Session S1D

Developing An Active Learning Environment With Courseware Approach

Asad Azemi Department of Electrical Engineering

Penn State University Delaware County Campus

Media, PA 19063

Abstract - Using multimedia tools in teaching and enhancing students' learning is of interest to many educators and researchers. Moreover, production of rrdtimedia-based educational software has become a popular trend. Many of these products are basically a combination of text, animation, sounds and video scenes. This paper discusses some of the expected features of multimedia-based educational software and courseware approach that are useful in active learning. The focus of the paper will be on engineering education and we will use our circuits courseware product to illustrate some of the requirements. First, we will present a formaVtypica1 definition of an active learning environment and discuss some of the necessary features of an appropriate courseware product for use in this kind of approach. Next, we will describe the development of our circuits courseware product.

Introduction

Clearly the advancemendaffordability of computer and communication technologies during the past decade have had major effects on our everyday life. Computers and their applications have enhanced the quality of many courses, and as the technology advances we are also witnessing their impact in classroom lectures. The integration of new technologies into classroom instruction has been slower than expected [ 11-[4]. The general question/problem that has been raised is the integration of new technologies into classroom instruction. Are they legitimate teaching tools? If yes, then how do we integrate them into the classroom? How much effort is required for an instiructor to adapt these methods? Do they really work? Although these questions have not been fully answered by means of a comprehensive study, those who have used such an approach in their classroom teaching have experienced more classroom discussions, and more interest in subject matter. The overall responses from the students have also been very positive and encouraging [21-[31.

Next, we will present a very brief discussion about learning styles and in particular active learning . For a more in-depth discussion about different learning styles and active learning, readers are referred to the references

[5]-[7]. We then discuss some of the requirements that a courseware product should meet if it is to be used in an active learning environment.

Learning Styles

Educators have come to realize that learners come in different styles. Some students learn best by seeing someone else do it. Usually, they like carefully sequence presentations of information. They prefer to write down what a teacher tells them. During class, they are generally quiet and seldom distracted by noise. These visual learners contrast with auditory learners, who often do not bother to look at what a teacher does or to take notes. They rely on their ability to hear and remember. During class, they may be talkative and are easily distracted by noise. Kinesthetic learners learn mainly by direct involvement in activity. They tend to be impulsive with little patience. During class they may be fidgety unless they can move about and do. Of course, few students are exclusively one kind of learner. [8] notes that in every group of 30 students, an average of 22 are able to learn effectively as long as a teacher provides a blend of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic activity. The remaining 8 students, however, prefer one of the modalities over the other two so strongly that they struggle to understand the subject matter unless special care is taken to present it in their preferred mode. This also suggests, as many other similar studies have concluded, that lecture-based instruction is not the best approach in teaching college courses [9]-[lo]. On the other hand, adding visuals to a lesson increases retention from 14 to 38 percent [ll]. Moreover, the time required to present a concept is reduced up to 40 percent when visual aids are used to augment a verbal presentation. When teaching has both an auditory and a visual dimension, the message is reinforced by two systems of delivery. However, merely hearing something and seeing it is not enough to learn it

Active Learning [51.

Active learning derives from two basic assumptions: (i) that learning is by nature an active endeavor and (ii) that

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different people learn in different ways. Within this context, strategies promoting active learning can be defined as instructional activities involving students in doing things and thinking about what they are doing and receiving useful feedback. Two teaching corollaries seem to follow from these assumptions: first, that students learn best when applying subject matter, learning by doing, and second, that teachers who rely exclusively on any one teaching approach often fail to get through to significant numbers of students. By including active learning strategies in our teaching, we increase the odds that students will leave the classroom with more than a notebook full of “facts.” In classes that include active-learning strategies, teaching and learning are more collaborative. The teacher ceases to be the center of the attention, and traditionally passive students can assume a larger role in learning and applying most subject matter. Students may need a little prodding and encouragement to get started with active learning. To be actively involved, students must engage in such higher-order thinking tasks as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

Active Learning and Courseware Approach

A wide variety of techniques promoting active learning are available, that have proven to be effective in promoting students’ achievement, in enhancing students’ motivation, and in changing students’ attitudes. Among those are: (i) Visual-Based Instruction [12] , (ii) Writing in Class 1131, (iii) Problem Solving [14], Guided Design [15], (iv) Computer-Based Instruction [ 16-17], (v) Simulations [18], and (vi) Peer Teaching [19]. Clearly, most of these proven techniques are, or can be, a part of the courseware approach. Therefore, a courseware product including some or all of aforementioned techniques fits very nicely in an active learning environment, and based on the above references it should produce very good results. In the following sections we discuss our approach for implementing some of these techniques.

Our Approach

We believe that the classroom lectures should be conducted in a way that most students be active participants in the discussions. We believe that computer based instruction is a very useful approach that can enhance students’ learning and the new technologies cannot replace the lectures, but they can enhance them. Like good lectures, they should have structure and the multimedia portion of these products should be used to enhance the subject material and not to overshadow it. Therefore, based on previous discussion we propose the following general requirements for multimedia courseware products for use as a lecture source in an active learning environment:

passages and explanations associated with the topic,

a place for students to enter their notes or questions at the bottom of each page,

scanned pictures or diagrams that are related to the topic, a short video scene or slide show, simulation results of the theoretical concepts or examples that are being discussed (if applicable),

bibliography of new concepts,

gateways to other software packages that can enhance students’ learning of the subject matter (if applicable),

interactive examples which students can perform calculations and/or simulations. These examples should include hints and they should not display the whole solution at once, and quiz section at the end of each unit, consisting of concept oriented questions as well as work out problems. An appropriate feedback mechanism should be included in this section.

Our Experience

The courseware package that we are developing is for the first electrical engineering circuits course. We have used the Instructor 11 [20] multimedia software for putting the courseware package together. In order to provide a user friendly product several different icons and buttons are designed and programmed. Each module will start with a table of content, which enable the user to jump to any of the presented topics. This can be accomplished by pressing a programmed button, which will exhibit a check mark after the user has selected the topic and returned to the table of contents. Two icons have been designed for navigational purposes. One will take the user to the current module‘s table of contents and the other one will take the user to the courseware table of contents that contains the title of all the modules. From this table one can go to any module. An information icon has been designed which explains the general features of the courseware product and how to use them. Figure 1 exhibits some of the aforementioned features. An area at the bottom of every page has been provided to serve as a note pad for the user. This will enable the user to input hislher own comments and/or questions about the presented material on each page. To make the courseware more interactive, special icons have been designed so that the worked out problems will only exhibit one, or at most two lines at a time. One needs to push numbered these “Hide” buttons to see the next step of the solution. This should make the product also suitable as

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ai lecture source, since during the lecture the instructor will write one line at a time and not the whole solution at once. In order to further help the user to be actively involved in the learning process, at least one “Hint” button has been included in example problems. Figure 2 exhibits some of the aforementioned features. An icon has been designed and programmed that will exhibit the related circuit cliagram for the example problem. The circuit diagram can be dragged anywhere on the screen, see figure 3. Two other special icons have been designed and programmed so that the user can link to PSPICE [21] (and MATLAE3 [22], assuming the user has access to those software. These buttons are included in those problems that require the use of these software packages. Upon completion of the simulation the user will be send back to the courseware module. Each module ends with a quiz section that will help the user test hidher understanding of the studied material. This section contains, fill-in-the-blanks, true-false, multiple choice, and drag and drop questions. Questions include concept as well as application oriented problems, see figures 4-5. Two types of feedback response have been programmed for these questions. One will let the user know if the response is correct and the other one, by pressing the “Play Feedback” button, will lead the user to the page(s) that the correct answer can be found. Students are given two chances to complete every page of concept-oriented questions. Each of‘ these pages has a “Score this page” button that will display the score for that page. Courseware modules are designed so that the user can save hidher work and next time around start from the point that it was left off. The programmed icons and buttons allow the courseware to be used as a lecture tool and as a tutorial package. In order to make the courseware product software independent, modules are converted to executable files, which can be accessed under Microsoft Windows environment.

Conclusion

As hardware and software products become more affordable and easier to use, we are witnessing a lot of interest in computer based instructions. We have presented some rquirements that would make a courseware product suitable for active learning or for that matter an effective learning tool. Although, most educational multimedia products are nicely designed, as far as the appearance and interface are concerned, they lack the structure that would make them to appeal as a lecture tool. We feel that the multimedia courseware products can significantly improve students’ learning as long as they arc: build based on an effective learning style and the visual and entertainment segments do no overshadow the actual message.

References

Sammers, M.C., “Motivating Faculty to Use Multimedia as a Lecture Tool,” T.H.E Journal, Feb. 1994, vol. 21, No. 7, pp. 88.

Solomon, M., “What‘s Wrong with Multimedia in High Education,” T.H.E Journal, Feb. 1994, vol. 21, No. 7, pp. 81.

Azemi, A., “Using Multimedia Courseware in an Electric Circuits Course,” Proceedings of the 1996 North East section of the ASEE. Session 111, pp. 1-4.

Azemi, A., “Using Multimedia Courseware in Engineering Education,” Proceedings of the 26th Frontier in Education Conference, 1996, vol. 1, pp. 209-213, Salt Lake, UT.

Bonwell, C.C., Eison, J.A. Active Learning (Creating Excitement in the Classroom), report one. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Reports, 199 1.

Meyers, C., Jones, T.B. Promoting Active Learning. Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1993.

Silberman, M. Active Learning: 101 Strategies to Teach Any Subject. Allyn and Bacon, 1996.

Grinder, M. Riding the Information Conveyor Belt. Metamorphous Press, 1991.

Pollio, H.R. What Students Think About and Do in College Lecture Classes. Teaching-Learning Issues No. 53, University of Tennessee, Learning Research Center, 1984.

McKeachie, W. Teaching Tips: A Guidebook for the Beginning College Teacher. Heath, 1986.

Pike, R. Creative Training Techniques Handbook. Lakewood Books. 1989.

Smith, S., Jones, K., Waugh, M., “ Production and Evaluation of Interactive Videodisk Lessons in Laboratory Instruction,” Journal of Computer Based Instruction, 1986, vol. 13, pp. 117-121.

Ambron, J., “Writing to Improve Learning in Biology,” Journal of College Science Teaching, 1987, vol. 16, pp. 263-266.

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[14] Hoover, K. College Teaching Today: A Handbook for Postsecondary Instruction. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1980.

[ 151 Wales, C., Nardi, A., “Teaching Decision-Making with Guided Design,” IDEA, 1982, paper No. 9, Manhattan: Kansas State University, Center for Faculty Evaluation and Development.

[ 161 Johnston, J., Gardner, S. The Electronic Classroom in Higher Education: A case for Change.. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Teaching and Learning, 1989.

[17] Kulik, J.A., Kulik, C., “Computer -Based Instruction: What 200 Evaluations Say,” Annual Convention of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, 1987, ED 285 521.9, pp. MF-01; PC-02, Atlanta, Georgia.

[18] Fraas, J., “The use of Seven Simulation Activities in a College Economic Survey Course,” Economic in the Community College Workshop, 1982, , ED 227 028.28, pp. MF-01; PC-02, Orlando Florida.

[19] Cohen, P., Kulik, J.A., Kulik, C., “Educational Outcomes of Tutoring: A Meta-analysis of Findings,” American Educational Research Joumal, 1982, vol. 19, pp. 237-248.

[20] Asymetrix Corp., 110-1 10th Ave., Bellevue, WA, 98004

[21] MicroSim Corp., 20 Fairbanks, Irvine, CA, 92718.

[22] The Mathworks Inc., 21 Eliot St., South Natick. MA, 01760.

Figure 1. Table of contents for unit 1; “Instructions” button has been pushed. Check mark indicates that the user has visited section 1.4.

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Figure 2. A sample example with the “Hint” button activated.

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Figure 3. A sample example with the circuit button activated.

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Figure 5. A sample quiz page.

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