Use and Usefulness: Assessing Learning Resources in Large Lecture Science Classes

Use and Usefulness: Assessing Learning Resources in Large Lecture Science Classes

Grant:
Gilbert Whitaker Fund for the Improvement of Teaching
Academic Year:
2009 - 2010 (June 1, 2009 through May 31, 2010)
Funding Requested:
$9,885.00
Project Dates:
-
Applicant(s):
bcoppola
Overview of the Project:
We have developed and tested a new assessment survey, called "Use and Usefulness," which is both easy to administer and provides a wealth of information about how students are engaging class resources. In the proposed project, we wish to expand the scope of our study, which was developed in the organic chemistry teaching program, to include the other major introductory LSA science courses in physics, EEB, and MCDB. We hypothesize that this cross-disciplinary comparison will produce a unique profile on how introductory science classes at the University of Michigan encourage self-regulated learning practices.
Final Report Fields
Project Objectives:
(1) To gather and analyze the use of learning resources by students in introductory STEM classes. (2) To create informed advice for students and faculty about learning resources. (3) To increase attention by students and faculty to the broader learning environment, outside of the classroom, in which university-level education takes place.
Project Achievements:
Although we have only still completed preliminary analyses of these large data sets (analysis which will be on-going for a while, yet), the initial results have had three significant effects: (a) a nearly wholesale change in the rhetoric used to give advice to students in CHEM 210 and 215, and a noticeable change in how the students think about the resources in the learning environment; (b) the results have been integrated into the standard LSA advising toolbox; (c) three new projects, including two funded by the Third Century Initiative and one funded by NSF, are following up on the implications from the first analysis.
Continuation:
Yes: (a) the huge data set is on interest to ed psych colleagues who think about self-regulated learning; (b) see above for funded spin-offs.
Dissemination:
The results from the first analyses have been included in at least 30 presentations given by the PI over the last few years, including in International settings. Publications are planned, but the analytical scheme has been an interesting challenge for collaborators to agree upon.
Advice to your Colleagues:
We have generated a data set that defies the assumptions of normal multivariate analysis, and so working through this and finding the right faculty colleagues to collaborate with has been a progressive movement from working with methods from pure stats to applied psych.
PRINTER VERSION
SEND BY EMAIL