First-Year and Non-First-Year Student Expectations Regarding In-Class and Out-of-Class Learning Activities in Introductory Biology 
†

Tanya L. Brown; Kathleen R. Brazeal; Brian A. Couch

doi:10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241

First-Year and Non-First-Year Student Expectations Regarding In-Class and Out-of-Class Learning Activities in Introductory Biology †

Authors:

Tanya L. Brown¹, Kathleen R. Brazeal², Brian A. Couch^2,*

VIEW AFFILIATIONS HIDE AFFILIATIONS

Affiliations: 1: Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045; 2: School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588

AUTHOR AND ARTICLE INFORMATION AUTHOR AND ARTICLE INFORMATION

Received 12 September 2016 Accepted 25 January 2017 Published 21 April 2017
©2017 Author(s). Published by the American Society for Microbiology.
[open-access] This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ and https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode), which grants the public the nonexclusive right to copy, distribute, or display the published work.
†Supplemental materials available at http://asmscience.org/jmbe
*Corresponding author. Mailing address: 204 Manter | Lincoln, NE 68588-0118. Phone: 402-472-8130. Fax: 402-472-2083. E-mail: [email protected].

Source: J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. April 2017 vol. 18 no. 1 doi:10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241

MyBook is a cheap paperback edition of the original book and will be sold at uniform, low price.

HTML
65.75 Kb
PDF
1.61 MB

XML
77.09 Kb

Abstract:

National calls for teaching transformation build on a constructivist learning theory and propose that students learn by actively engaging in course activities and interacting with other students. While interactive pedagogies can improve learning, they also have the potential to challenge traditional norms regarding class participation and learning strategies. To better understand the potential openness of students to interactive teaching practices, we administered a survey during the first week of two sections of an introductory biology course to characterize how students envisioned spending time during class as well as what activities they expected to complete outside of class during non-exam weeks and in preparation for exams. Additionally, we sought to test the hypothesis that the expectations of first-year students differed from those of non-first-year students. Analyses of closed-ended and open-ended questions revealed that students held a wide range of expectations and that most students expressed expectations consistent with some degree of transformed teaching. Furthermore, first-year students expected more active learning in class, more out-of-class coursework during non-exam weeks, and more social learning strategies than non-first-year students. We discuss how instructor awareness of incoming student expectations might be used to promote success in introductory science courses.

References & Citations

1. National Research Council (NRC) 2011 Expanding underrepresented minority participation: America’s science and technology talent at the crossroads The National Academies Press Washington, DC

2. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) 2012 Engage to excel: producing one million additional college graduates with degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Executive Office of the President Washington, DC

3. Seymour E 2000 Talking about leaving: why undergraduates leave the sciences Westview Press Boulder, CO

4. American Association for the Advancement of Science 2011 Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action: a summary of recommendations made at a national conference organized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, July 15–17, 2009 Washington, DC

5. National Research Council (NRC) 1999 Transforming undergraduate education in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology The National Academies Press Washington, DC

6. Ambrose SA, Bridges MW, DiPietro M, Lovett MC, Norman MK, Mayer RE 2010 How learning works: Seven research-based principles for smart teaching 1st edition Jossey-Bass San Francisco, CA

7. National Research Council (NRC) 2000 How people learn: brain, mind, experience, and school The National Academies Press Washington, DC

8. Eagan K, Stolzenberg EB, Lozano JB, Aragon MC, Suchard MR, Hurtado S 2014 Undergraduate teaching faculty: the 2013–2014 HERI faculty survey Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA Los Angeles, CA

9. Freeman S, Eddy SL, McDonough M, Smith MK, Okoroafor N, Jordt H, Wenderoth MP 2014 Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics Proc Natl Acad Sci 111 8410 8415 10.1073/pnas.1319030111 24821756 4060654 http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1319030111

10. Eddy SL, Hogan KA 2014 Getting under the hood: how and for whom does increasing course structure work? CBE Life Sci Educ 13 453 468 10.1187/cbe.14-03-0050 25185229 4152207 http://dx.doi.org/10.1187/cbe.14-03-0050

11. Freeman S, O’Connor E, Parks JW, Cunningham M, Hurley D, Haak D, Dirks C, Wenderoth MP 2007 Prescribed active learning increases performance in introductory biology CBE Life Sci Educ 6 132 139 10.1187/cbe.06-09-0194 17548875 1885904 http://dx.doi.org/10.1187/cbe.06-09-0194

12. Haak DC, HilleRisLambers J, Pitre E, Freeman S 2011 Increased structure and active learning reduce the achievement gap in introductory biology Science 332 1213 1216 10.1126/science.1204820 21636776 http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1204820

13. Gross D, Pietri ES, Anderson G, Moyano-Camihort K, Graham MJ 2015 Increased preclass preparation underlies student outcome improvement in the flipped classroom CBE Life Sci Educ 14 ar36 10.1187/cbe.15-02-0040 26396151 4710397 http://dx.doi.org/10.1187/cbe.15-02-0040

14. Burgoon JK 1978 A communication model of personal space violations: explication and an initial test Hum Commun Res 4 129 142 10.1111/j.1468-2958.1978.tb00603.x http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.1978.tb00603.x

15. Brazeal KR, Brown TL, Couch BA Characterizing student perceptions and buy-in toward common formative assessment techniques CBE Life Sci Educ in press

16. Keeley SM, Shemberg KM, Cowell BS, Zinnbauer BJ 1995 Coping with student resistance to critical thinking: what the psychotherapy literature can tell us Coll Teach 43 140 145 10.1080/87567555.1995.9925537 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/87567555.1995.9925537

17. Seidel SB, Tanner KD 2013 “What if students revolt?”— Considering student resistance: origins, options, and opportunities for investigation CBE Life Sci Educ 12 586 595 10.1187/cbe-13-09-0190 24297286 3846509 http://dx.doi.org/10.1187/cbe-13-09-0190

18. Stanger-Hall KF 2012 Multiple-choice exams: an obstacle for higher-level thinking in introductory science classes CBE Life Sci Educ 11 294 306 10.1187/cbe.11-11-0100 22949426 3433302 http://dx.doi.org/10.1187/cbe.11-11-0100

19. McInnis C 2001 Researching the first year experience: where to from here? High Educ Res Dev 20 105 114 10.1080/07294360125188 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07294360125188

20. Brinkworth R, McCann B, Matthews C, Nordström K 2009 First year expectations and experiences: student and teacher perspectives High Educ 58 157 173 10.1007/s10734-008-9188-3 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10734-008-9188-3

21. Crisp G, Palmer E, Turnbull D, Nettelbeck T, Ward L, LeCouteur A, Sarris A, Strelan P, Schneider L 2009 First year student expectations: results from a university-wide student survey J Univ Teach Learn Pract 6 11 26

22. Smith JS, Wertlieb EC 2005 Do first-year college students’ expectations align with their first-year experiences? NASPA J 42 153 174 10.2202/0027-6014.1470 http://dx.doi.org/10.2202/0027-6014.1470

23. Lund TJ, Pilarz M, Velasco JB, Chakraverty D, Rosploch K, Undersander M, Stains M 2015 The best of both worlds: building on the COPUS and RTOP observation protocols to easily and reliably measure various levels of reformed instructional practice CBE Life Sci Educ 14 ar18 10.1187/cbe.14-10-0168 25976654 4477734 http://dx.doi.org/10.1187/cbe.14-10-0168

24. Smith MK, Vinson EL, Smith JA, Lewin JD, Stetzer MR 2014 A campus-wide study of STEM courses: new perspectives on teaching practices and perceptions CBE Life Sci Educ 13 624 635 10.1187/cbe.14-06-0108 25452485 4255349 http://dx.doi.org/10.1187/cbe.14-06-0108

25. Sander P, Stevenson K, King M, Coates D 2000 University students’ expectations of teaching Stud High Educ 25 309 323 10.1080/03075070050193433 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03075070050193433

26. Gillespie DF, Rosamond S, Thomas E 2006 Grouped out? Undergraduates’ default strategies for participating in multiple small groups J Gen Educ 55 81 102 10.1353/jge.2006.0022 http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/jge.2006.0022

27. Phipps M, Phipps C, Kask S, Higgins S 2001 University students’ perceptions of cooperative learning: implications for administrators and instructors J Exp Educ 24 14 22

28. Gortner Lahmers A, Zulauf CR 2000 Factors associated with academic time use and academic performance of college students: a recursive approach J Coll Stud Dev

29. Krohn GA, O’Connor CM 2005 Student effort and performance over the semester J Econ Educ 36 3 28 10.3200/JECE.36.1.3-28 http://dx.doi.org/10.3200/JECE.36.1.3-28

30. Benford R, Gess-Newsome J 2006 Factors affecting student academic success in gateway courses at Northern Arizona University Cent Sci Teach Learn North Ariz Univ. ERIC Document No ED495693

31. Nonis SA, Hudson GI 2010 Performance of college students: impact of study time and study habits J Educ Bus 85 229 238 10.1080/08832320903449550 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08832320903449550

32. Kitsantas A, Winsler A, Huie F 2008 Self-regulation and ability predictors of academic success during college: a predictive validity study J Adv Acad 20 42 68

33. Credé M, Kuncel NR 2008 Study habits, skills, and attitudes: the third pillar supporting collegiate academic performance Perspect Psychol Sci 3 425 453 10.1111/j.1745-6924.2008.00089.x 26158971 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6924.2008.00089.x

34. Gurung RA, Weidert J, Jeske A 2010 Focusing on how students study J Scholarsh Teach Learn 10 28 35

35. Ames R, Lau S 1982 An attributional analysis of student help-seeking in academic settings J Educ Psychol 74 414 10.1037/0022-0663.74.3.414 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.74.3.414

36. Preszler RW, Dawe A, Shuster CB, Shuster M 2007 Assessment of the effects of student response systems on student learning and attitudes over a broad range of biology courses CBE Life Sci Educ 6 29 41 10.1187/cbe.06-09-0190 17339392 1854854 http://dx.doi.org/10.1187/cbe.06-09-0190

37. Trees AR, Jackson MH 2007 The learning environment in clicker classrooms: student processes of learning and involvement in large university-level courses using student response systems Learn Media Technol 32 21 40 10.1080/17439880601141179 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17439880601141179

38. Welsh AJ 2012 Exploring undergraduates’ perceptions of the use of active learning techniques in science lectures J Coll Sci Teach 42 80 87

39. Wolter BH, Lundeberg MA, Kang H, Herreid CF 2011 Students’ perceptions of using personal response systems (“clickers”) with cases in science J Coll Sci Teach 40 14 19

40. Hora MT 2015 Toward a descriptive science of teaching: how the TDOP illuminates the multidimensional nature of active learning in postsecondary classrooms Sci Educ 99 783 818 10.1002/sce.21175 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/sce.21175

Find citations for this content in PubMed

Supplemental Material

Appendix 1: Complete list of survey questions
- MyBook is a cheap paperback edition of the original book and will be sold at uniform, low price.
  PDF
  206.04 Kb
Appendix 2: Description of criteria for demographic variables
- MyBook is a cheap paperback edition of the original book and will be sold at uniform, low price.
  PDF
  206.04 Kb
Appendix 3: Accounting for model assumptions
- MyBook is a cheap paperback edition of the original book and will be sold at uniform, low price.
  PDF
  206.04 Kb
Appendix 4: Results of general linear models predicting student expectations about time spent on in-class and out-of-class activities
- MyBook is a cheap paperback edition of the original book and will be sold at uniform, low price.
  PDF
  206.04 Kb
Appendix 5: Summarized results of general linear models predicting student exam and course grades
- MyBook is a cheap paperback edition of the original book and will be sold at uniform, low price.
  PDF
  206.04 Kb

Article metrics loading...

/content/journal/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241

2017-04-21

2020-08-07

Abstract:

Highlighted Text: Show | Hide

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/jmbe/18/1/jmbe-18-7.html?itemId=/content/journal/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

Author and Article Information

Received 12 September 2016 Accepted 25 January 2017 Published 21 April 2017
©2017 Author(s). Published by the American Society for Microbiology.
[open-access] This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ and https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode), which grants the public the nonexclusive right to copy, distribute, or display the published work.
†Supplemental materials available at http://asmscience.org/jmbe
*Corresponding author. Mailing address: 204 Manter | Lincoln, NE 68588-0118. Phone: 402-472-8130. Fax: 402-472-2083. E-mail: [email protected].

Figures

First-Year and Non-First-Year Student Expectations Regarding In-Class and Out-of-Class Learning Activities in Introductory Biology †

[com.pub2web.rdf.cci.facet.ContentItem[id=http://asm.metastore.ingenta.com/content/author/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241-1,webId=/content/author/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241-1,properties={foaf_givenname=Tanya L., foaf_name=Tanya L. Brown, foaf_surname=Brown, pub_isAffiliatedWith=[com.pub2web.rdf.cci.facet.ContentItem[id=http://asm.metastore.ingenta.com/content/affiliation/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241-aff1]]}], com.pub2web.rdf.cci.facet.ContentItem[id=http://asm.metastore.ingenta.com/content/author/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241-2,webId=/content/author/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241-2,properties={foaf_givenname=Kathleen R., foaf_name=Kathleen R. Brazeal, foaf_surname=Brazeal, pub_isAffiliatedWith=[com.pub2web.rdf.cci.facet.ContentItem[id=http://asm.metastore.ingenta.com/content/affiliation/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241-aff2]]}], com.pub2web.rdf.cci.facet.ContentItem[id=http://asm.metastore.ingenta.com/content/author/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241-3,webId=/content/author/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241-3,properties={foaf_givenname=Brian A., foaf_name=Brian A. Couch, foaf_surname=Couch, pub_correspondenceLink=*, pub_isAffiliatedWith=[com.pub2web.rdf.cci.facet.ContentItem[id=http://asm.metastore.ingenta.com/content/affiliation/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241-aff2]]}]]

Citation: Brown T, Brazeal K, Couch B. 2017. First-year and non-first-year student expectations regarding in-class and out-of-class learning activities in introductory biology † . J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. 18(1): doi:10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241

/content/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241.f1-jmbe-18-7

FIGURE 1

Student expectations regarding the percentage of class time they expect to spend completing activities and working in small groups or listening to lecture and taking notes. Student responses to both questions were required to total 100%. Response distributions are shown for first-year and non-first-year students. Central bars represent medians, boxes represent inner quartiles, and whiskers represent the 5th and 95th percentiles. General linear model, ***p < 0.001, see Appendix 4 .

jmbe/18/1/jmbe-18-7f1_thmb.gif

jmbe/18/1/jmbe-18-7f1.gif

FIGURE 1

Source: J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. April 2017 vol. 18 no. 1 doi:10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241

/content/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241.f2-jmbe-18-7

FIGURE 2

Open-ended student perceptions regarding the best use of class time. Bars represent the percentage of first-year and non-first-year students who indicated each category at least once in their response. Fisher’s exact test, *p < 0.05.

jmbe/18/1/jmbe-18-7f2_thmb.gif

jmbe/18/1/jmbe-18-7f2.gif

FIGURE 2

Source: J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. April 2017 vol. 18 no. 1 doi:10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241

/content/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241.f3-jmbe-18-7

FIGURE 3

Student expectations regarding the amount of time they expect to spend on required and non-required work outside of class time. Response distributions are shown for first-year and non-first-year students. Central bars represent medians, boxes represent inner quartiles, and whiskers represent the 5th and 95th percentiles. General linear models, *p < 0.05, ***p < 0.001, see Appendix 4 .

jmbe/18/1/jmbe-18-7f3_thmb.gif

jmbe/18/1/jmbe-18-7f3.gif

FIGURE 3

Source: J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. April 2017 vol. 18 no. 1 doi:10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241

/content/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241.f4-jmbe-18-7

FIGURE 4

Open-ended student expectations regarding out-of-class activities during non-exam weeks. Bars represent the percentage of first-year and non-first-year students who indicated each category at least once in their response. Fisher’s exact test, *p < 0.05.

jmbe/18/1/jmbe-18-7f4_thmb.gif

jmbe/18/1/jmbe-18-7f4.gif

FIGURE 4

Source: J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. April 2017 vol. 18 no. 1 doi:10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241

/content/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241.f5-jmbe-18-7

FIGURE 5

Student expectations regarding the amount of time they expect to spend preparing for exams. Response distributions are shown for first-year and non-first-year students. Central bars represent medians, boxes represent inner quartiles, and whiskers represent the 5th and 95th percentiles. General linear model, *p < 0.05, see Appendix 4 .

jmbe/18/1/jmbe-18-7f5_thmb.gif

jmbe/18/1/jmbe-18-7f5.gif

FIGURE 5

Source: J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. April 2017 vol. 18 no. 1 doi:10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241

/content/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241.f6-jmbe-18-7

FIGURE 6

Open-ended student expectations regarding exam preparation. Bars represent the percentage of first-year and non-first-year students who indicated each category at least once in their response. Fisher’s exact test, *p < 0.05.

jmbe/18/1/jmbe-18-7f6_thmb.gif

jmbe/18/1/jmbe-18-7f6.gif

FIGURE 6

Source: J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. April 2017 vol. 18 no. 1 doi:10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1241

First-Year and Non-First-Year Student Expectations Regarding In-Class and Out-of-Class Learning Activities in Introductory Biology †

References & Citations

Supplemental Material

Appendix 1: Complete list of survey questions

Appendix 2: Description of criteria for demographic variables

Appendix 3: Accounting for model assumptions

Appendix 4: Results of general linear models predicting student expectations about time spent on in-class and out-of-class activities

Appendix 5: Summarized results of general linear models predicting student exam and course grades

Author and Article Information

Figures

FIGURE 1

FIGURE 2

FIGURE 3

FIGURE 4

FIGURE 5

FIGURE 6

Related Content from PubMed