No abstract

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a self-directed (Savin-Baden, 2014;2016). We studied student motivation through self-reflection exercises, surveys, and peer-evaluations in a third-year undergraduate anthropology course (N = 49) with students of differing levels of course material experience. We hypothesized that throughout the course student motivation would be highest in students with the most subject matter experience. The results show that student motivation was higher in students with more subject matter experience at the beginning of the course, however during the course their motivation decreased. By the end of the course the majority of students had high motivation toward PBL, however, we were surprised that forensic specialists with the most subject matter experience had low motivation at the end of the course. This research is important to demonstrate the challenges of implementing PBL in a traditional curriculum, and to provide suggestions for engaging diverse student populations in PBL.

The advanced interdisciplinary research laboratory (AIRLab) represents a novel, effective, and motivational course designed from the interdisciplinary research interests of chemistry, physics, biology, and education development faculty members as an alternative to the independent thesis project experience. Student teams are assembled to work toward the completion of an interdisciplinary research project. Each team is composed of at least one student from a differing area of specialization (e.g., biology, biotechnology, chemistry, and physics), and projects are based on current trends in research. The inaugural project was the development of a portable DNA sequencer for in-field species identification; a project at the interface between physical and life sciences and that holds the potential for real-world application and positive social change. This work describes the details underlying the design and implementation of the AIRLab course, and includes an account of the method of student team assembly, the selection of a suitable research challenge, the specialized training provided in Agile project management, the methods used to achieve cohesive team dynamics, the learning outcomes from this experience, future directions that will be pursued for course improvement, and how our undergraduate degree-level expectations were met at an advanced level.

Large first year undergraduate courses have unique challenges in the promotion of student engagement and self-directed learning due to resource constraints that prohibit small group discussions with instructors. The Monthly Virtual Mystery was developed to increase student engagement in a large (N = 725) first year undergraduate class in anthropology at the University of Toronto Mississauga. The teaching challenge was to develop a participation component (worth 6% of the final grade) that would increase student engagement without incurring any additional resource costs. The goal of the virtual mystery was to incorporate the principles of problem-based learning to engage students in self-directed learning through an online medium. Groups of approximately 50 students collaborated on a series of “virtual” case studies in a discussion board. Students submitted comments or questions each week to identify the information they needed to solve the mystery. A facilitator oversaw the discussion board to guide students in collaboration and resource acquisition. The final grades of students who participated in the virtual mystery (N=297) were compared to students who participated in a passive online learning exercise that involved watching weekly online videos and answering questions in a course reader (N = 347). Student self-selection determined group participation. Participation completion for both the virtual mystery and the course reader were high (78.8% and 91.6% respectively). There were no significant differences in the distribution of final grades between the participation options. The high completion rate of the virtual mystery demonstrated that an active learning project can be implemented using problem-based learning principles through an online discussion board; however, the large online group collaborations were problematic. Students were frustrated with repetition and inequitable participation in such large groups; however, students evaluated the monthly mystery as a valuable learning tool that engaged them through the practical nature of the case scenarios. Au premier cycle, les grandes classes de première année présentent des défis uniques en ce qui concerne la promotion de la participation de l’étudiant et de l’apprentissage autonome en raison des contraintes au niveau des ressources qui empêchent les discussions par petits groupes avec des instructeurs. Le Monthly Virtual Mystery (Le mystère virtuel mensuel) a été créé afin d’améliorer la participation des étudiants dans les très grandes classes (N = 725) d’anthropologie de première année, au premier cycle, à l’Université de Toronto Mississauga. Ce défi en matière d’enseignement avait pour but de développer une composante de participation (qui valait 6 % de la note finale) qui allait permettre d’augmenter la participation des étudiants sans que cela entraîne des coûts supplémentaires en ressources. L’objectif du mystère virtuel était d’incorporer les principes de l’apprentissage par problèmes afin d’engager les étudiants dans un apprentissage autonome grâce à un support en ligne. Des groupes d’environ 50 étudiants ont collaboré à une série d’études de cas « virtuelles » dans un forum de discussion. Les étudiants ont envoyé chaque semaine des commentaires ou des questions afin d’identifier les renseignements dont ils avaient besoin pour résoudre le mystère. Un animateur contrôlait le forum de discussion afin de guider les étudiants dans leur collaboration et leur acquisition des ressources. Les notes finales des étudiants qui avaient participé au mystère virtuel (N = 297) ont été comparées à celles des étudiants qui avaient participé à un exercice d’apprentissage passif en ligne qui consistait à regarder des vidéos hebdomadaires en ligne et à répondre à des questions figurant dans un recueil des textes du cours (N = 347). L’auto-sélection des étudiants avait déterminé la participation aux groupes. La participation, tant pour le mystère virtuel que pour le recueil des textes du cours, a été très élevée (78,8 % et 91,6 % respectivement). Aucune différence significative n’a été notée entre les deux options de participation en ce qui concerne la répartition des notes finales. Le taux de réussite élevé du mystère virtuel a montré qu’un projet d’apprentissage actif peut être mis en place si on utilise les principes de l’apprentissage par problèmes dans un forum de discussion en ligne. Toutefois, les collaborations de grands groupes en ligne ont posé quelques problèmes : les étudiants se sont sentis frustrés par la répétition et la participation inéquitable dans de tels grands groupes. Pourtant, les étudiants ont évalué le mystère mensuel comme un outil d’apprentissage utile qui leur a permis de participer grâce à la nature pratique des scénarios des études de cas.

Poor quality writing skills among undergraduate geography students is a significant concern among university instructors. This article reports on a multipronged strategy aimed at improving student writing in a large, first-year human geography course. The strategy emphasized ways to provide effective feedback through teaching assistant training, criterion referenced assessment, draft and final submission, peer review, and in-class writing exercises. Writing activities focused on building geographic understanding by emphasizing geographical content and spatial connections through map and data interpretation. Success of the strategy was evaluated by examining student grades, as well as the quality and content of their written work.