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Randomized controlled trials of U‐Pace instruction: Outcomes in two gateway courses
Author(s) -
Fleming Raymond,
Kienzler Sarah,
Stoiber Leah,
Fleming Ryan R.,
Pedrick Laura E.,
Reddy Diane M.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of computer assisted learning
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.583
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-2729
pISSN - 0266-4909
DOI - 10.1111/jcal.12286
Subject(s) - pace , gateway (web page) , context (archaeology) , psychology , randomized controlled trial , mathematics education , medical education , medicine , computer science , paleontology , geodesy , world wide web , biology , geography
Less than optimal student success in gateway courses figures prominently in college noncompletion. Past findings suggest that U‐Pace instruction holds promise for increasing student success. However, all published studies of U‐Pace instruction were conducted in the gateway course context of introductory psychology. The objective of this research was to rigorously evaluate the efficacy of U‐Pace instruction in introductory sociology and introductory political science for students at‐risk for college noncompletion and students not at‐risk. The findings from both randomized controlled trials indicate that regardless of risk status, U‐Pace students outperformed their conventionally taught face‐to‐face counterparts earning a greater percentage of final grades of A or B and higher scores on a proctored cumulative assessment of learning, independent of final grades. The results not only confirm previous findings of greater academic success and greater learning associated with U‐Pace instruction but also clearly demonstrate that U‐Pace instruction produces greater learning and greater academic success. Further, the findings of this research reveal that these student outcomes generalize across courses in two disciplines for both students at‐risk for college noncompletion and students not at‐risk, providing strong support for the efficacy of U‐Pace instruction.