Student-centered Active Learning Research Articles

Is "modular" the way to go for small group learning in community medicine in undergraduate clinical postings?

Context:There is a need to shift from the didactic lecture-based instruction to more student-centered active learning methods for undergraduate teaching in community medicine.Aims:To compare didactic and modular method of learning on Level 1 and 2 on Kirkpatrick’s training evaluation model.Settings and Design:This was a two-arm educational intervention study for a small group of the 2nd year MBBS students in their 4th semester during clinical posting in the subject of community medicine.Subjects and Methods:The topic chosen was “rabies prophylaxis” in the 2nd clinical posting during 4th semester. With permission from Institutional Ethics Committee, first batch of 17 students was taught this topic by didactic method. Next batch of 22 students was taught by the modular method. A self-reading module was prepared for this study and validated by three teachers. What was different in modular teaching was a circular sitting arrangement, module reading by students, video presentation, and exercise using case vignettes.Statistical Analysis Used:Student’s t-test was used for pre- and post-test score comparison and Mann–Whitney U-test for students' responses on Likert scale.Results:The mean gain in obtained marks after modular learning (7.9/15) was significantly higher as compared to gain after didactic teaching (5.9/15) (P = 0.0038); more students asserted to be confident to manage a case in modular group compared to the didactic group (P < 0.05) indicating a higher level of learning through modular teaching.Conclusions:Modular teaching fares better than didactic method and hence should be used more frequently in community medicine clinical posting.

Examining the Effectiveness of a Semi-Self-Paced Flipped Learning Format in a College General Chemistry Sequence

Flipped learning has come to the forefront in education. It maximizes learning by moving content delivery online, where learning can be self-paced, allowing for class time to focus on student-centered active learning. This five-year cross-sectional study assessed student performance in a college general chemistry for majors sequence taught by a single instructor, comparing the flipped learning format to a more traditional lecture format. Students’ conceptual knowledge was captured through the use of American Chemical Society (ACS) standardized exam scores and analyzed using one-way ANCOVA. Student motivation and learning perceptions were assessed using the Chemistry Motivation Questionnaire (CMQ-II) and an in-house Blended (Flipped) Learning Survey. Statistical analysis indicated that students instructed through the flipped learning platform performed better than those taught using traditional pedagogy. Student perceptions regarding flipped learning were mostly positive and reflected motivation to succeed...

Do collaborative practical tests encourage student-centered active learning of gross anatomy?

Benefits of collaborative testing have been identified in many disciplines. This study sought to determine whether collaborative practical tests encouraged active learning of anatomy. A gross anatomy course included a collaborative component in four practical tests. Two hundred and seven students initially completed the test as individuals and then worked as a team to complete the same test again immediately afterwards. The relationship between mean individual, team, and difference (between team and individual) test scores to overall performance on the final examination (representing overall learning in the course) was examined using regression analysis. The overall mark in the course increased by 9% with a decreased failure rate. There was a strong relationship between individual score and final examination mark (P < 0.001) but no relationship for team score (P = 0.095). A longitudinal analysis showed that the test difference scores increased after Test 1 which may be indicative of social loafing and this was confirmed by a significant negative relationship between difference score on Test 4 (indicating a weaker student) and final examination mark (P < 0.001). It appeared that for this cohort, there was little peer-to-peer learning occurring during the collaborative testing and that weaker students gained the benefit from team marks without significant active learning taking place. This negative outcome may be due to insufficient encouragement of the active learning strategies that were expected to occur during the collaborative testing process. An improved understanding of the efficacy of collaborative assessment could be achieved through the inclusion of questionnaire based data to allow a better interpretation of learning outcomes. Anat Sci Educ 9: 231-237. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists.

Adapting Team-Based Learning for Application in the Basic Electric Circuit Theory Sequence

Team-based learning (TBL) is a form of student-centered active learning in which students independently study new conceptual material before it is treated in the classroom, and then subsequently spend considerable classroom time working in groups on increasingly challenging problems and applications based on that new material. TBL provides students with opportunities to not only learn course content better than in the traditional lecture-based setting, but also to develop various transferable professional skills, such as self-directed independent learning, problem solving, and interpersonal team skills. Because of these potential benefits, TBL was adapted as the principal teaching and learning strategy in a two-course sophomore-level electric circuit theory sequence, where it has been used since 2010. This paper describes beneficial changes that have evolved in the implementation of TBL in the circuit theory sequence. Those changes have been based, in part, on student evaluations of the strategy, which are described. Finally, instruments used to assess student learning in the TBL-taught courses are also described. They provide evaluation information that suggests the described revised version of TBL is an effective way to facilitate learning of both technical content and several professional skills in the sophomore-level electric circuit theory sequence.

Development and use of student-centered active learning strategies in geography classrooms

Development and use of student-centered active learning strategies in geography classrooms

Scale-Up! Classroom design and use can facilitate learning

SCALE-UP is an acronym for Student-Centred Active Learning Environment with Upside-down Pedagogies. The term upside-down pedagogies refers to a flipped or inverted classroom approach that is characterised by flipping teaching and learning responsibilities; instead of students first hearing a lecture and then doing homework, students can watch a lecture or otherwise prepare for class at home and then practise what they have learned in class. This paper discusses active learning strategies and how legal education can utilise such approaches, explores how studio classroom design can facilitate such strategies, describes the configuration of a Scale-Up classroom, provides exercises that can be incorporated into such a learning space, and elaborates on the advantages and disadvantages of the use of the pedagogy in a redesigned learning space. It concludes that requiring students to complete some practical exercises in class, participate in discussions with peers, or work on assignments where the lecturer has some input, may engage students in the learning process, encourage them to attend class and to accept more responsibility for their learning.

THE RELATION BETWEEN SCIENCE STUDENT TEACHERS’ EDUCATIONAL USE OF WEB 2.0 TECHNOLOGIES AND THEIR COMPUTER SELF-EFFICACY

The rapid increase in the use of Web 2.0 technologies has led to changes in school curricula because they are a powerful tool for developing innovative ways of teaching and learning. These technologies have also changed how teacher education programmes prepare pre-service teachers. Thus, as a predictor, pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy is important for the development of their computer skills. A descriptive research design was employed. The data were collected using a Web 2.0 technologies educational usage scale and a computer-related self-efficacy perception scale. The sample of the study involved 146 (F: 70, M: 76) student teachers in a teacher education course at Ziya Gökalp Education Faculty of Dicle University during the 2011-2012 academic year. The data were analysed using means, t-tests, and one-way ANOVAs. The study revealed that student teachers used Facebook the most frequently to communicate, access class material, hold discussions and form academic groups. Student teachers with Internet access at home used Web2.0 technologies more frequently than those without Internet access at home. The frequent use of Web 2.0 by student teachers provides teachers with the possibility for more student-centred learning activities in the classroom. Key words: science student teachers, teacher education, Web 2.0 technologies.

Diffusion of research-based instructional strategies: the case of SCALE-UP

Many innovative teaching strategies have been developed under the assumption that documenting successful student learning outcomes at the development site is enough to spread the innovation successfully to secondary sites. Since this ‘show them and they will adopt’ model has yet to produce the desired large-scale transformation, this study examines one innovative teaching strategy that has demonstrated success in spreading. This instructional strategy, Student-Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-down Pedagogies (SCALE-UP), modifies both the pedagogy and classroom design to maximize interaction and activity-based learning. A web survey was used to develop a census of instructors who have been influenced by SCALE-UP. SCALE-UP, which started in large enrollment university physics, has spread widely across disciplines and institutions. The survey identified that SCALE-UP style instruction is currently used in over a dozen disciplines at a minimum of 314 departments in at least 189 higher education institutions in 21 countries. Many more respondents indicated learning about SCALE-UP via interpersonal channels, such as talks/workshops and colleagues, than via mass media channels, such as the Internet and publications. We estimate the dissemination of SCALE-UP in physics may be at the tipping point between adoption by adventurous early users and the more mainstream majority. Implementers demonstrate pedagogical and structural variation in their use of SCALE-UP. Leveraging interpersonal networks can help accelerate dissemination of educational innovations and should be used more prominently in change strategies. Since SCALE-UP may be nearing a tipping point within the discipline of physics, now may be the time to modify change strategies to appeal to more typical faculty rather than the early adopters. This may include using successful secondary implementers as like-minded intermediaries to reach out to people considering the use of the innovation in different institutional settings for more practical and relatable advice. For SCALE-UP, having a specialized classroom may improve the likelihood of continued use at an institution. We also hypothesize that having a special classroom may start departmental conversations about innovative teaching and may make instructors less likely to revert back to traditional methods.

Faculty Experience of a Technological Innovation in Nursing Education

Abstract AIM The purpose of this study was to investigate faculty experiences associated with using an innovative technology known as The Neighborhood (a virtual community). BACKGROUND As expectations for nursing faculty to incorporate student-centered learning activities increase, there will be greater use of innovative technologies to help them achieve this goal. There is limited research on the faculty experience of adopting innovative technologies. METHOD This article focuses on the qualitative component of an 18-month, multisite, mixed-methods study, a descriptive qualitative content analysis from data collected from focus groups held at each of five intervention schools. RESULTS Three key themes about the innovation emerged from the data analysis: Teaching/Learning Benefit, Commitment to the Innovation, and Cost. CONCLUSION With the expansion of technologies specifically designed for health care education, optimal support is critical. Ongoing research is needed to gain a better understanding of facu...

The Process of Incorporating Online Collaborative Learning: An Analysis of Malaysian Tertiary ICT Educators' Perceptions

In this paper, we examine the process of incorporating online collaborative learning (OCL) in an undergraduate ICT education course in a Malaysian tertiary classroom that emphasizes conceptual change through advancing from the idea generating phase, through an idea organizing phase to intellectual convergence, and involved student-centered learning activities through establishing online intra and inter-group collaborative discussions. Using qualitative research design, six educators with online collaborative learning experience in ICT education courses were interviewed. As expected, educators revealed the importance of OCL in helping them to improve their teaching and learning in ICT education course. However, some concerns and challenges of OCL were also raised and suggestions for effectively using OCL are provided.

Bireysel Çalgı Keman Derslerinde Çevrilmiş Öğrenme Modelinin Uygulanması

This is a case study that the application of flipped learning on individual violin lessons. Flipped learning is a student-centered active learning model why created to increase in-class time quality. The main purpose of this study is determine what the student’s opinion about application of flipped learning model on individual violin lessons. It is also argued how to apply and create videos for flipped learning on violin lessons to built a basement for the study. Research on flipped learning has been mainly conducted on chemistry, physics and computer science classes. This is the first study which brings the model to music and violin pedagogy area and argued it within the framework of individual lessons instead of group class lesson. To investigate this aim the student who couldn’t join lessons because of health issues had been watched an instructional video about Turkish piece “Kırmızı Buğday” prepared by researcher. Data has collected making interview after practice time at class. Content analysis has showed that the use of flipped learning model on individual violin lessons had gained time, made instruction planned and comprehensive, made student feel ‘comfortable’ by decreasing performance anxiety in class, provided opportunity higher-up skill practice at class time.

“Sustainability On Earth” WebQuests: Do They Qualify as Problem-Based Learning Activities?

Information and communication technologies (ICT), namely the Internet, can play a valuable educational role in several school subjects, including science education. The same applies to problem-based learning (PBL), that is, a student-centered active learning methodology that can prepare students for lifelong learning. WebQuests (WQs) combine PBL and Internet use, and they can reduce the probability of having students surfing the Internet without any clear purpose. The objective of this paper is to investigate to what extent WQs available from Portuguese schools’ and universities’ websites, focusing on the “Sustainability on Earth” eighth-grade school science theme, are consistent with a PBL perspective. Results from content analysis of 92 WQs indicate that the WQs selected for this paper are rarely consistent with PBL requirements. Teachers should be both aware of this issue and ready to improve the WQs available before using them in their science classes so that greater educational advantage can be generated from this powerful tool.

Putting Connectivist Principles Into Practice: A Case Study of an Online Tertiary Course

The Bachelor of Enterprise Learning is a newly accredited undergraduate degree where connectivist principles have been used to guide design of active, student-centered learning activities. A key feature of the curriculum is that it incorporates technology as both a source of information and a tool. Examples from this course are provided in this article showing how connectivist principles can be put into practice in developing learning activities, assessment tasks, and whole subjects. These examples illustrate the value of using a framework such as this for providing consistency in subject design while still leaving scope for innovative and effective pedagogy. They also provide curriculum designers and instructors with practical examples and advice useful for the design and delivery of courses based on a connectivist approach.

Adaptive e-Tutorial for Enhancing Student Learning in Construction Education

Designing and delivering courses that feature student-centered active learning strategies, interactive learning environments, feedback on student progress, and motivating learning tasks is essential to enable students to develop necessary graduate attributes. However, lecturers encounter numerous challenges in this role. A recently emerged adaptive eLearning pedagogical approach was experimented with in a first year course in a Construction Management degree program through action research. Study findings suggest that the adaptive eLearning method can facilitate deep learning as it provides improved engagements, interactions, real-time feedback and improved flexibility. Moreover, students who used the new learning method desire its availability in other courses too.

The Flipped Classroom

Recent calls for educational reform highlight ongoing concerns about the ability of current curricula to equip aspiring health care professionals with the skills for success. Whereas a wide range of proposed solutions attempt to address apparent deficiencies in current educational models, a growing body of literature consistently points to the need to rethink the traditional in-class, lecture-based course model. One such proposal is the flipped classroom, in which content is offloaded for students to learn on their own, and class time is dedicated to engaging students in student-centered learning activities, like problem-based learning and inquiry-oriented strategies. In 2012, the authors flipped a required first-year pharmaceutics course at the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy. They offloaded all lectures to self-paced online videos and used class time to engage students in active learning exercises. In this article, the authors describe the philosophy and methodology used to redesign the Basic Pharmaceutics II course and outline the research they conducted to investigate the resulting outcomes. This article is intended to serve as a guide to instructors and educational programs seeking to develop, implement, and evaluate innovative and practical strategies to transform students' learning experience. As class attendance, students' learning, and the perceived value of this model all increased following participation in the flipped classroom, the authors conclude that this approach warrants careful consideration as educators aim to enhance learning, improve outcomes, and fully equip students to address 21st-century health care needs.

Diffusion of research-based instructional strategies: the case of SCALE-UP

Many innovative teaching strategies have been developed under the assumption that documenting successful student learning outcomes at the development site is enough to spread the innovation successfully to secondary sites. Since this ‘show them and they will adopt’ model has yet to produce the desired large-scale transformation, this study examines one innovative teaching strategy that has demonstrated success in spreading. This instructional strategy, Student-Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-down Pedagogies (SCALE-UP), modifies both the pedagogy and classroom design to maximize interaction and activity-based learning. A web survey was used to develop a census of instructors who have been influenced by SCALE-UP. SCALE-UP, which started in large enrollment university physics, has spread widely across disciplines and institutions. The survey identified that SCALE-UP style instruction is currently used in over a dozen disciplines at a minimum of 314 departments in at least 189 higher education institutions in 21 countries. Many more respondents indicated learning about SCALE-UP via interpersonal channels, such as talks/workshops and colleagues, than via mass media channels, such as the Internet and publications. We estimate the dissemination of SCALE-UP in physics may be at the tipping point between adoption by adventurous early users and the more mainstream majority. Implementers demonstrate pedagogical and structural variation in their use of SCALE-UP. Leveraging interpersonal networks can help accelerate dissemination of educational innovations and should be used more prominently in change strategies. Since SCALE-UP may be nearing a tipping point within the discipline of physics, now may be the time to modify change strategies to appeal to more typical faculty rather than the early adopters. This may include using successful secondary implementers as like-minded intermediaries to reach out to people considering the use of the innovation in different institutional settings for more practical and relatable advice. For SCALE-UP, having a specialized classroom may improve the likelihood of continued use at an institution. We also hypothesize that having a special classroom may start departmental conversations about innovative teaching and may make instructors less likely to revert back to traditional methods.

The effectiveness of team-based learning on learning outcomes in health professions education: BEME Guide No. 30

Background: Team-Based Learning (TBL) is a student-centred active learning method, requiring less faculty time than other active learning methods. While TBL may have pedagogical value, individual studies present inconsistent findings. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the effectiveness of TBL on improving learning outcomes in health professions education.Methods: A peer-reviewed systematic review protocol was registered with the Best Evidence in Medical Education (BEME) organization. After comprehensive literature searching, title and full-text review were completed by two independent reviewers. Included studies assessed TBL and a valid comparator in health professions. Included studies were assessed for methodological quality by two independent reviewers. Studies were categorised by outcomes using the Kirkpatrick framework.Results: Of 330 screened titles, 14 were included. Seven studies reported significant increase in knowledge scores for the TBL group, four reported no difference and three showed improvement but did not comment on statistical significance. Only one study reported significant improvement in learner reaction for the TBL group while another study reported a significant difference favouring the comparator.Conclusions: Despite improvement in knowledge scores, there was mixed learner reaction. This may reflect the increased demands on learners in this student-centred teaching strategy, although further study is needed.

A Thematic Curriculum Analysis System for early Childhood Education: Initial Evaluation

Contrary to the elementary school and high school, the curriculum of the kindergarten is more flexible and dynamic. In recent years, the integrated curriculum approach and the thematic curriculum approach based on constructivism have being gaining more attention in Taiwan. The thematic curriculum emphasizes that the inter-disciplined and student-centered learning activities is designed based on children's interests, not solely determined by the teachers. Therefore, teachers have to monitor the curriculum development and children's learning status simultaneously. Under these conditions, a system of curriculum analysis is a necessary aid to those teachers. The purposes of this study are: First, design and implement a thematic curriculum analysis system for early childhood education, which provides feedback for curriculum supervisor. Second, evaluate the impacts of this system on the teachers abilities in curriculum design. According to needs assessment of 15 kindergarten teachers and curriculum supervisors, the researchers constructed the curriculum analysis system which provides goals, concept, initiator, activity style, time, skill, attitude, content, and teachers reflective thinking as the analysis units. The system evaluated by the 15 teachers and curriculum supervisor. The reports showed the system improved the quality of thematic curriculum in kindergartens.

Encountering China: Contexts and Methods for Teaching Chinese Politics in American Classrooms

This article explores the use of student-centered learning activities when teaching Chinese politics in American college classrooms and discusses the importance of context in those activities. In particular, the article explores how classroom context, including student identities, and student exposure to diverse, often conflicting “political identities” in course material emerge during different “encounters”—a Cultural Revolution poster exhibition, a simulation about the Three Gorges Dam, a Cultural Revolution role-play, and a problem-solving session involving factory workers. The article argues that encounters, which encompass in-class activities, such as problem solving, simulations, and role-play, enhance student engagement with course material, improve student retention of historical and contemporary political knowledge, and encourage critical thinking and peer collaboration in a student-centered learning environment. The article concludes that learner-centered teaching is significant because as the world becomes more complex, the knowledge and skills acquired through student-centered activities in politics classes are highly relevant for the future of self-organization, social interactions, and institution building.

Teaching Medical Terminology Using Word-Matching Games

The use of word-matching games for classroom teaching of medical terminology to nursing and other health sciences students is described. Students work in small groups and match cards containing medical terms to cards containing their English translation. This approach encourages student-centered active learning and employs multiple modes of learning, including visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and text-based styles.