Open AccessTailored Blended Learning for Foundation Year Chemistry Students
Author(s) -
Shan Chamberlain,
Daniel Elford,
Simon Lancaster,
Francesca Silve
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
chimia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.387
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 2673-2424
pISSN - 0009-4293
DOI - 10.2533/chimia.2021.18
Subject(s) - formative assessment , asynchronous communication , blended learning , mathematics education , peer instruction , computer science , asynchronous learning , summative assessment , audience response , session (web analytics) , student engagement , multimedia , cooperative learning , educational technology , psychology , teaching method , peer learning , synchronous learning , world wide web , computer network , operating system
The chemistry foundation year at the University of East Anglia is a diverse cohort with a wide range of prior educational experience and confidence levels. A flexible learning program combining extensive online materials intended for asynchronous study and face to face peer instruction is provided. Study is divided into weekly topics. Students are directed to take a short introductory quiz at the beginning of the week, feedback on which allows them to tailor the extent of asynchronous learning to their own needs. All students attend a highly interactive synchronous teaching session which utilises active learning to develop their conceptual understanding. The week concludes with a reflective formative test. Measures of student activity on the online platform and audience response technology in the lecture theatre provide a quantitative picture of engagement with tailored blended learning, while semi-structured interviews provide qualitative insight into the student perception.