2.+Advancing+Active+Learning

=Use this page to reflect on presentations that dealt with Active Learning= Press EDIT to post your reflections

From Dr. Guy Martin (Social Sciences)

In concurrent session II.19, Bertrand Landry (visiting professor at UNCG) and Seth Fisher (graduate student, UNCG) presented an interdisciplinary undergraduate research project on the French presence in Colonial America as a perfect example of //student-lecturer and mentor-mentee, mutually beneficial collaborative research//.

In concurrent session IV.40, Zachary Goodell (Virginia Commonwealth University) presented methods and strategies designed to help faculty be more successful in their teaching by providing them with a //more comprehensive approach to promoting critical thinking//.

From Dr. Joanne Chesley (CETL) and Dr. Cheraton F. Love (Life Sciences)

Dr. Cheraton Love, a Life Sciences faculty member, joined me in presenting the topic, "//Successful Interventions for Life Sciences//." The session shared early findings of an action research initiative designed to assess what works and what doesn't when it comes to student learning of science at WSSU. At this point we only have data on faculty teaching styles and classroom practices. When we look at student data, we will attempt to make connections between the teaching styles findings and the objectives and outcomes met by the students.

Over the last 2 years, faculty in Life Sciences have been highly committed to teaching differently in an effort to realize greater learner outcomes. New teaching strategies have been employed. These include: 1) The use of Panopto, a video-based, lecture capture software that allows instant replay of the lesson, 2) peer observations by CETL pedagogy specialists with immediate feedback, 3) student led discussion classes, 4) supplementary instruction, 5) use of electronic response systems (clickers), 6) user-friendly course modifications for non-science majors, and several others. All of these improved classroom strategies for learning have seen an increase in student participation and interest. Our next step is to determine if they also correlate with an increase in academic achievement (outcomes) and which of them (strategies) appear to have the greatest effects.

In addition to sharing some of what we learned about teacher styles and what we have seen faculty do with new technologies and strategies, Cheraton demonstrated a technique she uses in her classes. She quite successfully engages students in "Who wants to be a Millionnaire" to increase their participation in the class. It is also a great tool for checking for understanding. The conference participants loved the idea! The game formats are free downloads. There are other games as well, such as Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, and others which can be customized for your content.

You edit these game templates with your own course information, making them uniquely yours and appropriately useful toward your students' learning. Here is where you can find this online resource: []

Have fun!

Joanne Chesley Cheraton Love