Same Course, Two Methods Of Learning : Assessment Of The Students Success

This paper discusses the implementation of a self-directed learning strategy for instruction in an introductory materials science course. Student’s performance metrics are directly compared to those from a more traditional lecture-oriented course. The raw data reveal that the students who have chosen the self-directed learning version of the course obtain a final mark higher than that obtained by the students who were taught in a conventional manner . Multivariable analysis taking into account the GPA of the students, their level at their entry in the engineering program, the mark obtained in the common final exam and that obtained in quizzes were performed in order to point out the most influencing factor(s). It appears that the difference in student’s success is mostly due to a better performance of the self-directed learning students in the continuous evaluation by computerised quizzes, the other variables having a negligible effect. We conclude that the main cause of the higher success of the self-directed learning students in the course should probably be the consequence of their attitude toward their responsibility in the learning process.