Reich Norbert, Wang Yuedong
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106.
Department of Statistics and Applied Probability, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106.
Biochem Mol Biol Educ. 2019 Jan;47(1):7-15. doi: 10.1002/bmb.21186. Epub 2018 Dec 13.
We investigate the effectiveness of an active learning curriculum designed for an upper division Biochemistry series at a large, public research university. The goal was to determine how effective this format was when compared to a parallel conventional course, and to see if the active learning series can be run with limited resources (one instructor, one teaching assistant). The study involved 160 students in the first quarter and 92 students in the second quarter. The active learning curriculum consists of learning goals for each chapter, online quizzes, in-class questions targeting the problematic areas, small group (3-4 students) discussions during class in which students presented their assumptions and arguments in support of their responses to online and in-class questions, and two-stage exams involving the ability to "re-answer" as a group following a discussion). The in-class questions involved the use of a student response system (i > clicker) (multiple choice) and short answer formats. Students in the active learning course and a control, conventional lecture course, took identical midterms and finals for the first, and second quarters. We found that students enrolled in the active learning curriculum had consistently better performance, with statistically significant higher scores on all tests for both quarters. The effect sizes of the improvements are medium to large and are independent of prior GPA and grades in prerequisites. This model curriculum redesign offers promise for improved student learning with less monetary investment than a flipped course model relying on, for example, an extensive collection of instructor-produced videos. © 2018 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 47(1):7-15, 2018.
我们调查了为一所大型公立研究型大学的高年级生物化学系列课程设计的主动学习课程的有效性。目标是确定与平行的传统课程相比，这种形式的效果如何，并看看主动学习系列课程能否在资源有限的情况下（一名教师、一名助教）运行。该研究在第一季度涉及160名学生，第二季度涉及92名学生。主动学习课程包括每章的学习目标、在线测验、针对疑难问题的课堂提问、课堂上的小组（3 - 4名学生）讨论，学生在讨论中阐述他们的假设和论据以支持对在线和课堂问题的回答，以及两阶段考试，其中包括在小组讨论后“重新回答”的能力。课堂提问采用学生应答系统（i>clicker）（多项选择）和简答题形式。主动学习课程的学生和作为对照的传统讲座课程的学生在第一和第二季度参加了相同的期中考试和期末考试。我们发现，参加主动学习课程的学生成绩始终更好，两个季度所有测试的得分在统计学上均显著更高。成绩提高的效应大小为中等至较大，且与先前的平均绩点和先修课程成绩无关。这种课程重新设计模式有望以比依赖例如大量教师制作视频的翻转课堂模式更少的资金投入来提高学生的学习效果。© 2018国际生物化学与分子生物学联盟，47(1):7 - 15，2018。
