Jen Krumper and Carribeth Bliem - Chemistry

Viji Sathy - Psychology

CFE Faculty Showcase 2012

Less Lecturing, More Learning

“I enjoyed the videos […]. They allowed the student to learn the material at their own pace. In-class problems allowed the teacher and the students better interaction with regards to difficult concepts.”Chem 101 Student Summer 12

“I thought the in-class problem-solving was incredibly useful. Frankly, I wish my department would do the same as I find it to be incredibly effective.

“In addition, though, I think homework should still be assigned, as in-class work has the downfall of giving the illusion of understanding […] when in actuality there is simply the understanding of how someone else did the problem.”

“I really liked the group assignments because it forced you to work problems in class (and it gave you a way to meet people). “The videos were a good intro to the lectures. While I may not have understood everything watching the video the night before, the concepts were reinforced the next day in class.”

-Chem 101 Student Summer 12

“The structure of the course was great for me. I found it very helpful to be required to look ahead before each day’s class and to be expected to complete problems every day.”-Chem 101 Student Summer 12

OverviewMotivation for change to coursesDoes less lecture = more learning?

Why lecture less? Existing literatureOur efforts to add to what has been

demonstratedImplementation through support of CFE

grantInitial impressions, preliminary feedbackQ&A/Discussion

Motivation Psyc 210Managing Variety of starting points in statistics courseVariety of levels of comfort/anxiety about statisticsEngagingAs many students as possible in a core pre-req courseIncorporatingMore practice, authentic work

Chem 101 Motivation: A Strange Observation

A disproportionate # of low grades in Chem262 were going to URM students….

Checking with the registrar, the trend held throughout our chemistry curriculum….

Lecture Less? An Evidence-Based Approach

Got Lecture?Top 3 Reasons to Lose It1. Lectures can turn students to passive

observers. Participation → Learning, Accountability

2. Ability to retain info only in 10-20 minute “chunks.” Pauses, change-up activites → Learning

2. Better use of class time

Structured Learning OpportunitiesIn Our Classroomsclassroom response systems

(clickers), in-class group work, peer mentoring, and online content delivery techniques

OutcomesStudent achievement/academic performanceProblem Solving SkillsStudent engagementStudent attitudesPersistenceRetentionClosing achievement gap

Large body of research over 20 years related to a variety of methods

Research: Classroom Response SystemsClicker research mixed in achievement, highly

positive in student attitudesExample Preszler et al. (2007)

71% said it they strongly agreed or agreed that it influenced their attendance

70% said it they strongly agreed or agreed that it improved their understanding

62% said they would recommend a clicker class

From Preszler,R.W., Dawe, A., Shuster, C. B., and Shuster, M. (2007). Assessment of the effeects of student response systems on student learning and attitudes over a broad range of biology courses. CBE-Life Sciences Education.

Research: Group Work/Cooperative Learning

What constitutes cooperative learning?1. Positive interdependence2. Face-to-Face interaction3. Individual accountability4. Interpersonal skills5. Group processing

Bowen, C. (2000) A Quantitative Literature Review of Cooperative Learning Effect. Journal of Chemistry Education

Research: Online Content DeliveryRelatively new area of researchGaining interest but possibly most

controversial of methodsOur attempt to learn more about

this method

A Chemistry Experiment

Pilot High Structure Chem 262 Class (Sp’12)Replaced 1 lecture with online video.***Instead, used CRS + PLTL in class 1

day/week.

Grade data inconclusive, but some THMs:Students comment that high attendance

matters!Course evaluations: mixed bagPoll results…

Late-Semester In-Class Poll (n = 105)If you were designing this class, would you:a.Keep the structure as it is. (22%)b.Turn Wednesdays back into straight

lectures (no quizzes, no problem sets) (10%)

c.Use the same structure, but students choose own working groups. (25%)

d.Modify the structure to do a little bit of problem solving every day. (43%)

The General Chemistry Experience

CHEM 101 (3 credit hr)MWF 50-min class or TTh 75-min classSections of 200-400 students eachNearly 1600 students every academic year

Question: How to test Structured-Learning model in this context?

Experiment GoalsEvaluate Structured-Learning model on several dimensions:Level of student engagementSense of community & collaborationPerformanceRetention in STEM major

Data CollectionSurveys

Compare SL sections with Lecture-only sections

Performance on common exams

Compare SL with archived exam dataLongitudinal study of retention in STEM

major

Follow SL students into future

Baseline data: Chem 101, F’11

Asian/Caucasian

URM

How often did you come to class without completing the readings or assignments? (1=often)

2.79 2.51

How important were conceptual questions discussed in class to your understanding? (1= very important)

2.77 2.39

How important was the Resource Center to your understanding? (1= very important)

3.38 2.90

101 Course Re-design Videos and reading

for “easy” content. Start each class with a quiz . Students in sit in assigned seats: groups of 3-4.

Forming groups on the fly

101 Course Re-designReplace ~50% of class time with 10-15 minute GRADED (CRS) problem solving activities.

use 15-20 in-class peer mentors (~20:1 ratio) to facilitate in-class problem solving

 Polling is fun for everyone!

Mentors make it possible...

... they really do!

We Kept Some Elements of the “Old” Chemistry 101 Experience• Online homework (Mastering Chemistry)

Interventions for bottom ~25% of students after each exam.The Chemistry BonanzaInvitations to office hours

Nitty GrittyUsed commercial clickers

(TurningPoint) to create a Laptop/cell free (JRK) OR laptop minimal (CB) classroom.

Registering clickers = a pain! …but worthwhile once the semester gets rolling.

Nitty GrittyYoutube videos work great,

just reference ‘em in class.

Helpful to recap video at lecture start. “From the video, you should have learned…”

Peer Mentors

attend classMonitor sakai discussion boards1/wk (or less) training meetings

SuccessesStudents attend class (!) and they are highly

engaged in class activities.The expectation that students are responsible

for their own learning is explicit.Instructor can spend class time discussing

nuances and extensions of course material as well as addressing common misconceptions.

Multiple ways of addressing course material: videos, online homework, structured activities.

ChallengesOrganizational effort required by students

to succeedGroup work may install false sense of

understanding for some individualsLess time to model problem-solving

strategies (model is better suited to 75-min classes)

Concern: Do students have a narrower understanding of chemistry as a discipline? How to weave all the parts together into the larger picture?

Pilot data: Chem 101 (Summer)

“I thought the in-class problem-solving was incredibly useful. Frankly, I wish my department would do the same as I find it to be incredibly effective. “In addition, though, I think homework should still be assigned, as in-class work has the downfall of giving the illusion of understanding […] when in actuality there is simply the understanding of how someone else did the problem.”

Large course redesign supportCFE100+

cfe.unc.edu/100plus/

New RFP for grants program will be announced in November

CFE contact: Bob Henshaw

Pilot data: Chem 101 (Summer)“The structure of the course was great for me. I found it very helpful to be required to look ahead before each day’s class and to be expected to complete problems every day.”

Pilot data: Chem 101 (Summer)“I enjoyed the videos […]. They allowed the student to learn the material at their own pace. In-class problems allowed the teacher and the students better interaction with regards to difficult concepts.”

Pilot data: Chem 101 (Summer)“I really liked the group assignments because it forced you to work problems in class (and it gave you a way to meet people). “The videos were a good intro to the lectures. While I may not have understood everything watching the video the night before, the concepts were reinforced the next day in class.”