The purpose of this research was to examine how learning space design and implementation of an active learning pedagogy based on the 5E Instructional Model influence university faculty’s teaching practices and students’ engagement. Faculty Fellows were recruited from a public, medium-sized university in the United States to teach courses, typically taught in a traditional classroom setting, in a new Active Learning Center (ALC) classroom. The classroom was funded by a Steelcase® Education Active Learning Center Grant that provided innovative and dynamic classroom furnishings and technology that allowed mobility and flexibility for both instructors and students. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected concurrently in this study. The quantitative analysis results indicated that the ALC learning experience significantly improved students’ class participation and cognitive attentiveness, but had no effect on improving their meaningful processing of new information. The qualitative analysis results, while providing new insights into the quantitative findings, revealed the faculty fellows’ changes and weaknesses in teaching practices and the mechanism of the ALC in supporting active learning. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.
Educators seek effective methods of teaching concepts in ways that engage the learner. One potential method involves the use of simulations, including online simulations. In this exploratory study, researchers examined the pretest and posttest written products of 30 preservice social studies teachers to determine the amount and depth of knowledge before and after taking part in an online simulation. Results indicated that gains in knowledge from the pretest to the posttest were statistically significant, but that the depth of knowledge gained was rather limited in scope. Findings have implications for those considering using or designing online or other simulations as content learning tools in the social sciences and other educational fields.
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