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Expanding on case studies: combined active learning techniques in small undergraduate physiology classrooms
Author(s) -
Caldari Cristina
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.576.5
Subject(s) - clicker , class (philosophy) , peer instruction , mathematics education , selection (genetic algorithm) , critical thinking , higher order thinking , active learning (machine learning) , test (biology) , psychology , teaching method , computer science , peer feedback , paleontology , artificial intelligence , cognitively guided instruction , biology
In response to the common challenge of testing student's critical thinking, many professors turn to case studies, a powerful pedagogical technique that utilizes active learning in order to engage students and that can easily be adapted to fit the instructor's needs. Instructors can employ case studies to encourage students to apply the information learned in class to real‐life, or at least possible scenarios. The objective of this study was to test the effectiveness of a combination of clicker questions and peer instruction in case study‐based learning in a small physiology classroom. Students from two different iterations (2014, n=19; 2016, n=10) of an upper‐level Nutritional Physiology course were separated into groups of three or four. Students were presented with a case study regarding a patient demonstrating symptoms of digestive system dysfunction and were asked to use clickers for anonymous and individual selection of answers to multiple choice questions about the scenario presented (individual selection). After individual selection was completed the histogram with the class results was shown. If there was < 80% consensus for the correct answer students had to discuss their answers as a group (peer‐group‐instruction), and re‐vote as a group. If < 80% consensus was still observed, each group took turns discussing their answer with the rest of the classroom (peer‐class‐instruction), and the class re‐voted. Each case study had 5–6 questions, and three case studies were utilized throughout the semester. Correct student answers before and after peer instruction were quantified, and a survey was performed at the end of the semester to measure student satisfaction. On average 55.1%, 83.8%, and 96.4% of students picked the correct answer after individual selection, peer‐group‐instruction, and peer‐class‐instruction, respectively. There were no significant differences in the results of individual selection, peer‐group‐instruction, and peer‐class‐instruction between the 2014 and 2016 cohorts. Additionally, the questions were categorized as testing “knowledge”, “comprehension”, and “analysis” under Bloom's taxonomy. Questions in the lower levels of Bloom's taxonomy (“knowledge” and “comprehension”) were more likely to be answered correctly after peer‐group‐instruction while questions in the upper levels of Bloom's taxonomy (“analysis”) were more likely to be answered correctly after peer‐class‐instruction. Students rated the exercise an average of 4.75 on a 1–5 scale asking how much they enjoyed the exercise. These results suggest that peer‐instruction and clicker questions in case study‐based learning is a fun, valuable technique for improving student knowledge, comprehension, and analysis, and that it can yield positive results regardless of the student cohort.