This is part 2 of a series on my experiences implementing a collaborative learning environment in a theory based course. Please be sure to refer to Part 1 prior to continuing.
Collaboration in the classroom has additional benefits beyond an active way of learning course objectives. Although many students at the beginning of this semester reported disliking teamwork, their feedback at the end of the course identified a very positive experience. It is also important for educators to prepare our students for the real world. Most businesses - as many as 80% - report relying heavily on teams and teamwork when accomplishing organizational goals. Engaging students in teams in the class will help them develop leadership, conflict management, and teamwork skills needed for the business world.
Students in my collaborative learning class were provided with a survey at four weeks into the course asking them to evaluate the format of the collaborative learning environment and the teaching style. The survey included specific questions on the use of active learning and understanding course materials, level of comfort with the expectations of the course, qualitative feedback on changes/improvements, qualitative feedback on areas the student liked about the course, and qualitative feedback on the active learning format of the course.
The class of 54 students all replied that they were comfortable with the expectations of the course. There was also very positive qualitative feedback related to the collaboration/active learning portion of the course. Specific comments included the following:
"This course actually makes me stay awake"
"I love the active learning"
"The team activities are excellent"
"I am learning so much in this class"
"This is the best course I have taken to date!"
"I was worried about the teams at first, however now I know that I have two people to help me through the course activities every time I come to class"
"I don't want to miss a class, the classes are interesting and fun!"
Ok, so I am not so sure if the first comment is a positive or negative?, but I will take it. There were two common concerns that the students documented in the survey as well. One was on the speed of my lectures. I tend to talk fast when I am passionate about a topic, and partner that with trying to get all major topics into a shortened lecture time... well, I did go to fast. The second concern was that the students, whose only assignments by week 4 were the in-class activities, were concerned that they were not "getting it". Several comments were made that they understood the lectures and could complete the in-class activities, but they had anxiety about how that would translate to the first exam. (more on grades and attendance in an upcoming post). Because of these documented anxieties I have decided in future classes to provide optional quizzes so the students can assess their knowledge prior to the exams. (See A Time to Reflect.... With Online Learning)
The feedback provided in these early semester surveys provided me with enough evidence to continue using the method for the remainder of the semester. However, I had another major milestone to pass that semester before I would be convinced that active learning really benefited the students - their first exam. I purposely created the exams using the same test bank as another instructor to ensure continuity and provide me with a performance standard to compare with. But more on that in an upcoming post... My next post will include the feedback provided from the formal end-of-course evaluations and will include information on attendance and grading.
Thank you for reading part 2. I would welcome any comments, questions, feedback you have on active learning or the techniques I have discussed in this article.
This is part 2 of a series on my experiences implementing a collaborative learning environment in a theory based course. Please be sure to refer to Part 1 prior to continuing.
Collaboration in the classroom has additional benefits beyond an active way of learning course objectives. Although many students at the beginning of this semester reported disliking teamwork, their feedback at the end of the course identified a very positive experience. It is also important for educators to prepare our students for the real world. Most businesses - as many as 80% - report relying heavily on teams and teamwork when accomplishing organizational goals. Engaging students in teams in the class will help them develop leadership, conflict management, and teamwork skills needed for the business world.
Students in my collaborative learning class were provided with a survey at four weeks into the course asking them to evaluate the format of the collaborative learning environment and the teaching style. The survey included specific questions on the use of active learning and understanding course materials, level of comfort with the expectations of the course, qualitative feedback on changes/improvements, qualitative feedback on areas the student liked about the course, and qualitative feedback on the active learning format of the course.
The class of 54 students all replied that they were comfortable with the expectations of the course. There was also very positive qualitative feedback related to the collaboration/active learning portion of the course. Specific comments included the following:
"This course actually makes me stay awake"
"I love the active learning"
"The team activities are excellent"
"I am learning so much in this class"
"This is the best course I have taken to date!"
"I was worried about the teams at first, however now I know that I have two people to help me through the course activities every time I come to class"
"I don't want to miss a class, the classes are interesting and fun!"
Ok, so I am not so sure if the first comment is a positive or negative?, but I will take it. There were two common concerns that the students documented in the survey as well. One was on the speed of my lectures. I tend to talk fast when I am passionate about a topic, and partner that with trying to get all major topics into a shortened lecture time... well, I did go to fast. The second concern was that the students, whose only assignments by week 4 were the in-class activities, were concerned that they were not "getting it". Several comments were made that they understood the lectures and could complete the in-class activities, but they had anxiety about how that would translate to the first exam. (more on grades and attendance in an upcoming post). Because of these documented anxieties I have decided in future classes to provide optional quizzes so the students can assess their knowledge prior to the exams. (See A Time to Reflect.... With Online Learning)
The feedback provided in these early semester surveys provided me with enough evidence to continue using the method for the remainder of the semester. However, I had another major milestone to pass that semester before I would be convinced that active learning really benefited the students - their first exam. I purposely created the exams using the same test bank as another instructor to ensure continuity and provide me with a performance standard to compare with. But more on that in an upcoming post... My next post will include the feedback provided from the formal end-of-course evaluations and will include information on attendance and grading.
Thank you for reading part 2. I would welcome any comments, questions, feedback you have on active learning or the techniques I have discussed in this article.
The class of 54 students all replied that they were comfortable with the expectations of the course. There was also very positive qualitative feedback related to the collaboration/active learning portion of the course. Specific comments included the following:
"This course actually makes me stay awake"
"I love the active learning"
"The team activities are excellent"
"I am learning so much in this class"
"This is the best course I have taken to date!"
"I was worried about the teams at first, however now I know that I have two people to help me through the course activities every time I come to class"
"I don't want to miss a class, the classes are interesting and fun!"
Ok, so I am not so sure if the first comment is a positive or negative?, but I will take it. There were two common concerns that the students documented in the survey as well. One was on the speed of my lectures. I tend to talk fast when I am passionate about a topic, and partner that with trying to get all major topics into a shortened lecture time... well, I did go to fast. The second concern was that the students, whose only assignments by week 4 were the in-class activities, were concerned that they were not "getting it". Several comments were made that they understood the lectures and could complete the in-class activities, but they had anxiety about how that would translate to the first exam. (more on grades and attendance in an upcoming post). Because of these documented anxieties I have decided in future classes to provide optional quizzes so the students can assess their knowledge prior to the exams. (See A Time to Reflect.... With Online Learning)
The feedback provided in these early semester surveys provided me with enough evidence to continue using the method for the remainder of the semester. However, I had another major milestone to pass that semester before I would be convinced that active learning really benefited the students - their first exam. I purposely created the exams using the same test bank as another instructor to ensure continuity and provide me with a performance standard to compare with. But more on that in an upcoming post... My next post will include the feedback provided from the formal end-of-course evaluations and will include information on attendance and grading.
Thank you for reading part 2. I would welcome any comments, questions, feedback you have on active learning or the techniques I have discussed in this article.
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