Social Context as a Mechanism

in New Learning Spaces:

A Cross-Cultural Research Project

D. Christopher Brooks, EDUCAUSE

Feng-Kuang Chiang, Beijing Normal University

北京师范大学未来教育高精尖创新中心Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Future Education

Overview

01. Active Learning Classroom (ALC) Research- University of Minnesota

- Beijing Normal University

02. AICFE Project- Research question- Research design

03. Preliminary Results- Survey pilot- Next steps

01.

Active Learning Classroom (ALC) Research

OverviewActive Learning Classrooms (ALCs)

• Round tables

• LCD display screens

• Laptop plug-ins

• Projector(s)

• Marker-boards

• Microphones

Impact of ALCs on Student LearningQuasi-experimental design results

75.76%

71.77%

80.96%80.73%

76.49%

85.50%

60.00%

65.00%

70.00%

75.00%

80.00%

85.00%

90.00%

PSTL 1131*** BIOL 1003**** FSOS 3101****

Expected Actual

Active Learning Classroom PublicationsUniversity of Minnesota

Active Learning ClassroomThe Beijing Normal University Connection

Future Learning SpaceBeijing Normal University

02. AICFE Project

Social ContextA Possible Explanation for How ALCs Work

Measuring Social ContextSocial Context and Learning Environments (SCALE)

Social Contex

t

Student-student general

Student-instructor

formal

Student as

instructor

Student-instructor informal

Comparing Social ContextsALCs versus Traditional Classrooms

3.12 3.16 3.15

2.762.77

2.45

3.03

2.15

1

2

3

4

Student as instructor*** Student-studentgeneral***

Student-instructorformal***

Student-instructorinformal***

ALC Traditional

(ALC classes only. N = 300; R2 = .402)

Predicting Learning with Social Context Data

Student as instructor***

Student-student general***

Student-instrutor formal***

Student-instructor informal

-0.4

-0.3

-0.2

-0.1

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

Sta

nd

ard

ize

d O

LS

Co

eff

icie

nts

(ALC classes only. N = 300; R2 = .402)

AICFE Research Questions

01. Can social context be measured in thesame way among students in the US and in China?

02. Are the levels of social context the same or different in classes taught in different sorts of learning spaces in the USA and in China?

03. Does social context have the same relationship to student learning in classes taught in the US and in China?

AICFE Research Design

01. Comparative factor analysis to see if a similar factor structure obtains in both environments

02. Compare SCALE results in different classroom types at both USA and Chinese institutions to see if the levels of social context vary in similar ways

03. Examine how much social context explains in terms of learning outcomes (e.g., standardized exam scores; course grades).

04. Establish a theoretical model of social context as mechanism of change in Active Learning Spaces

03. Preliminary Results

Exploratory ResultsFactor Comparisons

UMN

ITEM

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

BNU

Next Steps

01. November 2016- Troubleshoot & revise instrument translation- Secondary analysis of exploratory results

02. Fall 2016 - Complete first round of data collection

03. Spring 2017- Complete first round of data analysis- Complete second round of data collection

Thank you!

D. Christopher Brooks, Ph.D.Senior Research Fellow

EDUCAUSEEmail: cbrooks@educause.edu

Twitter: @dcbphdWeChat: DCBPhD

谢谢!