Keywords firstyear blended learning online learning flipped learning
Keywords: first-year, blended learning, online learning, flipped learning, video Blended Learning Strategies in a First-Year Engineering Program AMBER KEMPPAINEN, AMBER@MTU. EDU MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY HOUGHTON, MI Funded by the Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning
Why? Improve Instruction and Active Learning “Strategic Flipping” of a portion of the lecture material. The main goals are to: ◦ Provide additional class time for active learning exercises and collaborative activities. ◦ Provide a short introduction to the lecture material outside of class. ◦ Introduce basic concepts necessary for classroom activities. This is implemented through short 2 -7 minute videos and quizzes. Topics # Videos Spreadsheets, Unit Conversions, and Statistics 7 Technical Communication and Project Management 3 Programming (MATLAB) 17 Spatial Visualization 6
When? Timeline Spring 2014 Test Video Creation, Pilot Study Spring 2014 • Received Jackson Center Blended Learning Grant to develop video content for ENG 1101 • Created 5 demonstration videos on MATLAB Fall 2014 content • Deltas in test scores were calculated Video and Quiz Creation, Beta Fall 2014 Test • Created additional videos and quizzes (33) • Implemented in ENG 1101 (3 comparison groups) • Analyzed self-reported video watching and test Fall 2015 scores Full scale • Analyzed math placement with video watching Implementation habits Fall 2015 • Implemented videos and quizzes in all sections of ENG 1101
Where? Michigan Tech First-Year Engineering Program Diverse student population • Approximately 1000 first-year students per year • Variety of experience and familiarity with computers • Concurrently placed into one of five different math groups • (Calc I, Calc I+, Calc III, Linear Algebra/Differential Equations) Average Grade on Course Metric (%) • Historically, students in Calc II or higher outperform students in Calc I and Calc I+ in their ENG 1101 course, although Calc II material is not used in ENG 1101 90, 0 86, 0 82, 0 78, 0 74, 0 70, 0 Individual Homework Exam 1 Exam 2 Final Exam Calc I (N=180) Calc I+ (N=224) Calc II (N=240) Calc III (N=63) Final Grade LA/DE (N=47)
What? Base: Fall 2013 • N = 534, • 5 instructors • 9/13 sections • Assigned Reading • All material covered in class Comparison Groups for Video Implementation Group 1: Fall 2014 Group 2: Fall 2014 Group 3: Fall 2014 • N=183 • 1 instructor • 3 sections • Assigned Reading • Videos not encouraged • All material covered in class • N = 308 • 2 instructors • 5 sections • Assigned Reading • Videos assigned and encouraged • Video material not covered in class • N=293 • 3 instructors • 5 sections • Assigned Reading • Videos and quizzes assigned and encouraged • Video material not covered in class • Same as BASE 2013 • In Groups 2 and 3, student performance measured by course metrics increases with the amount of time students spent watching the videos. • Students who were not actively encouraged to watch the videos (Group 1) do not show this increase. • Group 3 had the greatest improvement on topical performance in an identical final exam as compared to the Fall 2013 Base Group.
Prognosis? • Looking at video viewing habits and performance: • Some lecture coverage (through video) allows for more in-class problem solving • Students will watch the videos when assigned • Students who watch more videos have statistically significant higher grades (p<0. 05) than those who do not. • Looking math placement on performance: ◦ Students who are placed in Calc II or higher perform better in ENG 1101, however, a two-way ANOVA with a Bonferroni post hoc test indicates that this performance is independent of video watching behavior. ◦ There is no cumulative effect on students from math placement and video watching habits. ◦ These blended learning methods work equally well for all math levels. • Currently implementing full-scale in all sections of ENG 1101 • Additional material and advice on “strategically flipping” the classroom or blending learning methods would be welcome.
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