Transcript Using Research-Based Teaching to Enhance Student Success

Using Research-Based Teaching
to Enhance Student Success in a
Gateway Course
Barbara J. Taller
Melvin L. Beck
Department of Biological Sciences
University of Memphis
Outline
• Issues associated with traditional course
design
• Principles of student-centered course design
• Enhanced learning and improved student
success through active learning
• Formative and summative assessment
Problems Associated with Traditional
Lecture-Based Introductory Courses
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Lack of student engagement
High absenteeism and DFW rate
Limited class participation
Poor information application and retention
Course Organization
Instructor-centered:
• designed around the knowledge the
instructor wishes to transmit to students
• focused on the instructor’s teaching process
Student-centered:
• designed around the needs, abilities, prior
knowledge, and diversity of students
• focused on the student’s learning process
Wood, W.B. 2009. Annu. Rev. Cell Dev. Biol. 25:5.1–5.20
Instructor- vs Student-Centered Course Design
Standard Course Planning
Choose textbook
Backward design
Formulate broad learning goals
Create syllabus
Set specific learning objectives
Write/revise lectures, prepare
PowerPoint presentations
Design assessments (formative
and summative)
Write homework, exam
questions
Prepare learning activities
Instructor-centered
Student-centered
Wood, W.B. 2009. Annu. Rev. Cell Dev. Biol. 25:5.1–5.20
Features of a Student-Centered Classroom
1. Learning goals are explicitly articulated,
students receive feedback on their progress
towards meeting those goals, assessments
are aligned with those goals, and results of
assessment are used regularly to improve the
course.
Define, list, describe, summarize, apply, diagram,
predict, compare, distinguish...
http://www.pulsecommunity.org/forum/topics/which-features-of-a-student-centered-classroom-do-you-incorporate/
Features of a Student-Centered Classroom
2. Faculty are aware of common
misconceptions in their fields and design
opportunities to explicitly engage those
during class time.
3. Faculty determine what students already
know and explicitly integrate new
information into that knowledge.
Features of a Student-Centered Classroom
4. Students receive frequent (daily), directed,
and timely feedback.
“…By teaching less
and providing more feedback,
we can produce greater learning.”
– Grant Wiggins
Features of a Student-Centered Classroom
5. Student learning is assessed at multiple levels
(knowledge, application, analysis, evaluation,
generating hypotheses) using multiple
formats (multiple choice, essays, solving
open-ended problems,
project completion,
oral examination).
Features of a Student-Centered Classroom
6. Material is presented in several formats
(verbal, pictorial, simulation, animation,
quantitative) and/or students are asked to do
multiple things with the information (listen,
write, label, discuss, interpret, graph,
hypothesize).
Features of a Student-Centered Classroom
7. Students are encouraged to explain material
to themselves and others.
8. Students regularly engage in communication
and collaboration with peers.
Features of a Student-Centered Classroom
9. Faculty create an environment in which
students understand that performance is
linked to effort rather than inherent ability.
Outline
• Issues associated with traditional course
design
• Principles of student-centered course
design
• Enhanced learning and improved
student success through active
learning
• Formative and summative assessment
Content
Student-Centered
Lectures Aren't Just
Boring,
Learning
They're Ineffective, Too, Study
Finds – Scott Freeman et al.
2014 PNAS
Engagement
Source: Partnership for Undergraduate
Life Sciences Education (Pulse)
Technology-Assisted Learning &
Assessment
• Out-of-class learning
(OCL) exercises
• “Low-stakes”
formative quizzes
Classroom Response System (Clicker)
• Formative assessments
• Discussion warm-up
• Peer instruction
(Collaborative learning)
• Contingent teaching
• Monitor attendance
• Testing effect (Test-enhanced [TEL]
learning) – Roediger & Karpicke (2006)
– Testing is a critical part of learning process
– Testing improves recall more than extra study
time
– Testing results in a type of memory processing
Roediger, H. L. and Karpicke, J. D. (2006). The power of testing memory: Basic research and
implications for educational practice. Prespect Psychol Sci 1:181-210.
• Improving learning through assessment
depends on five factors - Black &
Wiliam (1998)
1. Providing effective feedback to students.
2. Students’ active involvement in their own learning.
3. Adjusting teaching to take account of the results of
assessment.
4. Recognizing the profound influence of assessment
on students’ motivation and self-esteem - both
crucial influences on learning.
5. Ensuring pupils assess themselves and understand
how to improve.
Black, P and D. Wiliam. (1998). Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through
Classroom Assessment. Phi Delta Kappan 80:139-148.
Assessments
Assessment is at the heart of student learning (Brown and Knight, 1994)
Pre –
Assessment
What do students already
know?
Assessments FOR Learning
• How can we use assessment
information to help students learn
more?
Formative
Assessment
What are students learning?
Formative Assessment Drives Instruction
Students
Central element of
formative assessment
& student-centered
instruction
• Help identify strengths &
weaknesses
• Obtain performance
improvement information
• Adjust learning strategies
to improve the quality of
their work
• Active involvement in their
own learning
Instructor
• Obtain information on what,
how much, and how well
students are learning
• Identify students who need
assistance
• Adjust teaching to take
account of the results of
assessment
• Just-in-time teaching
Do formative assessments work?
Assessments
Summative
Assessment
What have students learned?
Assessments OF Learning
• How much have students learned
as of a particular point in time?
Assessments
Post– Assessment
What are the changes in
knowledge, skills, & abilities?
Benefits of Student-Centered Course
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Increase student engagement and understanding
More student ownership of learning process
Improve study skills
Greater enjoyment of course material
Improve attendance
Increase success rate
Increase retention
Increase graduate rate
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