Before They Write: Active Learning Strategies in an English Composition Course
Debra Durden
School of Arts & Sciences 

My research project was developed for use in English 1101: English Composition. My goals are: (1) to activate the background knowledge of my students before they read for, research for, and write each major essay in the course; (2) to engage student interest in the required readings and research and help them to read and think critically; and (3) to improve grammar and usage skills so that students can communicate their ideas clearly and effectively. I hope to achieve these goals through the use of active learning strategies that will motivate students to take part in discussions of reading materials and that will improve critical reading and thinking. When students have something of interest to write about and when they have explored evidence with their peers, they write better papers. Some of the active learning strategies I am using are discussion-based, such as anticipation guides, the jigsaw activity, and the fishbowl discussion. Other strategies are short writings such as jot charts, journaling, and graphic organizers. I am also using PC NoteTaker so that students may capture important ideas during group discussion that may then be transferred to notebook computers for storage, organization of ideas, editing, or sharing through e-mail. So far this semester, students seem to be more engaged in class discussion and eager to share ideas with one another; grades on essays are also improving, a trend that I hope will continue.

The purpose of the project was to implement active learning strategies in the classroom and to determine their influence on students’ behaviors and opinions.  Pre-test and post-test data collection is planned.  The pre-test data on students’ active learning behaviors and self-regulated learning strategies have already been collected.  During the semester, active learning strategies were employed in the classroom to influence students’ learning, satisfaction, and their use of active learning and self-regulated learning strategies outside of the classroom.  Prior to the end of the semester, a peer review of one of my classes, where I am using these strategies, is planned.  At the end of the semester, students will complete the post-test survey.  Surveys will also include students’ opinions of the strategies and how they believe the strategies influenced their attitudes, motivation, and behavior. Once all data have been collected and coded, they will be analyzed to determine, what, if any changes, occurred in students’ behavior, motivation, and attitudes.

Low-Cost, Web-Based Student Feedback System
Jon Preston
College of Information & Mathematical Sciences

It is important to know how well students are learning; it is also important to get feedback from students as to how well the course is going (witness our course and faculty evaluations every term). But often, obtaining such feedback can be difficult; furthermore, students might not be as forthright if their answers are not confidential. This research project seeks to create an online, Web-based system wherein faculty can construct surveys, students can take surveys synchronously and asynchronously, and results can be displayed. The intent is to create a feedback mechanism in which faculty can quickly poll their students with regard to their learning, and students have a “safe” means by which to honestly report how well they are learning and suggest topics that should be remediated in lecture. We plan to pilot the system in the summer and make it available for general faculty use in the fall.

The Use of Concept Mapping to Engage Students in the Classroom

The purpose of this descriptive study is to evaluate the effectiveness of concept mapping as a teaching/learning strategy. This method is commonly used to facilitate critical thinking and the linkage of concepts. The study is being implemented in HSCI 3201Pathophysiology. This course is a pre-requisite course for the nursing program. It builds upon previous principles from anatomy and physiology and chemistry and focuses on alterations in biological processes resulting in disease. Traditionally, the course is taught using a lecture format, thereby, meeting the needs of one particular learning style. While many students in the past have been very successful in this course, there is always a group of students who struggle with understanding the material. By implementing concept mapping as a teaching/learning strategy, the researchers hope to better engage students of different learning styles and, thus improved overall success in the course. By introducing concept mapping in this course, we hope that nursing students will have an additional learning tool to facilitate successful completion of the nursing program. The research questions proposed are: 1) What is the relationship between student learning style and use of concept mapping as a teaching/learning strategy? 2) What is the relationship between ethnicity and use of concept mapping as a teaching/learning strategy? 3) What are student experiences with using concept mapping as a learning strategy? 4) What is the relationship between learning style, study strategies, use of concept mapping, and student success in Pathophysiology?