Mainz 2012 – scientific programme

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DD: Fachverband Didaktik der Physik

DD 15: Postersitzung

DD 15.9: Poster

Tuesday, March 20, 2012, 14:00–16:00, P Foyer

Transforming traditional large lectures into active learning environments — •Cynthia E. Heiner and Louis Deslauriers — University of British Columbia, Canada

With student enrollment at many universities continuing to increase, classes of more than 200 students are becoming the norm rather than the exception. These large, impersonal lecture halls make it difficult to engage students, and even harder to provide individual feedback. We are trying to change this by introducing (i) pre-readings before classes (completed at home by the students online), and (ii) peer instruction (using in-class worksheets and clicker questions). After completing a pilot study showing the effectiveness of this combination of course elements [1], we have transformed several large first-year courses in their entirety. We will report on recent student survey data and, in particular, that students seem to recognize the benefits of the transformed classroom. Additionally, we will present evidence that fewer students are failing comparable final exams.

[1] L. Deslauriers, E. Schelew, C. Wieman, Science 332 (2011) 862.