, and/or the learner characteristics. Comparative studies may struggle to control and account for all these variables, making it challenging to attribute observed differences solely to caption reduction. Impact on Society: This research responds to the call for innovative teaching practices in language education. It sets the stage for future inquiries into the nuanced dynamics of caption usage in language learning, advocating for a more learner-centered and adaptive approach. Future Research: Longitudinal quantitative studies that measure comprehension as captions support is gradually reduced (full, partial, and keyword) are strongly needed. Other studies could examine a range of individual differences (working memory capacity, age, levels of engagement, and language background) when reducing caption support. Future research could also examine captions with students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

Active and online

Much of the literature on flipped classrooms emphasises the physical classroom as the primary site for active learning, relegating the online environment to a place where content is delivered prior to students attending a workshop or tutorial. However, researchers have highlighted the rich opportunities for embedding interactivity in the online space and demonstrated positive impacts on the student experience. In this paper we discuss how interactivity was embedded in self-paced online modules as part of the redesign of three large courses at The University of Sydney Business School. In these courses, lectures were replaced with weekly, self-paced, media-rich online modules involving opportunities for active learning and immediate feedback. Course developments and impacts on student experience are presented through three mini case studies underpinned by evaluation embedded in a design-based research approach. The developments were conducted as part of a major strategic educational project in the Business School called Connected Learning at Scale (CLaS).

Game Elements in the Design of Simulations in Military Trauma Management Training: Protocol for a Systematic Review.

Military trauma teams are commonly operating in civilian hospitals during peacetime; in a war situation they must adjust their practices to the austere conditions. Simulations can replicate austere conditions to allow training in a safe environment that tolerates errors. Gamification, understood as the use of game elements to motivate and engage learners in nongame contexts, is gaining interest in medical education and military training. Applying game elements in the design of military trauma management simulations has the potential to provide learners with active learning opportunities and prepare them for providing medical services under austere conditions. Although gamification is known for its engaging and motivational benefits, there are controversies about its pedagogical value. The controversies can be attributed to the fact that various gamification strategies may consist of a different combination of game elements, leading to different outcomes. This systematic review aims to understand how game elements are used in the design of simulations in military trauma management training and their reported outcomes. We have designed a search strategy for the purpose of the review. Two researchers will independently assess the identified studies based on the defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The selection process will be represented using a PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) flow diagram. The search will be repeated and updated as necessary prior to publication of the review. Two reviewers will independently extract and manage the data for each of the articles using a structured data extraction form. Any disagreement that arises between reviewers will be resolved through discussion, and a third review author will be consulted when needed. We are going to conduct a thematic synthesis of the extracted game element descriptions. The results are going to be presented in a diagrammatic or tabular form, alongside a narrative summary. The quality of the studies will be assessed. We implemented and tested the developed search strategy in May 2023. We retrieved 1168 study abstracts, which were reduced to 630 abstracts after deduplication. We have piloted the screening on 20% (126/630) of the identified abstracts in groups of 2 reviewers. Although gamification has the potential to motivate learners in various ways, there is a lack of understanding about specific game elements and how they can inform instructional design in different contexts. Our findings will increase the understanding of how game elements are used in the design of simulations in military trauma management training and, thus, contribute to more effective development of future simulations. DERR1-10.2196/45969.

Successful development and implementation of a clinical practice site with community partners to engage family nurse practitioner students in health equity.

Family nurse practitioner (FNP) student clinical practice site availability is limited. Concurrently, many populations lack healthcare access, a common health inequity. Collaboration with community partners to develop clinical practice sites offer students active learning opportunities to increase their engagement and understanding of health equity. Using community collaboration, develop and implement an FNP student clinical practice site that can provide learning opportunities in addressing health equity. Local health data was reviewed, and health gaps were associated with social determinant of health inequities. A community partner was identified with the goal of facilitating students to provide proactive health care to homeless women. Health promotion and disease identification has been the focus of care provided by FNP students and faculty during an early-program clinical course, increasing access to care for an underserved population. A community-academic partnership has developed where FNP students provide health promotion and safety net health care to homeless women since 2017. Student reflections have shown a positive impact on their understanding of health equity. The community partner has identified positive impacts to client health. This partnership has impacted health equity by increasing healthcare access for an underserved population while facilitating FNP student learning.

An Empirical Study on the Effect of a High Performance Work System on the Human Resource Performance of Accounting Experts in Korean Companies: Focusing on the Mediated Effect of Informal Learning

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to verify the effect of a high-performance work system on human resource performance and the mediating effect of informal learning in this causal relationship. Design/Methodology/Approach – The research method of this study is a quantitative approach, and the data was aggregated to the 1st Human Capital Corporate Panel Survey II (HCCPS) by the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education &amp; Training (KRIVET) due to its focus on the experience of accounting experts in Korean companies. A total of 1,024 participants were included in this study. Findings – The study found that high-involvement work organization and high-commitment HRM had a positive effect on organizational commitment and job competence in Korean companies, and that informal learning had a partial mediating effect in the causal relationship between a high-involvement work organization and organizational commitment and job competence. Research Implications – From a theoretical perspective, this research highlights the importance of informal learning in linking high-performance work system with human resource performance. In addition, this study also demonstrates the relational impact of high-commitment HRM and high-involvement work organization in Korean companies, further expanding the literature on workplace performance. From a practical perspective, this study suggests that companies need to incorporate effective high performance work systems, and build an environment to enable active informal learning opportunities. In addition, institutions should promote learning initiatives to maximize human resource effectiveness, ultimately improving organizational performance.

Design of flipped classroom lesson in educational electronic environment of maritime higher education institutions

Online classes (due to COVID, and then because of the war in Ukraine) require the teacher to make constant changes and to use new forms and methods of learning so that students feel free and more independent. Such a learning model as the flipped class is a type of mixed learning, the peculiarity of which is that students work on new educational material at home and consolidate what they have learned in class by performing practical tasks on the topic. The research aims to describe the process of creation and implementation of flipped classroom lessons for ship engineering cadets of a modern maritime higher education institution. The following methods were used in the research: observation, study of practical experience, verification of creative works and application of tests. The example of a flipped classroom lesson on the Learning Management System platform MOODLE is presented in the article. The priority of such lessons is to redesign the learning model so that the cadets are familiar with new material before class. The set of examples of activities that motivate cadets to get ready before class are given. Fourth-year cadets of the ship engineering department of Kherson State Maritime Academy, Ukraine are the main participants of the experiment. The formation of competence regarding Maritime English using a flipped classroom was analysed. The article presents and substantiates the results of the experiment, confirming the positive influence of flipped classrooms on the communicative competence of future ship engineers. It is shown that, using the flipped classroom the teacher gets the opportunity to work with each student individually and immediately focus on the performance of practical tasks; each student can independently, at the necessary pace, review the material, which is available at any time (for those who attended the class, and for those who were absent for some reason). The practical significance of the article is that it demonstrates how the new pedagogical model allows for increased active learning opportunities for cadets of the ship engineering department.

Spatial thinking activities in PK-12 classrooms: Predictors of teachers’ activity use and a framework for classifying activity types

This study examined pre-service and in-service teachers' self-reported use of spatial thinking skills in classroom activities. Additionally, teachers' self-reported spatial anxiety, confidence, and mindset beliefs were examined. Results showed that teachers' confidence for teaching spatial thinking skills significantly predicted their use of spatial thinking activities. Teachers most often reported embedding spatial thinking skills into domain-specific learning activities, utilizing external representations, and engaging students in active and constructive learning opportunities. The findings connect spatial thinking skills research with educational practices to indicate that teachers’ reported spatial thinking classroom activities differ from spatial thinking skills training activities in laboratory settings.

Identifying Key Features of Equity-Centered Professional Learning

To address the inequities within the educational system, there are calls for teachers to have an intentional focus on equity. Unfortunately, teachers often do not receive enough preparation within their certification programs or during in-service trainings to center equity- driven practices. This study provided insight into the features that one group of teacher leaders relied upon and found essential when working to enact high-quality, equity-centered professional learning for teachers, and researchers utilized these findings to develop a framework for equity-centered professional learning. The context for this research was teacher leader-led professional learning within the context of a job-embedded professional learning experience for teacher leaders. Data collection included professional learning lesson plans, written reflections by teacher leaders after the professional learning sessions, and field notes. Findings point to five features of professional learning focused on equity that teacher leaders utilized. These include: (1), Safe, trusting community grounded in relationships, (2) Dialogue to explore and critically reflect upon biases, beliefs, and experiences, (3) Active learning opportunities that promote dissonance, (4) Authentic connections to equity within the local context through inquiry, and (5) Responsiveness to participants’ varied experiences and understanding of equity. The findings have implications for routines of practice that can be utilized to enact these essential features and how an equity lens can permeate the design of professional learning.

Old dog, new tricks? Exploring the potential functionalities of ChatGPT in supporting educational methods in social psychiatry.

Artificial Intelligence is ever-expanding and large-language models are increasingly shaping teaching and learning experiences. ChatGPT is a prominent recent example of this technology and has generated much debate around the benefits and disadvantages of chatbots in educational domains. This study seeks to demonstrate the possible use-cases of ChatGPT in supporting educational methods specific to social psychiatry. Through interactions with ChatGPT 3.5, we asked this technology to list six ways in which it could aid social psychiatry teaching. Subsequently, we requested that ChatGPT perform one of the tasks it identified in its responses. ChatGPT highlighted several roles it could fulfil in educational settings, including as an information provider, a tool for debates and discussions, a facilitator of self-directed learning and a content-creator for course materials. For the latter scenario, based on another prompt, ChatGPT generated a hypothetical case vignette for a topic relevant to social psychiatry. Based on our experiences, ChatGPT can be an effective teaching tool, offering opportunities for active and case-based learning for students and instructors in social psychiatry. However, in their current form, chatbots have several limitations that must be considered, including misinformation and inherent biases, although these may only be temporary in nature as these technologies continue to advance. Accordingly, we argue that large-language models can support social psychiatry education with appropriate caution and encourage educators to become attuned to their potential through further detailed research in this area.

Counseling For Early Childhood In An Effort To Increase Learning Independence

In increasing children's learning independence at an early age, one of them is by providing guidance and counseling services that start as early as possible. Counseling guidance can be defined as a process of providing assistance to individuals and groups in terms of decision making and behavior change and helping individuals solve the problems they face. The purpose of counseling guidance services provided to early childhood is so that children can develop their skills both academically and non-academically and provide opportunities for active and preventive learning so that children can increase success in their learning. This study aims to determine the independence of learning in children at Al-Hayat Kindergarten with the Teacher. This research is descriptive qualitative research, where the data produced is in the form of descriptions and expressions of words from the subject. While this research method is in the form of interviews, observation and documentation used by researchers at Al-Hayat Kindergarten during KKN, with the aim of obtaining appropriate data about learning independence in students. Today the results of the study can be concluded that there are still many students who are still awaited by their parents and the level of independence in children who can be said to be in a less independent condition so that it is necessary to hold counseling guidance services to increase learning independence in students. This can be done by teachers by providing counseling guidance services to early childhood and parents so that children are able to develop their learning independence.

Women’s Sense of Belonging in Undergraduate Calculus and the Influence of (Inter)Active Learning Opportunities

Women continue to be underrepresented in undergraduate STEM majors.&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;Prior studies identify sense of belonging, or the extent to which one feels like an accepted member of an academic community, as a key contributor to women’s decisions to stick with or leave their STEM majors. Calculus can be an especially critical leak in the STEM pipeline, as is often seen as a gatekeeper course for STEM majors. Historically, Calculus instruction has been primarily lecture-based, though recently, efforts have shifted toward incorporating instruction that supports active learning. Prior studies have suggested that providing active learning opportunities may support students’ sense of belonging. However, there lacks consensus on the particular types of active learning opportunities that best support students. This mixed methods study investigates connections between women’s sense of belonging and the learning opportunities they experience during the first semester of a two-semester Calculus course designed to provide frequent active learning opportunities. Findings indicate a significant increase in sense of belonging, perceived competence, and social connectedness from Week 1 to Week 7 of the semester. Further, women overwhelmingly identified the interactive nature of group work and interactive lecture as supportive of their sense of belonging for both academic and social reasons.

Less Is More: Students Skim Lengthy Online Textbooks

Computer science textbooks with lengthy text explanations of concepts are often considered thorough and rigorous, so lengthy textbooks (and class notes) are commonplace. Some, however, suggest text should be concise because people tend to skim lengthy text. This article takes advantage of modern digital textbooks that measure reading time to examine reading rates for various text passage lengths. For a widely used CS textbook written in a nonconcise style, students read shorter passages (200 words or less) at about 200 words per minute, which is a typical rate. But for longer passages (600+ words), the rate increased to about 800 words per minute, suggesting skimming rather than reading. For another widely used CS textbook, from the same publisher but written in a concise style with text passage sizes kept below 250 words, students spent more time (around 200 words per minute) reading the text passages, and their time spent was well correlated with text length, suggesting students were carefully reading rather than skimming. Across three digital textbooks, the more interactive elements (e.g., integrated questions) that were included, the more time students spent reading the text between those activities. The conclusion is that to best educate students, authors of CS content should take the extra time needed to explain concepts more concisely—a case of “less is more”—and incorporate many active learning opportunities.

Does Professional Development Effectively Support the Implementation of Inclusive Education? A Meta-Analysis

Inclusive education is a reform aimed at educating all students in general classrooms, independent of diversity features such as special educational needs, giftedness, or migration. Its successful implementation requires teachers with professional knowledge about inclusive education, skills to address the diverse needs in the classroom, and positive beliefs toward inclusive education. Teachers are provided with professional development opportunities, but are these effective in improving their learning process and positively impacting students’ behavior? We conducted a meta-analysis to address this question. The screening of 12,050 search results revealed 342 eligible studies with more than 155,000 participants and 1123 effects from four outcome categories: teachers’ knowledge, skills, and beliefs and students’ behavior. We observed positive, though varying, effects on all four outcome categories: large effects on teachers' knowledge regarding inclusive education (g = 0.93), moderate effects on teachers’ skills (g = 0.49), small effects on teachers’ beliefs (g = 0.23), and small-to-moderate effects on student behavior (g = 0.37). We also examined factors that might explain the differences in the strength of training effects. The data suggest that long-term training with high practical relevance and active learning opportunities facilitates transfer to schools.