Knowing is half the battle: Assessments of both student perception and performance are necessary to successfully evaluate curricular transformation.

Student-centered pedagogies increase learning and retention. Quantifying change in both student learning gains and student perception of their experience allows faculty to evaluate curricular transformation more fully. Student buy-in, particularly how much students value and enjoy the active learnin...

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Main Authors: Tarren J Shaw, Suann Yang, Troy R Nash, Rachel M Pigg, Jeffrey M Grim
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2019-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210030
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author Tarren J Shaw
Suann Yang
Troy R Nash
Rachel M Pigg
Jeffrey M Grim
author_facet Tarren J Shaw
Suann Yang
Troy R Nash
Rachel M Pigg
Jeffrey M Grim
author_sort Tarren J Shaw
collection DOAJ
description Student-centered pedagogies increase learning and retention. Quantifying change in both student learning gains and student perception of their experience allows faculty to evaluate curricular transformation more fully. Student buy-in, particularly how much students value and enjoy the active learning process, has been positively associated with engagement in active learning and increased learning gains. We hypothesize that as the frequency of students who have successfully completed the course increases in the student population, current students may be more likely to buy-in to the curriculum because this common experience could create a sense of community. We measured learning gains and attitudes during the transformation of an introductory biology course at a small, liberal arts college using our novel curriculum, Integrating Biology and Inquiry Skills (IBIS). Students perceived substantial learning gains in response to this curriculum, and concept assessments confirmed these gains. Over time, buy-in increased with each successive cohort, as demonstrated by the results of multiple assessment instruments, and students increasingly attributed specific components of the curriculum to their learning. These findings support our hypothesis and should encourage the adoption of curricular transformation using IBIS or other student-centered approaches.
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spelling doaj.art-5c2db630a78e459498833e7e03e101882022-12-21T22:36:50ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032019-01-01141e021003010.1371/journal.pone.0210030Knowing is half the battle: Assessments of both student perception and performance are necessary to successfully evaluate curricular transformation.Tarren J ShawSuann YangTroy R NashRachel M PiggJeffrey M GrimStudent-centered pedagogies increase learning and retention. Quantifying change in both student learning gains and student perception of their experience allows faculty to evaluate curricular transformation more fully. Student buy-in, particularly how much students value and enjoy the active learning process, has been positively associated with engagement in active learning and increased learning gains. We hypothesize that as the frequency of students who have successfully completed the course increases in the student population, current students may be more likely to buy-in to the curriculum because this common experience could create a sense of community. We measured learning gains and attitudes during the transformation of an introductory biology course at a small, liberal arts college using our novel curriculum, Integrating Biology and Inquiry Skills (IBIS). Students perceived substantial learning gains in response to this curriculum, and concept assessments confirmed these gains. Over time, buy-in increased with each successive cohort, as demonstrated by the results of multiple assessment instruments, and students increasingly attributed specific components of the curriculum to their learning. These findings support our hypothesis and should encourage the adoption of curricular transformation using IBIS or other student-centered approaches.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210030
spellingShingle Tarren J Shaw
Suann Yang
Troy R Nash
Rachel M Pigg
Jeffrey M Grim
Knowing is half the battle: Assessments of both student perception and performance are necessary to successfully evaluate curricular transformation.
PLoS ONE
title Knowing is half the battle: Assessments of both student perception and performance are necessary to successfully evaluate curricular transformation.
title_full Knowing is half the battle: Assessments of both student perception and performance are necessary to successfully evaluate curricular transformation.
title_fullStr Knowing is half the battle: Assessments of both student perception and performance are necessary to successfully evaluate curricular transformation.
title_full_unstemmed Knowing is half the battle: Assessments of both student perception and performance are necessary to successfully evaluate curricular transformation.
title_short Knowing is half the battle: Assessments of both student perception and performance are necessary to successfully evaluate curricular transformation.
title_sort knowing is half the battle assessments of both student perception and performance are necessary to successfully evaluate curricular transformation
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210030
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