A step further in Peer Instruction: Using the Stepladder technique to improve learning

International audiencePeer Instruction (PI) is an instructional strategy for engaging students during class through a structured questioning process that improves the learning of the concepts of fundamental sciences. Although all students are supposedly engaged in discussions with their peers during Peer Instruction, the learning gains generally remain at a medium level, suggesting a lack of participation of certain students who do not benefit from social interactions. The present study examined whether the Stepladder technique might optimize the Peer Instruction method and increase learning gains. With this technique, students enter a group sequentially, forcing every group member to participate in discussions. Eighty-four chemistry students were asked to answer easy and difficult multiple-choice questions before and after being randomly assigned to one of three instructional conditions during a chromatography lesson (Classic PI vs. Stepladder PI vs. Individual Instruction without any discussion with peers). As predicted, results showed that learning gains were greatest in the Stepladder PI group, and that this effect was mainly observed for difficult questions. Results also revealed higher perceived satisfaction when students had to discuss the questions with their peers than when they were not given this possibility. By extending the Stepladder technique to higher education, these findings offer a step forward in the Peer Instruction literature, showing how it can enhance learning gains

An Evaluation of eScience Lab Kits for Online Learning

Higher education online science courses generally lack the hands-on components essential in understanding theories, methods, and techniques in chemistry and biology. Companies like eScience Labs construct kits to facilitate online learning, which provide students with hands-on activities relevant to their science courses. In order to evaluate ease, efficacy, and comprehension of the forensic science kits by eScience Labs was completed while writing observations of the activities during and after completion; the lab manual learning objectives were compared to results of activities and two stopwatches took elapsed time of each activity to compare with the stated times in the kit manual. This method determined that the eScience manual does not provide enough information for a college freshman to fully understand the topic; however, combining these labs with professor provided online lectures would allow full comprehension of the forensic science applications or techniques. Recommendations to obtain maximum learning outcomes include requiring the completion of prerequisites like algebra and general chemistry. With these aspects combined, the eScience lab kit is a great addition to an introductory forensic science course as it provides safe and interactive hands-on activities

Practical work : Its effectiveness in primary and secondary schools in England

We report here on the first of two evaluations of a national project (Getting Practical: Improving Practical Work in Science – IPWiS) designed to improve the effectiveness of practical work in both primary and secondary schools in England. This first baseline evaluation of the effectiveness of practical work is based on a study of a diverse range of 30 practical lessons undertaken in non-selective primary (n = 10) and secondary (n = 20) schools prior to the teachers undertaking a training intervention designed to improve their effective use of practical work. A multi-site case study approach employing a condensed fieldwork strategy was used in which data were collected, using audiotape-recorded discussions, interviews and observational field notes. The analysis, based on work by Millar et al. and Tiberghien, considers what students do and think relative to what their teacher intended them to do and think. In both primary and secondary schools the widespread use of highly structured ‘recipe’ style tasks meant that practical work was highly effective in enabling students (n = 857) to do what the teacher intended. Whilst tasks in primary schools tended to be shorter than in secondary schools, with more time devoted to helping students understand the meaning of new scientific words, neither primary nor secondary teachers’ lesson plans incorporated explicit strategies to assist students in making links between their observations and scientific ideas. As such, tasks were less effective in enabling students to use the intended scientific ideas to understand their actions and reflect upon the data they collected. These findings suggest that practical work might be made more effective, in terms of developing students’ conceptual understanding – an aim of the IPWiS project – if teachers adopted a more ‘hands-on’ and ‘minds-on’ approach and explicitly planned how students were to link these two essential components of practical work

Online Laboratory Introductions to Promote Student Interactions with Two Science and Engineering Practices of the Next Generation Science Standards

Online science courses are becoming increasingly available to K-12 students in the United States. With the utilization of these courses, it is important to facilitate student completion of laboratories as well as student interest in and use of the science and engineering practices (SEPs) of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This exploratory research provided online laboratory introductions to help students interact with the content and the instructor. The research studied if the laboratory introductions led students to ask questions about laboratories, complete laboratories, and think about and use two NGSS SEPs, specifically analyzing and interpreting data and constructing explanations and designing solutions. Archived data provided information for the background of the study. The intervention class experienced introductions to the content, procedures, and focus NGSS SEPs for online laboratories. The researcher studied qualitative and quantitative data and determined there was an increase in student completion of the laboratories in general as well as identifiable impacts on student questions and thoughts about and use of the NGSS SEPs of focus. Data included pre- and post-course surveys, student laboratory questions, laboratory completion rates, laboratory scores, and laboratory answer analyses

Comparing Effectiveness and Perceived Characteristics of Active Learning Methods in Undergraduate Biology Education

Although many undergraduates begin college as STEM majors, attrition rates from the field are high and numerous reports suggest that evidence-based teaching methods are critical for retention. Despite educators\u27 research and near consensus that active learning is more effective than lecture, there are many types of active learning and the literature indicates their effects are not equivalent. The purpose of the current study was to directly compare different kinds of active learning by assessing their correlation with student performance (including learning gains) and understanding students\u27 perceptions of them (including whether they contained Merrill\u27s five principles of instruction and/or met three self-determination theory [SDT] needs). Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from one cell biology course (which is required for multiple biology-based majors) at a large, research-intensive university. Among clickers, homework, and passive learning, students scored higher on exam concepts assessed via homework (but not when homework was paired with clickers), and when wording of exam questions stemmed from homework or posted practice exam questions. Additionally, there was no difference in exam score if homework was paired with a passive learning technique (e.g., posting questions and keys), compared to concepts assessed through homework only. Conversely, larger learning gains were observed from clicker-based concepts compared to concepts assessed through homework, and learning gains of cumulative homework were marginal. Students felt clickers, homework, and lecture all had Merrill\u27s principles and met SDT needs. Students\u27 perceptions of additional attributes and suggested improvements of each technique are discussed. Finally, recommendations for higher education faculty and future research are presented

Proceedings of the Salford Postgraduate Annual Research Conference (SPARC) 2011

These proceedings bring together a selection of papers from the 2011 Salford Postgraduate Annual Research Conference(SPARC). It includes papers from PhD students in the arts and social sciences, business, computing, science and engineering, education, environment, built environment and health sciences. Contributions from Salford researchers are published here alongside papers from students at the Universities of Anglia Ruskin, Birmingham City, Chester,De Montfort, Exeter, Leeds, Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores and Manchester

Designing Experiments: The Impact of Peer Review Structure on Organic Chemistry Students\u27 Experimental Designs

To better understand how peer review can be used to support students when designing experiments, the current thesis examined how the structure of the peer review template affects the kinds of feedback students give and the revisions that they make. I utilized a quasi-experimental design to investigate the effects that the peer review template had on the outcome of an experimental design task. A sample of 195 students enrolled in an Organic Chemistry I course participated in the study. The students were divided into two groups, one of which was given a scaffolded peer review template and the other was given a non-scaffolded peer review template. The students in both groups turned in an initial draft, then peer-reviewed three students while also receiving feedback from three peers, and then turned in a final draft. I categorized students’ feedback and scored their initial and final drafts with rubrics. Afterward, statistical tests were run to determine if there were significant differences in the frequency of feedback students gave and the frequency of revisions students made. Based on the findings, implications for practice and research were offered. Advisor: Alena Moo

Remediation of Chlorinated Alkanes by Zero Valent Iron with Vitamin B12 and Utilization of a Modified Gradual Release of Responsibility Model in a Large Enrollment Chemistry Course

The following dissertation looks at addressing environmental contaminants in the environment and the integration of an active learning style in an introductory chemistry course. It begins with addressing the concern for chlorinated propanes and ethane in the environment and the importance of looking into environmental remediation applications. This research looks at incorporating vitamin B12 as an environmentally friendly catalyst in the presence of zero valent iron for the reduction of chlorinated propanes and ethane. Chapter 2 presents the analytical methods and conditions in which samples were run. The results from these experiments are discussed in length in Chapter 3. Our results confirmed the hypothesis that vitamin B12 could act as an electron mediator to facilitate the reduction of the chlorinated propanes and ethane. Degradation was examined by observing the formation of byproduct peaks and the release of free chloride into solution. In Chapter 4, vitamin B12 is integrated into an already established industrial application technique, emulsified zero valent iron, and we observed the degradation of 1,2,3-trichloropropane with the formation of byproducts as the reaction progressed. In Chapter 5, this section of the dissertation focused on chemical education and observing an active learning technique in a fundamental chemistry course. The following study was designed to increase students\u27 positive attitude, engagement, and responsibility in a large enrollment chemistry course by utilizing a modified Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) model. GRR progressively transfers responsibility from the instructor to the student, allowing students to be more independent and helping them to address atypical problems. Students were assessed using iClickers to monitor their understanding and engagement, as well as surveys to determine their attitudes regarding this specific style of teaching. The results from this study demonstrated that implementing the GRR teaching style had a positive effect on student academic performance and shows the importance of using an active teaching model in a large enrollment course

2019 Abstract Booklet

Complete Schedule of Events for the 21st Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium at Minnesota State University, Mankato