leading the way to student success: efficient faculty-run ...€¦ · leading the way to student...
TRANSCRIPT
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LEADing the way to student success:
Efficient faculty-run cooperative learning centers
Ronald Bieniek
Professor of Physics
Director of New Faculty Programs (http://newfaculty.mst.edu) and
Director of Learning Enhancement Across Disciplines (http://lead.mst.edu)
Missouri University of Science & Technology
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… provides proactive learning-success support
for all students in foundational courses
• Offers scheduled faculty-run Learning Centers
and/or walk-in peer tutoring for 60+ courses that:
– are welcoming with no stigma implied
– promote student-centered learning
– increase understanding of course material
– enhance analytical and proficiency skills
– validate mastery
LEADing the Way to Student Success: S&T’s
Learning Enhancement Across Disciplines Program
• Empower students through personal achievement and assured confidence
(Bandura’s validated self-efficacy, producing greater motivation and effort)
• “You have the ability to succeed; we will guide and assist you”
• LEAD employs ~30 accomplished undergraduate Peer Learning Assistants
(PLAs) who undergo extensive training in pedagogy and leadership
Statement about LEAD for a course syllabus
The Learning Enhancement Across Disciplines Program (LEAD)
sponsors free learning assistance in a wide range of courses
for students who wish to increase their understanding, improve
their skills, and validate their mastery of concepts and content
in order to achieve their full potential. Check out the online
schedule at http://lead.mst.edu/assist. Look to see what
courses that you are taking have individualized LEAD peer
tutoring and/or faculty-run collaborative LEAD learning centers
for guided learning.
FYI - general LEAD website: http://lead.mst.edu
schedules for prior semesters are archived at:
http://lead.mst.edu/assist/archive
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Free walk-in LEAD Peer Tutoring
• Conducted by accomplished undergraduate Peer Learning
Assistants (PLAs), paid and trained by LEAD
• Provides 4 – 8 hours/week of peer tutoring at scheduled days
and times 29 large-enrollment foundational courses
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Advantages of tutoring
• Quiet, calm environment
• Focused personal attention by
trained undergrad peers
Disadvantages or barriers
• Low level of camaraderie, socialization
• Utilized by relatively few students
• No interaction with faculty
Alternate approach to student learning and success:
Faculty-run LEAD Learning Centers …
Use your office hours effectively: run a
cooperative Learning Center!
• Students are generally loath to enter the office lair of an
academic staff member for a variety of reasons
• Have office hours (~2 hours/week) in an open “inviting”
environment of a cooperative Learning Center for your course
• NOT recitations sections or “help sessions”
• Learning Centers orchestrate “guided learning”
• Reasons to do it: you will
– gain insight into student misunderstandings & difficulties
– have fun interacting with greater numbers of students
– have less complaints and issues from students
– You will project that YOU CARE about your students
Video of Learning Centers approach and operations: http://lead.mst.edu/media/studentsupport/lead/documents/LEAD_LCs.mp4 5
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– 55+ faculty personally run 45+ learning centers in 14+
departments
– Cooperative learning with LEAD faculty on duty as office hours in open environments using guided-learning techniques
– Minimal disruption of department infrastructure
– Financial cost is ZERO except for any (low cost) undergrad
assistant on duty with faculty member
– From Elementary Russian and Financial Accounting
to Electromechanics and Quantum Chemistry
– About 30-40% of students will attend a course’s learning center
weekly if it is regularly promoted by instructor
~700 students/week vote with their feet to find success
through these effective learning communities
Course-Based Faculty-Run Collaborative
LEAD Learning Centers at Missouri S&T
Brief video (4m30s) about LEAD Learning Center ops:
http://lead.mst.edu/media/studentsupport/lead/documents/LEAD_LCs.mp4
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LEAD Learning Center Characteristics • Operate during fixed hours each week for a specific course
– location chosen by instructor (generally in department building)
• Staffed by
– faculty as their office hours in an open environment
– accomplished undergrad peer instructors (for large courses) who benefit from pre-professional leadership and pedagogy training
• Facilitate and project learning-centered education
– more student-oriented, less teacher-centered
• Utilize social dynamics and camaraderie for learning success
• Directly promote best practices for student learning
– Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education
(http://lead.mst.edu/sevenprinciples/commentary)
Students who regularly participate do significantly better
Data collected in physics, chemistry, and mathematics clearly demonstrates positive impact on student performance and grades
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Unposed photos of Cooperative Learning and Social Dynamics in
the introductory Physics, Math, & Chemistry Learning Centers
Suggestions
Cookies
Pop corn
Appropriate
operating
days/hours
Easy access
& EGRESS
Zero or small
% points for
participation
Engineering Physics Learning Center
Chemistry 1 Learning Center
Calculus II Learning Center
College Physics Learning Center
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Students find own solutions if a Learning Center gets too crowded:
Students using hallway outside Engineering Physics 1 Learning Center
(evolution from 2:00 pm → 2:45 pm on Tuesday, 14 Feb 2012)
Effectiveness of Learning Processes
Confucius (400 BC):
• What I hear, I forget.
• What I see, I remember.
• What I do, I understand.
Silberman (1996):
• What I hear, I forget.
• What I hear and see, I remember a little.
• What I hear, see, and ask questions about or discuss with
someone else, I begin to understand.
• What I hear, see, discuss and do, I acquire knowledge and skill.
• What I teach to another, I master.
Silberman (Active Learning, 1996), based on work of psychiatrist William Glasser
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There are so many problems
but Chemistry
has
solutionsLearning
Enhancement
Across
Disciplines
SPRING 2009
LEAD Centers:
Chem 1:Tu W 3-4:30 pm
126 Schrenk Hall
Chem 3:M 4-6 pm
139 Schrenk Hall
Chem 444 (Spectroscopy):
M 2:30-4:00 pm
208 Norwood Hall
Chem 455 (Chem Spectroscopy):Tu 4-5:30 pm
104 Eng Mgmt
SPRING 2009
LEAD Tutoring:
Chem 1 & 3
Tu Th 7-9 pm
208 Norwood Hall
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Are LCs transportable to other institutions?
UN Las Vegas Physics UC Berkeley Astronomy
www.physics.unlv.edu/plc/schedule astro.berkeley.edu/resources/campbell/talc
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~40% of Students Voluntarily Used
the Physics Learning Center (Engineering Phys I)
(note dips are just BEFORE tests)
Flow of PLC Attendance over Fall Semester 1999
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
9/21 10/5 10/19 11/2 11/16 11/30
Date
Nu
mb
er
att
en
din
g
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Impact of a Learning Center (LC):
Engineering Physics 1 (Fall 2010)
62% 11%
13%
15%
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
0-5 6-10 11-15 16-20
Ave
rage
gra
de
ou
t o
f 4
Number of Physics Learning Center visits (Fall 2010)
Engineering Physics I grade as function of LC attendance by % students shown
Attendance record: S&T Chem 1 Learning Center (Fall 2010)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
2003
0-A
ug
6-S
ep
13-S
ep
20-S
ep
27-S
ep
4-O
ct
11-O
ct
18
-Oct
25-O
ct
1-N
ov
8-N
ov
15-N
ov
22-N
ov
29-N
ov
6-D
ec
Number of students attending Chem 1 Learning Center in Fall 2010
Students
Chemistry 1 Learning Center (F 2010)
course grade vs. LC attendance
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
0 10 20 30 40 50
Sessions Attended
Average % Grade
Average % Grade
Linear (Average %Grade)
0
20
40
60
00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
Nu
mb
er
Year
Learning Enhancement Across Disciplines: Learning Centers and Faculty Associates
LEAD
FacultyLearning
Centers
Records (all set Fs 2012):
Most Courses: 63
Most Faculty: 62
Most LCs: 50
Most Depts: 14
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Recent unsolicited comments from LEAD associates
from LEAD undergrad Peer Learning Assistant Cayt Schlicting:
I would just like to say thank you for the opportunity to become a
PLA. I absolutely love working for the learning center. It is a great
experience. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that I too would
get to learn at the PLA meetings.
from Prof. Klaus Woelk (Chem 1 Learning Center):
My learning center this fall has been a big success.
I guess over the years I have developed the kind of
boldness you need for moving students to the
blackboard. Freshman students in their first semester
are particularly hesitant to walk to the board and work
together (We are too much educated to be a
competitive society, not a collaborative).
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45 LEAD Learning Centers in Fall 2011
College Algebra General Chem I General Physics I
Calculus II for Engineers General Chem II General Physics II
Discrete Math for Comp Sci Intro Quantum Chem Engineering Physics I
Structural Design Physical Chemistry II Engineering Physics II
Engr Fluid Mechanics A Physical Polymer Chemistry College Physics I
Engr Fluid Mechanics B Chem E Material & Energy Classical Mechanics
Water Resources Engineering Chem E Thermodynamics I Microeconomics
Nuclear Fuel Cycle Chem E Thermodynamics II Mine Industry Economics
Nuclear Materials Chem E Computer Modeling Financial Accounting
Transport in Metallurgy Thermal Analysis Managerial Accounting
Elementary Spanish Dynamics Intro Computer Engineering
Spanish Reading & Comp Machine Dynamics Digital Circuit Design
Elementary Russian Mech Eng Thermodynamics Circuit Analysis I
Russian Readings Sci & Lit Intro Physical Geography Circuit Analysis II
Russian Phonetics Structural Geology Electromechanics
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If you interested in running a LEAD Learning Center
for your course and want tips for operating an
efficient successful one, please check out http://lead.mst.edu/documents/SettingUpLearningCenter.pdf
http://lead.mst.edu/media/studentsupport/lead/documents/LCpracticaltips.pdf
or just
please contact Ronald Bieniek, Director of LEAD
+1 (573) 341-4786
http://physics.mst.edu/faculty/bieniek