Matching Items (8)
Description
From the instructional perspective, the scope of "active learning" in the literature is very broad and includes all sorts of classroom activities that engage students with the learning experience. However, classifying all classroom activities as a mode of "active learning" simply ignores the unique cognitive processes associated with the type of activity. The lack of an extensive framework and taxonomy regarding the relative effectiveness of these "active" activities makes it difficult to compare and contrast the value of conditions in different studies in terms of student learning. Recently, Chi (2009) proposed a framework of differentiated overt learning activities (DOLA) as active, constructive, and interactive based on their underlying cognitive principles and their effectiveness on students' learning outcomes. The motivating question behind this framework is whether some types of engagement affect learning outcomes more than the others. This work evaluated the effectiveness and applicability of the DOLA framework to learning activities for STEM classes. After classification of overt learning activities as being active, constructive or interactive, I then tested the ICAP hypothesis, which states that student learning is more effective in interactive activities than constructive activities, which are more effective than active activities, which are more effective than passive activities. I conducted two studies (Study 1 and Study 2) to determine how and to what degree differentiated activities affected students' learning outcomes. For both studies, I measured students' knowledge of materials science and engineering concepts. Results for Study 1 showed that students scored higher on all post-class quiz questions after participating in interactive and constructive activities than after the active activities. However, student scores on more difficult, inference questions suggested that interactive activities provided significantly deeper learning than either constructive or active activities. Results for Study 2 showed that students' learning, in terms of gain scores, increased systematically from passive to active to constructive to interactive, as predicted by ICAP. All the increases, from condition to condition, were significant. Verbal analysis of the students' dialogue in interactive condition indicated a strong correlation between the co-construction of knowledge and learning gains. When the statements and responses of each student build upon those of the other, both students benefit from the collaboration. Also, the linear combination of discourse moves was significantly related to the adjusted gain scores with a very high correlation coefficient. Specifically, the elaborate type discourse moves were positively correlated with learning outcomes; whereas the accept type moves were negatively correlated with learning outcomes. Analyses of authentic activities in a STEM classroom showed that they fit within the taxonomy of the DOLA framework. The results of the two studies provided evidence to support the predictions of the ICAP hypothesis.
ContributorsMenekşe, Muhsin (Author) / Chi, Michelene T.H. (Thesis advisor) / Baker, Dale (Committee member) / Middleton, James (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
A reform movement in the United States has focused on STEM education and 21st century soft skills such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. This spotlight on STEM instruction provided an opportunity to explore how K-14 STEM teacher participants perceived a Design Thinking Instructional Problems (DTIP) approach to developing instructional lessons. The study used a convergent parallel mixed-methods design with a survey instrument and a multiple case study focused on K-14 in-service STEM teachers. Data were collected from teacher participants during two five-week summer Research Experience for Teachers (RET) programs as part of two separate National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Engineering Research Centers (ERC) located at a large southwestern university in the United States (n=16). The study was conducted over three phases. During Phase I and II, teacher participants experienced a Design Thinking Overview workshop and weekly DTIP professional development sessions to facilitate the development of an RET instructional lesson. Pre- and post-program DTIP surveys and background interviews were conducted with all teacher participants (n=16). From this original group, teacher participants were selected as cases. Implementation observations and post-implementation interviews were conducted with these case-teachers (n=10). The study included frequency analysis and descriptive statistics of survey data. Qualitative data were analyzed using direct interpretation, thematic analysis, and open coding with the constant comparative method. A variety of arrays, summaries, and matrices were used to visualize patterns across and within individual case-teacher results. All 16 teacher participants viewed themselves as designers solving complex instructional problems. All 16 teacher participants found the DTIP professional development sessions to have somewhat to very much provided additional value during their RET summer programs. Six of the 10 case-teachers perceived the DTIP model graphic as mostly to completely corresponding to the way in which they developed their RET instructional lesson. Lastly, eight of the 10 case-teachers chose to embed a Design Thinking student learning strategy into the RET instructional lesson they developed.
ContributorsElwood, Kristin (Author) / Savenye, Wilhelmina (Thesis advisor) / Jordan, Michelle E (Committee member) / Henriksen, Danah (Committee member) / Mishra, Punya (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
The aim of this study is to analyze the impact Arizona legislation has had on STEM education access, specifically for Latino students. Using socio-ecological systems theory, this study explores the relation between the macro and exo-systemic context of education legislation and the micro-systemic context of being a STEM undergraduate at a state university. In order to understand how STEM education is affected, legislation was analyzed through the Arizona Legislative Database. Additionally, current STEM undergraduates were interviewed in order to discover the factors that made them successful in their majors. Data from the interviews would demonstrate the influence of the Arizona legislation macro and exo-systems on the microsystemic portion of Latinos and their access to STEM education. A total of 24 students were interviewed as part of this study. Their responses shed light on the complexities of STEM education access and the importance of mentorship for success in STEM. The overall conclusion is that more efforts need to be made before STEM education is readily available to many, but the most effective way to achieve this is through mentorship.
ContributorsHernandez-Gonzalez, Rosalia (Author) / Herrera, Richard (Thesis director) / Casanova, Saskias (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
Since the early 2000s the Rubik’s Cube has seen growing usage at speedsolving competitions and as an effective tool to teach Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) topics at hundreds of schools and universities across the world. Recently, cube manufacturers have begun embedding sensors to enable digital face tracking. The live feedback from these so called “smartcubes” enables a new wave of immersive solution tutorials and interactive educational games using the cube as a controller. Existing smartcube software has several limitations. Manufacturers’ applications support only a narrow set of puzzle form factors and application platforms, fragmenting the ecosystem. Most apps require an active internet connection for key features, limiting where users can practice with a smartcube. Finally, existing applications focus on a single 3x3x3connection, losing opportunities afforded by new form factors. This research demonstrates an open-source smartcube application which mitigates these limitations. Particular attention is given to creating an Application Programming Interface (API) for smartcube communication and building representative solve analysis tools. These innovations have included successful negotiations to re-license existing open-source Rubik’sCube software projects to support deployment on multiple platforms, particularly iOS. The resulting application supports smartcubes from three manufacturers, runs on two platforms (Android and iOS), functions entirely offline after an initial download of remote assets, demonstrates concurrent connections with up to six smartcubes, and supports all current and anticipated smartcube form factors. These foundational elements can accelerate future efforts to build smartcube applications, including automated performance feedback systems and personalized gamification of learning experiences. Such advances will hopefully enhance the Rubik’s Cube’s value both as a competitive toy and as a pedagogical tool in educational institutions worldwide.
ContributorsHale, Joseph (Author) / Bansal, Ajay (Thesis advisor) / Heinrichs, Robert (Committee member) / Gary, Kevin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
The science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education community is interested in using virtual reality (VR) to help students learn STEM knowledge. Prior research also provided evidence that VR learning can increase students’ motivation and learning achievement. However, it was not clear whether the effect of VR on learning was partly from sensory novelty and whether the effectiveness was sustainable. This study was to satisfy the concern on the sustainability of VR STEM learning in instruction and address the research gaps in exploring the effect of VR on a STEM learning experience with a consideration of novelty.
The study used a mixed-methods experimental design and involved a three-session VR STEM learning intervention. The quantitative data was collected through the intervention by survey questionnaire, session quiz, and pre- and post-tests, while the interviews were taken after the intervention. The structural equation modeling method was used to explore the relationships among factors in the VR learning experience. Longitudinal quantitative comparisons were conducted with the multiple imputation method. Its purpose was to evaluate the changing magnitude of factors across sessions. After quantitative analysis, interview transcripts were analyzed. They were used to triangulate or provide context for understanding of quantitative results.
The results showed that motivation and engagement play a critical mediation role in an effective VR learning experience. While individuals’ psychological responses and motivation may significantly increase in a VR learning experience for novelty, the novelty effect may not steeply decrease when individuals are becoming familiar with the novelty. This phenomenon is more observable in a VR condition having a high degree of immersion and embodiment. In addition, novelty does not necessarily increase learning achievement. The increase of learning achievement is more dependent on a match between the learning content and the learning method. The embodied learning method is appropriate for instructing difficult knowledge and spatial knowledge. Reserving enough time for reflection is important to deep learning in a VR environment.
The study used a mixed-methods experimental design and involved a three-session VR STEM learning intervention. The quantitative data was collected through the intervention by survey questionnaire, session quiz, and pre- and post-tests, while the interviews were taken after the intervention. The structural equation modeling method was used to explore the relationships among factors in the VR learning experience. Longitudinal quantitative comparisons were conducted with the multiple imputation method. Its purpose was to evaluate the changing magnitude of factors across sessions. After quantitative analysis, interview transcripts were analyzed. They were used to triangulate or provide context for understanding of quantitative results.
The results showed that motivation and engagement play a critical mediation role in an effective VR learning experience. While individuals’ psychological responses and motivation may significantly increase in a VR learning experience for novelty, the novelty effect may not steeply decrease when individuals are becoming familiar with the novelty. This phenomenon is more observable in a VR condition having a high degree of immersion and embodiment. In addition, novelty does not necessarily increase learning achievement. The increase of learning achievement is more dependent on a match between the learning content and the learning method. The embodied learning method is appropriate for instructing difficult knowledge and spatial knowledge. Reserving enough time for reflection is important to deep learning in a VR environment.
ContributorsHuang, Wen (Author) / Roscoe, Rod (Thesis advisor) / Johnson, Mina (Committee member) / Craig, Scotty (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
There is increasing interest in understanding how active learning affects students’ mental health as science courses transition from traditional lecture to active learning. Prior research has found that active learning can both alleviate and exacerbate undergraduate mental health problems. Existing studies have only examined the relationship between active learning and anxiety. No studies have examined the relationship between active learning and undergraduate depression. To address this gap in the literature, we conducted hour-long exploratory interviews with 29 students with depression who had taken active learning science courses across six U.S. institutions. We probed what aspects of active learning practices exacerbate or alleviate depressive symptoms and how students’ depression affects their experiences in active learning. We found that aspects of active learning practices exacerbate and alleviate students’ depressive symptoms, and depression negatively impacts students’ experiences in active learning. The underlying aspects of active learning practices that impact students’ depression fall into four overarching categories: inherently social, inherently engaging, opportunities to compare selves to others, and opportunities to validate or invalidate intelligence. We hope that by better understanding the experiences of undergraduates with depression in active learning courses we can create more inclusive learning environments for these students.
ContributorsAraghi, Tala (Author) / Cooper, Katelyn (Thesis director) / Brownell, Sara (Committee member) / Busch, Carly (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
Engineering, and more specifically, electrical engineering can be a difficult topic to explain through spoken communication. Along with taking years of education to learn and understand necessary topics, the field is riddled with jargon and items that may take lectures to explain. However, this type of education may not be feasible for a younger or inexperienced audience. Therefore, engineers must find new ways to explain such difficult topics, especially in an attempt to garner interest in children, for example, through art.
ContributorsHedges, Madison (Author) / Aukes, Daniel (Thesis director) / Weeks, Eric (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Engineering Programs (Contributor) / School of Earth and Space Exploration (Contributor)
Created2023-12
Description
Students in Organic Chemistry for Majors were required to write a paper as the culminating course assignment. Prior to completing this assignment, students could attend a library instruction session covering relevant databases and resources. Upon submission of their papers, bibliographies from 53 students were collected. Calculations were made to attempt a holistic account of costs associated with completing the assignment. Factors such as the cost of journals, databases, and librarian time were all included in the overall cost estimate, totalling $7,189.22 for this single assignment.
ContributorsKromer, John (Author)
Created2019-07-02