Education Commons^™

Employing Ai To Enhance In-Class Role Playing Scenarios, Eric Fournier

Generative AI Teaching Activities

Role playing can deepen student’s engagement with course content and help them develop skills while learning course material. Students will use AI to develop their characters and help them craft compelling arguments in the role-play scenarios

Roles Matter: Graduate Student Perceptions Of Active Learning In The Stem Courses They Take And Those They Teach, Lorelei E. Patrick, Leigh Ann Howell, Everett William Wischusen

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Despite many calls to reform undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education to incorporate active learning into classes, there has been little attention paid to graduate level classrooms or courses taught by graduate students. Here, we set out to understand if and how STEM graduate students’ perceptions of active learning change in the classes they take versus those they teach. We found that graduate students had taken relatively few graduate level classes using active learning and they felt that more time should be devoted to active learning in the courses they were taking. Teaching assistants felt that they were …

Can Learning Be Enhanced With Active Seating?, Judy Beard, Kirk Mathias

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of Education and Professional Studies

Overweightness continues to increase at an exponential rate in children. This coupled with the demand to increase academic time in elementary schools has contributed to efforts to discover solutions that meet both challenges. Potential solutions are movement curricula and active seating options. However, little has been published relative to best practices of their implementation. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to discuss the lessons learned while utilizing pedal desks in first and second grade classrooms as stations and whole class seating. Additionally, two different types of heart rate monitors (Polar Oh1 and IHT Spirit) were employed, in an attempt …

Student Perceptions Of An Inquiry‐Based Molecular Biology Lecture And Lab Following A Mid‐Semester Transition To Online Teaching, Jeremy L. Hsu, Melissa Rowland-Goldsmith

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The transition to online learning in spring 2020 was abrupt for both students and instructors. While many instructors moved to asynchronous classes, some institutions relied more heavily on synchronous online courses. Here, we evaluate student perceptions of an inquiry‐based molecular biology lecture and lab course following this transition by comparing student survey responses from spring 2019, when the lecture and lab were fully in person, to spring 2020, when the lecture and lab started in person before transitioning to a synchronous online format. Students were asked to identify the main factors that supported their learning in lecture and lab, characterize …

Use Of Embark Database And An Active Learning Protocol In A High School Classroom, Landon Goodreau

Honors Theses

With advances in technology, personal genome sequencing has become more affordable than ever before. With this wealth of genetic information come new individualized approaches to medicine and pharmacology, along with moral, legal, and ethical issues to carefully consider. Yet studies suggest that most members of the general public do not have the genetic literacy required to understand the implications of genomic data. It is important that today’s students are able to grasp concepts relating to their own genome to make informed medical decisions in the future. Here I describe an active learning-based activity designed to enhance high school students’ understanding …

Smaller Classes Promote Equitable Student Participation In Stem, Cissy J. Ballen, Stepfanie M. Aguillon, Azza Awwad, Anne E. Bjune, Daniel Challou, Abby Grace Drake, Michelle Driessen, Aziza Ellozy, Vivian E. Ferry, Emma E. Goldberg, William Harcombe, Steve Jensen, Christian Jørgensen, Zoe Koth, Suzanne Mcgaugh, Caroline Mitry, Bryan Mosher, Hoda Mostafa, Renee H. Petipas, Paula A.G. Soneral, Shana Watters, Deena Wassenberg, Stacey L. Weiss, Azariah Yonas, Kelly R. Zamudio, Sehoya Cotner

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

As science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classrooms in higher education transition from lecturing to active learning, the frequency of student interactions in class increases. Previous research documents a gender bias in participation, with women participating less than would be expected on the basis of their numeric proportions. In the present study, we asked which attributes of the learning environment contribute to decreased female participation: The abundance of in-class interactions, the diversity of interactions, the proportion of women in class, the instructor's gender, the class size, and whether the course targeted lower division (first and second year) or upper division …

Student Perceptions Of Reasons For Lecture And Active Learning, Calan Koch

Honors Theses

With perceived student resistance to active learning in the classroom, instructors are hesitant to implement such methods into their classroom structure despite how effective they may be. This research seeks to understand student perceptions related to the transition to higher prevalence of active learning techniques. We aimed to find answers to how students perceive the ideal classroom to be structured, what reasons they perceive for lecture and active learning components, and possible explanations to concerns of groupwork during class time. We analyzed 64 interviews with undergraduate biology students at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln, developed coding rubrics from commonly found …

Application And Comparison Of Active Learning Implementation Methods In Biochemistry Education, Dylan Thibaut

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Biochemistry has continued to be one of the most complex and important subjects in science education. The purpose of this research is to investigate active learning implementation methods in a Biochemistry I context to determine the most effective means of preparing current science undergraduates. Two Biochemistry I classes over two semesters were analyzed in this study, with class A using a variable active learning schedule and class B using a consistent active learning schedule. Four aspects were analyzed to determine active learning validity: perception of different active learning properties, standardized final exam grades, class grade, and teaching implementation. The consistent …

Examining The Understanding Of Inquiry-Based Learning And Teaching Among Undergraduate Teachers And Students, Maren Hudson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the main aims of inquiry is to engage students as active, not passive, participants in science. The purpose of this study is to describe science educators’ and students’ views about inquiry-based instruction in order to better understand and improve implementation of evidence-based teaching strategies. Inquiry-based techniques have been shown to improve student understanding of scientific concepts, yet, there continue to be challenges in implementing these techniques. This research project utilizes Q Methodology, a research method that captures both common and disparate measures of subjectivity, to identify commonalities and defining viewpoints about inquiry-based teaching and learning. Three significantly different …

Exposing Problems Teaching Students Morphological Species Identification, Trevor Stamper, Lauren Weidner, Gregory Nigoghosian, Ludmila D. Nunes

IMPACT Presentations

When dealing with physical remains, morphological assessment for species is a traditional approach to entomological specimen identification. A dichotomous key guides the user through taxa determination for a specimen by providing a series of dual-choice nodes that center around morphological differences. Each nodal choice leads to either a new set of dichotomous choices or a taxa decision. We evaluated student’s ability to utilize a dichotomous key down to species for a limited set of taxa, by reviewing their nodal decisions along with their confidence level using a Likert scale (1-5).

Along with individual decision recording, students conducted a post-decision group …

Perceptions Of Sport Science Students On The Potential Applications And Limitations Of Blended Learning In Their Education: A Qualitative Study, Justin Keogh, Lisa Gowthorp, Michelle Mclean

Justin Keogh

Perceptions Of Sport Science Students On The Potential Applications And Limitations Of Blended Learning In Their Education: A Qualitative Study, Justin Keogh, Lisa Gowthorp, Michelle Mclean

Lisa Gowthorp

Perceptions Of Sport Science Students On The Potential Applications And Limitations Of Blended Learning In Their Education: A Qualitative Study, Justin Keogh, Lisa Gowthorp, Michelle Mclean

Michelle McLean

Inclusive Teaching Strategies: An Evaluation Of Course Structure And Summative Assessment In Introductory Biology, Oluwaseun O. Agboola

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Several active learning strategies have been used when increasing the structure of a course as increasing course structure has been known to improve student learning in introductory STEM courses. Much has been studied on the value of frequent formative assessment; however, few studies have evaluated the effective modes of delivering summative assessment. This study examines the use of summative assessment as an inclusive teaching practice to improve first generation college student success in introductory biology and also uses faculty surveys to find out how instructors structure their introductory biology course and why they are structured that way. Final exams were …

Gamifying A First Year Biology Lab Library Session, Lisa Rose-Wiles, Veronica Amour

Praxis Presentations

Three years of work with a Biology lab course suggests that an embedded librarian has a positive impact on some student research skills. However, student feedback indicated that students want more interactive library sessions. The science librarian worked with an instructional designer to introduce elements of “gamification” into a library presentation and other library materials. In fall 2016 the science librarian integrated Top Hat, a teaching platform designed to help professors engage students, into library sessions for 16 biology labs. She also introduced Bernard Lonergan's Generalized Empirical Method (GEM) as a research framework. In this session we report on the …

Comparing Game Simulation To Concept Models For Student-Centered Learning In Biology, Margaurete Romero

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Science education research continues to demonstrate improved learning with active-learning techniques compared to lectures. However, the question of which active-learning methods are the most effective for learning complex scientific principles in various context still remains. Models are commonly used in activities that allow students to simplify complex systems and understand how components interact. I investigated the outcomes for student learning and engagement of two model-based activities - concept models and game simulations. The activities were conducted in an introductory biology course in sixteen discussion sections. Eight sections were assigned to the concept model activity and eight to the simulation activity. …

Perceptions Of Active Learning Between Faculty And Undergraduates: Differing Views Among Departments, Lorelei E. Patrick, Leigh Ann Howell, William Wischusen

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

There have been numerous calls recently to increase the use of active learning in university science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) classrooms to more actively engage students and enhance student learning. However, few studies have investigated faculty and student perceptions regarding the effectiveness of active learning or the barriers to its implementation. Previous work surveying a single class in a single department has suggested that faculty and students have different perceptions of the effectiveness of active learning strategies and the barriers faculty face when implementing these teaching strategies. We expand on these previous findings by surveying a larger and more …

Stem Gateway Course Redesign Teaching Professional Development: Resources For Teaching And Learning, Gary Smith, Audriana Stark

STEM Gateway

The learning object is a collection of teaching professional development presentations and workbooks for guiding faculty in the re-design of lower-division college science and mathematics courses. The materials were designed and implemented during the University of New Mexico STEM Gateway Project, funded by the U.S. Department of Education Title V program during 2012-2016. The teaching professional development curriculum consisted of a 2.5-day course redesign institute followed by roughly monthly sessions on topics that include teaching diverse students; building learning strategies for students; obtaining student buy-in for active learning; evaluating alignment of learning objectives, activities, and assessment; peer observation of teaching, …

Integrating Movement And Science To Promote Physical Activity And Academic Performance In Middle School Children, Kevin E. Finn, Kyle Mcinnis

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Recommendations from leading U.S. health agencies concerned with reducing childhood obesity call for increased physical activity during school and afterschool environments. Methods: We developed the Active Science curriculum, which is a variety of activity-based lessons (e.g., nature hike, dance class, walk at local park, treadmill at local YMCA) and incorporated them into traditional science classes and after school programs for middle school children in a low-income, ethnically diverse community. Following the activity experiments, students and teachers uploaded data from devices to an interactive website that provided inquiry-based exploratory learning of science content. Results: Physical activity results showed that the …

A Walk Down The Red Carpet: Students As Producers Of Digital Video-Based Knowledge., Barry Ryan

Articles

Disengaged and apathetic students are common in many undergraduate classrooms. Learning to these students is a passive process, typified by a consumer-like attitude. One approach to engage students, and enhance the learning experience, is to integrate active learning into the curriculum. The purpose of the pedagogical evaluative study described here was to investigate if student researched, designed and created digital video could act as a viable reusable peer learning resource. Although the use and integration of technology was central to the scope of this project, other ideas such as threshold concepts, the requirement for both active and authentic social constructivist …

Undergraduate Research Communities: A Powerful Approach To Research Training, Scott Kight

Scott Kight