Interactivity in large lectures using an innovative, appropriate technology

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Interactivity in large lectures using an
innovative, appropriate technology
L'interactivité dans les grandes conférences à
l'aide d'une technologie innovative et convenable

• Dr. Stephen BostockAdvisor for Technology and
  LearningKeele University, UK
• s.j.bostock_at_keele.ac.uk

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Active learning

• Summary
• A framework for thinking about effective learning
  in large group teaching/lectures- four modes of
  engagement- with examples
• Initial evaluation of an innovative technology
  supporting the interaction mode

• Good teaching involves purposeful student
  activities so that a motivated student cannot
  avoid achieving the learning outcomes(John
  Biggs 2003, 2nd ed. Teaching for Quality
  Learning at University)

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Student
Teacher
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passive role
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Examples of student activities

• Solve a problem
• Buzz groups discuss something
• Complete a gapped handout
• Read something short with a purpose
• Make notes on a topic together
• Compare notes made so far
• Recap slot summarize to each other
• Answer quiz questions
• Write their own questions and answers

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An activity

• Discuss in small groups for 3 minutes what
  student activities you have seen, been part of,
  or taught with, in large groups.Make a list of
  them.
• Une Activité
• En petits groupes, discutez pendant 3 minutes
  les activités des étudiants que vous avez vues,
  dont vous avez fait partie, ou enseignées en
  grands groupes.
• En faites la liste.

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Types of questions with a Personal Response
System

• Multiple choice quiz/problem solving at start to
  diagnose initial understanding
• Students self-report relevant experience
• Concept check Multiple choice quiz on content
  just delivered
• Students self-report level of understanding
• Students opt for a revision topic
• Combine MCQ with small group discussion
  (activity), and presentations.

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Interactivity in large groups

• Most students do not volunteer, do not
  communicate to the tutor
• Most volunteers are not chosen to speak and one
  students answers may not be useful to others
• Students cannot get individual feedback from the
  tutor
• We need a technology Personal Response Systems
  allow all students to make individual responses,
  maybe anonymously

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Response technologies

• Electronic voting handsets
• anonymous but can opt out
• automatic counting and display
• electronic high risk for teacher, training
  needed
• expensive

Similar pedagogy
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Modes of engagement in large groups

1. Traditional lecture information delivery
   without feedback, no learning activity beyond
   listening note taking
2. Enhanced presentations more effective/
   memorable information delivery with slides and
   handouts e.g. PowerPoint, Interactive
   Whiteboard
3. Student activity problem solving, small group
   discussion, etc.
4. Student tutor interactivity feedback to tutor
   through a personal response system and feedback
   to students on their responses

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With your CommuniCube Prenez votre CommuniCube

• Vote for Et choisissez
  entre
• Move on to the evaluation report Continuer à
  lévaluation
• Say more about interactivity Parler encore au
  sujet de linteractivité
• Say more about electronic Personal Response
  Systems Parler encore au sujet des systèmes
  électroniques et personnels de la réponse
• Say more about CommuniCubes Parler encore en ce
  qui concerne les CommuniCubes

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Advantages of Interactivity

• Interactivity is good because it demands student
  learning activity as their part in it
• It provides feedback on their understanding, or
  views, communicated to the teacher
• The teacher checks how much is being understood
  and can modify his/her actions and provide
  feedback on misconceptions
• Students motivated by teacher adjusting to
  student performance

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Personal Response Systems PRS

• Infrared/radio handsets with unique codes in a
  set. Codes are detected and numbers fed to
  software that displays the results, maybe through
  PowerPoint.
• Cost 80-150 per handset, plus detector, plus
  software, plus anti-theft devices
• Sophisticated versions have mini screens for
  individual feedback
• Some interactive whiteboards have detectors

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CommuniCubes

• Coloured cards and triangles have been used for
  voting
• Cubes refine the idea and give 5 number choices
• Best in a raked lecture hall with benching or
  seminar with tables
• Pedagogic practice similar to PRS but
  participation is enforced
• Anonymous to different degrees
• Different uses in seminars
• Intellectual Property Rights Stephen Bostock

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End of part one
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CommuniCubes an initial evaluation

• Foam and printed cubes made in Keele university
• First semester 2003-4 used in groups of 20-30 in
  Education, Computer Science and Law and with 120
  in a 2nd year Law lecture
• Second Semester 2003-4 used in
• 250 1st year Psychology students (10 returns)
• 31 students in 2nd and 3rd year in Law tutorials
  (100 return)
• Two questionnaires on first use and after
  several sessions

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On first use

• 120 second year law students in a large lecture
  theatre
• Three votes, every 15 minutes or so
• At the end (voting with cubes) Would you like
  to use the colour cubes again?
• Yes 85
• Maybe, depends on the context 13
• No 2
• One blind student used a Braille cube after one
  minutes training

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Questionnaire on first use

• (with groups of 20-30 students)
• Would you like to use one again?(Y/N/depends on
  the situation)
• What were the good aspects of using a cube?
• What were the bad aspects of using a cube?
• How could they best be used in this size group?

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68
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Questionnaire after several sessions

• How do you think use of the cubes has been
  helpful to your learning (first, second, and
  third most important reasons)
• How do you think use of the cubes has been
  unhelpful to your learning (first, second, and
  third most important reasons)
• On balance what is the net advantage/disadvantage
  (scale of 1 to 9)
• Would you recommend we use them next year?
  (yes/no/not sure)

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73
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After several sessions 1st year Psychology -
reasons helpful

• Score high most important
• 12. Gave me feedback on my understanding
• 12. It was fun, made lecture interesting
• 8. Participation, made me think, contribute, be
  involved, express an opinion
• 6. (Mention of) interactive

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After several sessions 3rd year Law - reasons
helpful

• Score high most important
• 39 Participation, made me think, contribute, be
  involved, express an opinion
• 5 Preparation for sessions improved
• 4 Gave me feedback on my learning

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After several sessions 1st year Psychology -
reasons unhelpful

• Score high most important
• 12 Get answer from seeing others votes
• 9 A distraction, irrelevant
• 7 Slowed things down, wastes time

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After several sessions 3rd year Law - reasons
unhelpful

• Score high most important
• 13 Can get the answer from seeing others vote
• 9 Wasted time
• 8 Had to make a decision too quickly or when
  undecidedmore data 2nd year Law

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Conclusion

• Most students found them helpful to learning
  modal value is significant advantage
• A few (able?) students may dislike them
• In first year lectures the main reasons were
  getting feedback on understanding and fun
• In second and third year seminars the reason was
  the enforced participation
• The learning gains will depend on appropriate
  use, of course

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Vote now

1. No thanks.
2. Maybe, Ill think about it, depends on the cost.
   (Email me for more information and a web
   address.)
3. Yes please.(Indicate your name on the list, and
   take my card. You can keep a folding cube.)

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Cost effectiveness?

• Effective, according to students
• Much cheaper than electronic alternatives
• Next step at Keele in 2004-5
• wider use across the university to build up a
  body of good practice
• a direct comparison with electronic handsets
  Are the benefits similar to electronic systems
  but for lower cost?

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stop
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CommuniCubes Would you like to try them with
your students?

• Hand them back please! Or
• Keep a folding cube (but not a foam cube) and
  tick your name on the list. I will email you
• Ideas for their use
• Buy them from Keele University s.j.bostock_at_keele.a
  c.uk
• Negotiate a license to produce your own

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After several sessions 2nd year Law - reasons
helpful

• Score high most important
• 30 Participation, made me think, contribute, be
  involved, express an opinion
• 16. Can express opinion without embarrassment
• 7 Can see others' opinions
• 6 Fun, interesting, variety
• 5 Can work with others sharing your opinion

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After several sessions 2nd year Law - reasons
unhelpful

• Score high most important
• 11 Limits the options to respond or discuss
• 6 Slowed things down, wastes time
• 5 (Descriptive of the mechanics), shows answer,
  must count responses

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One unhappy student

• How have the cubes been helpful?
• There isnt any (reason)
• Distracted from what we were actually looking
  at
• All it did was to show who understood or not
  we could do that with raising our hands, there is
  no need for cubes
• Net dis/advantage? Slight disadvantage (6)
• Recommend we use them again? No
• A rant about their uselessness and the use not
  being explained Thanks for the attempt though

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Whats the use of lectures?Donald Bligh 1972 etc.

• as effective as other media
• not effective
• not very effective

• His review of research into what (traditional)
  lectures might be good for
• transmitting information ?
• promoting thought ?
• changing student attitudes ?

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Lecturing to large groupsAndreson 1990

• Faced with bigger classes and/or more classes,
  two responses are possible for lectures
• Refinement as theatre enhance style,
  techniques, presentation skills technology
• Augmentation with student activity, feedback,
  dialogue, using other media

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Student Activity in large groups

• Active learning requires students to do tasks
  that force the cognitive processing needed for
  understanding.
• So Design activities that give students no option
  but to adopt a deep learning approach.
• Trap them into understanding without them
  knowing they made the effort.

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The Lecture

• A dark corner of passivity
• Concise Oxford Dictionary(i) a discourse before
  an audience or class on a given subject usually
  by way of instruction(ii) admonition, reproof
• Traditionally talk and chalk by tutor, listen
  and write by students

passive role
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Teacher-student Interactivity

• In large groups most will not volunteer and hence
  not communicate to the tutor, some offer but
  are chosen to speak
• Too many students to get individual feedback
  from the tutor
• Individual students questions and answers may
  not be relevant to others
• We need technology Personal Response Systems
  allow all students to vote/ respond, maybe
  anonymously

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Colour Cubes

• Coloured cards, post-its etc. have been used in
  the past for voting, cubes refine that idea
• Cubes give up to 5 number choices
• Best in a raked lecture hall with benching
• Spreadsheet or mechanical pie chart for results
  display
• IPR owned by Stephen Bostock
• Different uses in small/medium groups
• Pedagogic practice is developing

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Lecture

• Originally because books were rare
• Concise Oxford Dictionary(i) a discourse before
  an audience or class on a given subject usually
  by way of instruction(ii) admonition, reproof
• Traditionally talk and chalk by tutor, listen
  and write by students

passive role
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Whats the use of lectures?Donald Bligh 1972 etc.

• as effective as other media
• not effective
• not very effective

• His review of research into what (traditional)
  lectures might be good for
• transmitting information ?
• promoting thought ?
• changing student attitudes ?

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Active-passive (Smith 97)
active
recall

• Practice in reality
• Simulation
• Role play
• Give a talk
• Seeing and hearing
• Seeing
• Hearing
• Reading

passive
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Lecturing to large groupsAndreson 1990

• Faced with bigger classes and/or more classes,
  two responses are possible for lectures
• Refinement as theatre enhance style,
  techniques, presentation skills technology
• Augmentation with student activity, feedback,
  dialogue, using other media

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• Prenez votre CommuniCube
• Et choisissez entre
• Continuer à lévaluation
• Parler encore au sujet de linteractivité
• Parler encore au sujet des systèmes
  électroniques et personnels de la réponse
• Parler encore en ce qui concerne les CommuniCubes