Promoting Active Learning in Biomedical Engineering Classes through Blended Instruction

In 2013 we implemented blended teaching in one of the core biomedical engineering classes Bioinstrumentation (BME 310) in the Biomedical Engineering Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. BME 310 is a required sophomore level first course in bioinstrumentation covering clinical and research measurements. Each chapter in the textbook is explained through a list of Learning Objectives (LOs), which contains a summary of the concepts, relationships, and skills presented in this course. For each of the LOs we prepared a power point slide with an online video, which is about 1 to 4 min long. The students are required to view the video and take an online quiz with automated grading before they come to the lecture class. In the lecture class, we conduct 10 min in-class quizzes based on the material taught in the previous video and class. We have a 30 min in-class problem solving session with 7 students at each round table in a big classroom. The instructor and lab teaching assistants walk around and answer student questions in class. The instructor gives a 10 min lecture at the end of the class discussing the solutions to problems solved during lecture time. The solutions to these problems are posted on the course webpage. We assessed the traditional and blended teaching style for BME 310 with regards to the student engagement with the course inside and outside the classroom, and observed students’ increased time involvement with the course. One of our challenges was the adequate space needed for blended instruction for 88 students. We wanted the students to sit in groups around a table, so they could work together and share ideas. However, this requires more space than for traditional classroom instruction, which we received through our college of engineering. In 2014 we implemented further changes.