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Faculty of Health and Community Studies

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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14078/25

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Browsing Faculty of Health and Community Studies by Subject "active learning"

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    The effect of online remedial tutorials on student experience and grades in an undergraduate biology course
    (2018) Rissanen, Anna; Costello, Jane M.; Caldwell, Margaret; Goddard, Sally; Trela, Piotr; Rodrigues, Marshal
    This mixed method study with quasi-experimental design explored the use of active learning-based remedial online tutorials. Three 200 student sections of a first year biology course were offered additional online tutorials (Tutorial Class in 2017), and they were compared to traditional lectures a year before without tutorials (Control Class in 2016). Apre-test that contained conceptual questions from all course units was given during the first week , and as a post-test during the final exam. Two midterms, lab exam, and final exam grades were collected, in addition an online student survey (n=225) and focus group (n=3) provided qualitative feedback. Students enrolled in Biology 1001 in Fall 2017 were granted access to five piloted modules on Brightspace(D2L) that addressed the structure of eukaryotic cells, the plasma membrane, diffusion and osmosis, meiosis and inheritance and DNA to RNA to Protein. Each module provided students with the opportunity to watch videos, and complete interactive activities, reflection questions and quizzes.
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    The effect of student engagement on final grades, attendance and student experiences in large classroom in an undergraduate biology course at Memorial University
    (2016) Rissanen, Anna
    Especially during the first year in university absenteeism can have detrimental effects on grades, and I have witnessed this while teaching large undergraduate Biology classes. According to pedagogical literature altering teaching methods from lecturing toward engaging teaching, which applies various active teaching methods in the university classroom, can enhance learning, student participation, decrease absenteeism, and improve critical thinking and problem solving skills. In this research study, I used a combination of active learning activities and engaging teaching to prevent absenteeism, in an attempt to improve grades, and to enhance interest in Biology among students in large first year Introductory Biology classes. Results show that students were less absent from the class that used engaging teaching methods. Also, the conceptual understanding test showed a significant difference in pre- and post-test grades between the classes, the engagement class having the highest improvement. The student CLASSE survey indicated more interaction between faculty and students in the section that was taught using engaging methods. According to student focus group interviews, students in the engagement class appreciated the class activities and reported benefits for learning.
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    The effectiveness of interactive online tutorials in first-year large biology course
    (2023) Rissanen, Anna; Costello, Jane M.
    Online resources can be helpful for students and can augment the content presented in learning environments. A team consisting of four biologists, a graduate student, instructional designer and media developers collaborated on the design, development and evaluation of first-year biology online tutorials in a Canadian University. The tutorials were designed to address knowledge gaps resulting in low success rates and attrition of first-year students in biology. The decrease in the number of students in STEM has alarmed educators, prompting a call for efforts to increase STEM majors in universities. Large class sizes, such as first year biology with ∼900 registrants annually, with detail-oriented, content-heavy loads, can result in low success rates and attrition. Active learning methods, including online formative assessments, which encourage student engagement in course material, can be effective in large introductory science classes, and thus, the authors provided engagement with tutorial online resources. The authors identified the tutorial topics by analyzing previous years' tests, student feedback and pedagogical research in undergraduate biology. The top five topics identified as common misconceptions or troublesome concepts within the course were selected. Standard instructional design processes were used to produce high-quality online tutorials. Tutorials included learning materials, videos, animations, self-assessments, reflective questions and badges to facilitate deep learning of the topics. Effectiveness of the tutorials was evaluated using quantitative methods and quasi-experimental design to compare the student learning results between the control year (without tutorials) and the year when tutorials were offered. Pre- and posttests measuring conceptual understanding were administered to assess gains in student learning. Additionally, student engagement was measured using the Classroom Survey of Student Engagement (CLASSE), and data from learning management system was collected.