EDU 6215 Article 3

Reference:

Schreyer-Bennethum, L., & Albright, L. (2011). Evaluating the incorporation of technology and application projects in the higher education mathematics classroom. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 42(1), 53-63. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=2&sid=7767de4e-aab3-4fec-907b-5fc048c3df56%40sessionmgr111&hid=102&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=a9h&AN=56448447

The article I read was particularly interesting to me because it dealt specifically with college level courses.  Even better was the fact that it dealt with high level mathematics courses, such as Calculus one, two, and three.  The study conducted was in regards to how students compared when placed in a course that used Interdisciplinary Lively Application Projects (ILAPs) or a course that did not use a project based technology learning approach.  The article further discusses how the courses were evaluated for a positive or negative overall learning experience.  The article wanted to explore whether taking class time away from lecture to do ILAPs was beneficial for the students.  There were two studies summarized in the article.

                The first study involved students in multivariable calculus classes.   The students were broken into two equal size groups, with no significant difference between their GPA or perquisite courses.  Both groups attended the same class lectures, in which the lecture had no emphasis on ILAPs.  Each group then attended different 2 hour per week tutorial sessions required by the course.  The control group went to a conventional tutorial session, where ILAPs were not emphasized or implemented.  The experimental group when to 1 hour of a conventional tutorial session, but then also 1 hour of an application tutorial.  This continued throughout the semester.  The purpose of this study was to determine if students in the experimental group achieved better scores in the course than the control group. 

                The results of the first study indicated that the application tutorial was successful in increasing student learning.  Students in the experimental group has a significantly higher midterm and final exam score.  The control group had a mean of 57.2 on the midterm, while the experimental group had a mean of 66.1.  In addition, on student evaluations, students in the experimental gave a higher rating for their understanding of calculus concepts and interest in calculus.  This seems to indicate that the application tutorial not only increased scores, but allowed student to feel more comfortable with the course material.

                The second study involved an algebra applications course.  This course was made to be interdisciplinary, connected with the science curriculum, and taught using technology and ILAPs.  Students in these interdisciplinary courses were compared to students in a traditional algebra course.  The study lasted two semester with a total of 8 courses used for evaluation.  Four sections were interdisciplinary, and four sections were the traditional algebra course. 

                The results did not show any significant difference in problem-solving skills between the two groups, however students in the interdisciplinary courses had larger gains in their critical thinking skills. Additionally, students in the algebra applications course gave higher marks on their course evaluations in regards to their enjoyment and interest in the course.  This outcome will be discussed further in the implications section of my review. 

                Both of these studies used ILAPs to enhance their teaching and learning.  The ILAPs encompassed real world applications in which there could be many correct answers.  Students usually worked in groups to complete the project.  An example of an ILAP is a pendulum project, in which students use an actual pendulum to fit a curve to determine displacement.  Students then would use this model to derive Newton’s second law.  Most of the projects were interdisciplinary like this one, in which both physics and math skills were utilized.  One important aspect about these studies conducted was that instructors were offered professional development opportunities to enhance their skills in developing ILAPs and implementing technologies.  The authors of the studied noted that it was very difficult to get instructors to use these experimental models without providing ample opportunity to explore the material themselves first.  One result for the students also mentioned that a large part of how the students felt about the ILAPs was dependent on the instructor’s attitude toward the changed curriculum.  In classes where instructors felt comfortable with the technology and were positive about the new style of learning, students generally were more receptive to the ILAP projects. 

                In conclusion, when looking at the effectiveness of technology and ILAPs in the classroom, it is important to look at more than just the grade outcomes.  Another important benefit of technology may be that students enjoy class more than a traditional style lecture.  This can be very beneficial for the student’s learning and understand, because if the student enjoys the course, they may be more likely to go on to the next course in the sequence.  The student otherwise may have lost interest and not continued in the subject area.  Thus the time it takes to implement the technology and ILAP may be worth it in regards to sparking curiosity and interest in the student population.  I believe there needs to be a good balance between technology, ILAPs, and lecture.  Lecture cannot be completely replaced, which is was not in either study, but lecture can be supplemented with technology to aide in achieving student learning outcomes.

EDU 6215 Article 2: student engagement with media

Reference:

Junco, R., & Heiberger, G., & Loken, E. (2011). The effect of Twitter on college student engagement and grades. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 27 (2), 119-132. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=2&sid=9367a513-cac8-4003-aca0-1fca4b00dfc7%40sessionmgr115&hid=106&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=a9h&AN=59268352

The article I read discussed using social media, specifically Twitter, to increase student engagement in college courses.  Engagement covers areas such as energy put forth in the class, participation, and out of class activity related to the material.  The main idea behind increasing student engagement in college is to assist students in achieving their ultimate goal, which is often a degree in a specified field.  If student engagement increases, logically this would mean students are more successful in terms of grades, and thus more likely to continue to pursue their degree.  The study sought to answer these two questions: 1. What effect does encouraging the use of Twitter for educationally relevant purposes have on student engagement? 2. What effect does encouraging the use of Twitter for educationally relevant purposes have on semester grades?  The study was conducted with seven sections of a one credit introductory seminar specifically taken by pre-health majors.  Thus although the sample was somewhat diverse in terms of ethnicity, it did not have a diversity in regards to varying majors.  This is one of the limitations of the results of the study that will be discussed later.  There were four experimental sections that used Twitter during the semester, and three sections for the control group.  Both groups used Ning, a social networking site that replaces a learning management system that is typical of other colleges.  There were 125 students in the study to begin, and seven dropped out as the semester progressed. The ages of the students were all between 17-20, and this is another important aspect of the sample used.

The method of the study was to introduce Twitter to the experimental groups, which included the basic training for how to use Twitter.  Then throughout the semester, particularly assignments were completed or enhanced using Twitter.  Some other aspects of the semester also transferred to Twitter, such as class updates, arrangement of study groups, academic supports, etc.  The students used Twitter for assignments to post responses to required readings, ask questions about the course, and comment on other student’s opinions.  The average number of tweets sent out by a student in the experimental group during the semester was 48.20.

Several results were seen at the end of the study.  In relation to the two main questions that were asked before the student began, there were positive results to share.  For the first question about student engagement, students in the experimental group had significantly higher scores in favor of positive engagement.  These scores were obtained by a pre and post-test that asked students to answer questions about their engagement for the course.  Also for the second question, students in the experimental group ended the semester with GPAs that were significantly higher than the control group.  Thus it seems that Twitter may have a beneficial impact on the overall learning outcomes of a college course. 

Some reason behind why the results may have been so positive is that Twitter alleviated several issues for students that they typically face in a college course.  Twitter was able to make students feel more connected to their instructor and the course.  Since the course was only one credit, it is difficult to create a community with such a short amount of time.  Twitter allowed students to interact outside the classroom, in a very non-threatening manner.  Thus Twitter significantly deepened the discussion the students were able to have in regards to required readings.  In addition, student relationships developed much faster through Twitter, because were less afraid to share their opinion.  Also Twitter gave students a sense of relief because through the channels of Twitter they were able to voice their anxiety about course material.  Once students started realizing that they were not the only one who was having issues, that bonded together to form study groups.  This is likely the reason for the increase in GPA for the semester, because these students also took other classes together since they were all pre-health majors.  Thus the benefit of Twitter quickly spilled over into other academic areas. 

There are several important implications about this study.  One of the biggest issues in college is student attendance and participation.  Twitter appears to be a tool that would allow students to interact more often, creating an education community that they can rely on to assist them in the completion of their courses.  When students feel engaged, they are more likely to show up for class.  This becomes a snowball effect, as the community and attendance spur on more success.  The second big implication about this study is that instructors can extended their course outside of class time.  In order for students to be successful in many courses, they need to be thinking about the subject more than just the few hours of class time.  Assignments through Twitter create more opportunities for students to be engaging in the material of the class.  The more immersed a student can become, the better the chance that student is successful and continues on in their program of study.