Why we MUST teach using student-student interaction

Alan Slavin, Trent University

Outline

1. Pedagogical reasons for using student-student interaction.

2. Research evidence for its teaching effectiveness.

3. Examples of interactive teaching methods: Peer Instruction (no. at Mac?) and Just-in-time teaching (JiTT)

4. Challenge from “free” massive open online courses, MOOCs. How can brick-and-mortar universities compete?

McMaster University, Feb. 13, 2013

Why I'm NOT going to use interactive techniques in this talk.

• Standard lectures work well for transmitting factual knowledge to an audience that has not had the opportunity to review the material in advance.

• Lectures are ineffective in developing conceptual or analytical understanding of a subject. If the goal of this seminar were to develop methods appropriate to the specific subjects you teach, then an interactive approach would be necessary.

PROBLEMS WITH CONVENTIONAL LECTURE APPROACH

Research over the last 30 years has shown that the traditional lecture is not very successful in facilitating learning of physics.This is well summarized by Lillian McDermott, Conf. on the Introductory Physics Course, 1997:

The main points are• Students must be actively involved in the process of

constructing their mental models of how the world works if they are to have more than a superficial understanding.

• The ability to solve standard end-of-chapter numerical problems is insufficient to develop a deep understanding. Qualitative and verbal facility with the concepts are required as well.

• Most students do not develop analytical reasoning through traditional instruction. (Physics faculty are not “most students”.)

6542 students in introductory physics courses.Normalized gain = 100 x (T2-T1)/(Max-T1)

R.R. Hake,Am. J. Phys, 1998

Intro mechanics, tested with the Force Concept Inventory

Gain

Traditional: 23%

Interactive: 48%

Evidence of effectiveness

e.g. 100(75-50)/(100-50)=50%

“Improved Learning in a Large-Enrollment Physics Class”

Science : 332, 862-864 (2011)L.Deslauriers, E. Schelew, and C. Wieman,

Two separate sections of about 260 students were taught 1st-year E&M for 1 week, either by a highly rated faculty lecturer or by an MSc student who had had some instruction in interactive methods.

At the end of the week, the students taught interactively performed nearly twice as well on a test of conceptual understanding, as did the students who were lectured.

UBC study, 2011

Approaches used at Trent for ~ 15 years

Peer Instruction (Eric Mazur, Prentice Hall 1997)

• There are no formal lectures. Students are given pre-class reading assignments = what was previously covered in the lecture.

• Class starts with a ~10-min. review of main points of the reading(a) to remind what was read, and (b) to emphasize what are the main points.

• Rest of class time is used for(a) usual apparatus demonstrations, to connect theory and the physical

world,(b) Peer Instruction: small-group discussion of qualitative conceptual

problems, or simple analytical problems requiring strong conceptual understanding. All students are involved!

For the small group discussion,

- PowerPoint to present a short, multiple-choice question, designed to develop understanding.

- Students try individually to answer the question (~1 min), then discuss with their neighbours for ~5 min.

- During this time, instructor addresses individual concerns 1-on-1.

- After ~ 5 minutes, the class votes for the answer.

 

  

 

  

: force and radial distance, cross product, visual meaning of vectors. r F

A “teaching moment”

a b c d e

Sample question and vote

Ids

1

ds

2 ds

3

ds

4

r1

r2

r3

r4

The magnetic field at P due to the current I in

Biot - Savart law

dB k Ids r

rm

2

Is directed

(a) into the screen (b) out of the screen

(c) up (d) down

(e) zero

11. ds

22. ds

33. ds

44. ds

P

Building understanding

I

ds

r

Biot - Savart law: dB k Ids r

rm

2

PI

The magnitude of the magnetic field contribution from the current element isds

2

2

2

1 sin 90)

cos90)

1 sin)

) none of the above

o

m

o

m

m

dsa dB k I

r

ds rb dB k I

rds

c dB k Ir

d

I

ds

Biot - Savart law:2

2

ˆ

sin 90

m

o

m

ds rB dB k I

r

IdsdB k

r

PIThe total magnetic field at P

from the current in the wire shown on the right is:

a B kI r

r

b B kI r

r

c B kI r

r

d B kI ds

re

P m

P m

P m

P m

o

)

)

)

)sin

)

no ne o f the ab o ve

2

2

2

2

2

2

9 0

The vote:

•Students are assigned a 5% grade (participation + performance) on their answers (10 marks for voting for >75% of answers, plus 0.5 mark each if right.

• Instant feedback on comprehension, to instructor.

• Then instructor gives the correct reasoning (modelling the discipline), addressing both right and wrong answers. Instant feedback to students.

• Often generates questions from students who voted incorrectly. A group decision gives confidence to ask questions.

The Pre-Class ReadingsAre from notes distributed in advance. Other instructors use a standard textbook. Writing clear notes is much work and should be avoided if

possible. Students prefer the notes because less time to read them.

Amount of work for the instructor Once the materials are developed, about the same as a normal lectureapproach: ~ 0.5 hr before class. “Conceptests” available with many texts and on web.

Results Good, as discussed earlier. Mazur showed an increase of 6.7% on a final

exam which was the same as one he used before going to Peer Instruction.

Problem with the approachOften as little as 25% of the students did the reading prior to class. Thisreduced the level of discussion and learning in the class.

Solved by Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT).

Just-In-Time Teaching(Novak, Patterson, Garvin, Christian: Prentice Hall 1999)

Trent Version• Students are assigned three questions on each reading, to be answered

prior to class, using Blackboard Learn, BL (previously WebCT).

• The reading tests are posted at the start of term, and close about 2 hours before the class.

• Two questions are multiple-choice and are graded by BL. They can be answered by a careful reading of the material and do NOT require a deep conceptual understanding; eg, definitions. The mark (5%) increases pre-class reading from ~ 25% to ~ 70% .

• The third question is “What part of this reading requires clarification?” The text reply is not graded.

WebCT output for pre-class reading quiz, Question 2

. Torque was covered previously.

I

B

F I L B

Pre-class reading quiz: “What part of this reading requires clarification?”

Forces between wires Torque on a coil in

B

B

In-class Survey of Students on JiTT (Jonathan Swallow and Alan Slavin, 2003-04)

The survey (40/59 students answered)1. What has changed for you as a result of pre-class quizzes?2. How large is this change?3. What do you like/dislike about the pre-class quiz?4. How should the quizzes be changed?

1&2. Positive aspects!82% read the notes more before class, or come to class better prepared.

• 40% of respondents said both of the above• 40% (of the 82%) said the change was significant

!18% other responses (7 students) • 3 said nothing re amount of their reading or class preparation • 3 said they don't read the materials (just search for the answers) • 1 always did the readings, and resented the quizzes because others did not

do the readings 4 students asked that the quizzes have more questions, to cover more of the

reading.

Negative aspects~29% had logistical difficulties: finding a computer, getting web access,

waiting for WebCT responses. (No longer a problem.)- 15% said it increased their workload (only 1 said this was a significant

change)

3. What students likedThe most frequent response (~1/3 of students) regarded the question which asks

what part of the reading needs clarifying. They liked giving feedback, and felt that class time was more focussed on their needs.

4. What students did not likeThe most frequent complaint: (~1/3 of students) said they had difficulty

remembering to answer the quizzes!

Example, over 14 classes.

Class = 59 students

2010 evaluations #1

JiTT

2010 evaluations #4

2010 evaluations #5 Peer Instruction + JiTT, understanding.?

Do the effects of interactive teaching last?S.Pollack, U. Colorado. PHYSICAL REVIEW SPECIAL TOPICS - PHYSICS EDUCATION RESEARCH 5, 020110 2009.

“Juniors who had completed a non-Tutorial freshman coursescored significantly lower on the (conceptual test) than those who had completed the reformed freshman course—indicating a long-term positive impact of freshman Tutorials on conceptual understanding.”

Do these results apply in upper-year physics courses?

I have had similar positive evaluations, deeper questions.

and Pollock, Chasteen, Dubson, Perkins, U. Colorado

http://www.colorado.edu/physics/EducationIssues/papers/Pollock/2010PER_invited_poster_thinkinglikephysicists_SJP_final.pdf

Do these results apply outside the sciences?

Making the Most of College: Students Speak their Minds by Richard J. Light (Harvard University Press, 2001).- Based on interviews with 1600 students, all disciplines.- What event changed you profoundly? 80% said an event out of class.- Students learned the most from working with others.

Other evidence of the success of of Peer Instruction

Many cases of Peer-Instruction success are summarized at http://cclarks.wordpress.com/category/peer-instruction/

For example;

Univ. of Washington: Introductory Biology• Reduced failure rates• Increased exam scores• Increased attendance• Students did better on clicker questions if they were graded for correctness vs. for participation.

Other reasons for teaching using student-student interaction:

• it helps students develop collaborative skills required by much of today's research

• it is a natural way of study for students with social-media skills

Free online courses, with a certificate and a grade if passed (not a university credit)

Courses include: lecture notes, on-line textbook, videos of the lectures, regular labs & assignments, tests, final exam, study groups, moderated discussion.

e.g., MIT 6.002x, Circuits and Electronics, same content as the credit course.

• Trial course , May – June 2012

• 150,000 students enrolled from > 60 countries (~10%? completion rate of those enrolled, but much higher for those who wrote the first test).

• As good as/better than many (80% of?) courses I had at university.

• Goals: to teach a billion students and learn how to deliver online effectively.

• Could be given for credit, cheaper to deliver/take than in a traditional university.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

E.g., edX (Harvard, MIT, + 6), Coursera (Stanford-led, 33 universities), Udacity (private)

MITx 6.002x ONLINE LAB #1.

The bulb draws 0.5 A at 1.5 V.

Create a resistor network that gives vs = 1.5 V across the bulb and vs= 2 V when remove the bulb.

vs

edX offered ~ 23 courses offered in fall 2013. These courses may soon be offered for credit for a much lower fee than at the university. If a Canadian student can avoid a $30,000 debt, why not?

Moderated online discussion

Our universities MUST provide the best learning possible. The traditional lecture approach is no longer an option. Online courses can be very good, and students can revisit them at their own pace.

Applies to all disciplines, not just physics.We must exploit the teaching advantages of face-to-face interaction, including - interactive classrooms (e.g. groups replying to a blog question. As much posted after class as in it!) - facilitating face-to-face student study groups - plus online discussion forums, etc.

Jeff Selingo, Editor at large at the Chronicle of Higher Education: “Why the College Campus Experience Still Matters”- A maturing experience - Access to mentors- Experiential learning- Networking

Conclusions

• We MUST teach using student-student interaction:

- it provides a better learning experience than lectures

- it may be the best way to keep students coming

• For an electron gas near T = 0 K, all the states below the Fermi energy EF are fully occupied. Therefore, the only electrons that can be excited thermally are those electrons lying within about kT of EF.

• (a) If D(E) is the density of states, write an expression for the number of electrons lying within kT of EF.

• (b) What is the thermal energy of the electrons in (a)?

• (c) Use the result in (b) to get an expression for the heat capacity CV for the electron gas.

• (d) Write out the exact (integral) expression for the energy of the electron gas at temperature T.

• This gives which should be very close to the result in (c).

Thermal physics classroom exercise on a Fermi gas.

C k T EV 2

2

3 D ( )

I n a C arn o t c y c le ,

Q

Q

T

T

h igh

low

h igh

low

.

T h e c o e ffic ien t o f p er fo rm a n c e o f a re fri g e ra to r o rh e a t p u m p o p e ra ti n g w ith a C arn o t cy cle b e tw e e n ah igh te m p e ra tu re T 2 an d a l o w te m p e ra tu re T 1 is

c h eat yo u rem o v e

en ergy yo u p ay fo r.

( a ) H o w m u che le c trica l p o w e r w o u ldit tak e to p u m p 1 k Wo f th e rm al p o w e r in toth e h o u se u s in g a he a tp um p ru n n in g a C arn ot cy c le ? T h e te m p e ra tu re o fth e gro u n d b e lo w t h e fro s t l in e is ab o u t 1 5 0 C , an dth e h o u se te m p e ra tu re in w in te r is 2 0 0 C ,

( b ) W h at is th e c o e ff ic ien t o f p er fo rm a n c e o f th ish e a t p u m p ?

W

Q 2

Q 1

m o to r a n d c o m p r es s o r

Q

Q

T

Th igh

low

h igh

low

c h eat yo u rem o v e

en ergy yo u p ay fo r

Thermodynamics class exercise, Carnot cycle & heat pump

Completed the course: 4.8% of those who enrolled18% of those who took a quiz.39% of those who submitted the first project.

the augmented trader

About MOOC Completion Rates: The Importance of Student Investment Posted on January 6, 2013 by Tucker Balch I just finished teaching a Massive Online Open Class (MOOC) titled “Computational Investing, Part I” via coursera.org.