College students who retook an intelligence test under conditions that informed the student of each correct answer made significantly higher gains than a control group that retook the test under standard conditions. A group that retook the test under feedback and reward conditions did not differ significantly from the control group.
This design-based research (DBR) study examined the ways in which a learning community approach can be enacted in large undergraduate lecture courses through a scaffolded, complex curricular design that utilizes active and inquiry-based learning. By combining a traditional lecture with breakout tutorials, the study involved two iterations, firstly by adopting the Fostering Communities of Learners (FCL) pedagogical model, then by augmenting the model by blending its methodology with elements from a more recent model called Knowledge Community and Inquiry (KCI). Both iterations were evaluated for adherence to, and enactment of, the FCL principles. The second iteration was further evaluated to determine the impact of adding a KCI collective knowledge base. Measures included the enactment of the curricular design, achievement of course learning outcomes, the group inquiry project, tutorial activities, and focus groups for teaching assistants and students. Findings provided evidence of the viability and effectiveness of a learning community approach in large lecture courses at the undergraduate level when combining the learning principles of the FCL model with the student-populated dynamic knowledge base. Students achieved both individual and group success in meeting learning outcomes through individual inquiry and collaborative, active learning, with the knowledge base providing a forum for students to share their research and access ideas for their inquiry.
This design-based research study of a second year undergraduate course involved the enactment of the Fostering Communities of Learners (FCL) pedagogical model augmented with elements of the Knowledge Community and Inquiry (KCI) model by the addition of a digital collaborative knowledge base (CKB). The study involved the redesign of a course comprised of lectures and break-out tutorials which covered basic business concepts for undergraduate media students. The investigation examined the ways in which a learning community pedagogical approach could be enacted in an undergraduate large lecture course through a scaffolded, complex curricular design that utilizes active and inquiry-based learning. By appropriating design elements from KCI, a CKB was introduced as a major research element in the curricular design. The CKB was intended to be a persistent online hub of ideas, serving as a resource for completion of a major group project. Results indicate that students participated in more individual inquiry, collaborated with peers and perceived themselves to be part of a class-wide learning community. The study concluded that a learning community ethos can be established in an undergraduate large lecture through the recursive cycle of individual inquiry, research discussion in lectures and by reference to CKB research exercises in group tutorial sessions by way of reciprocal teaching, cross-talk and jigsaw activities.
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