AN EVALUATION OF THE SOCRATIVE (PERSONAL RESPONSE SYSTEM) APP FOR INCREASING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND LEARNING IN AN UNDERGRADUATE PSYCHOLOGY CURRICULUM

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Response System ◽  
Personal Response System ◽  
Psychology Curriculum ◽  
Undergraduate Psychology

Promoting student-centered active learning in lectures with a personal response system

2009 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally A. Gauci ◽  
Arianne M. Dantas ◽  
David A. Williams ◽  
Robert E. Kemm
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Audience Response ◽  
Science Students ◽  
Immediate Feedback ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Response System ◽  
Personal Response System ◽  
Student Cohorts ◽  
Undergraduate Science

We investigated whether an active learning approach, facilitated by a personal response system, would lead to improved student engagement and learning outcomes in large-group physiology lectures for undergraduate science students. We focused on encouraging students' active learning in lectures, whereas previous studies have made more use of audience response technology during lectures for formative or summative assessment. Students voluntarily answered questions posed during lectures with their personal response system (clickers), with individual answers automatically collated for immediate histogram display. This feedback then dictated the focus of followup discussions in the lecture. Student and instructor attitudes were surveyed through voluntary interviews with student responses correlated with their degree of clicker participation and individual exam results. Active lectures were found to increase both student motivation and engagement. Students who participated in answering questions achieved better results than students who chose not to. Students with the lowest scores in a prerequisite course (previous semester physiology exam marks of < 60%) showed significantly better outcomes from the use of clickers than both middle-achieving (60-75%) and high-achieving (>75%) entry students. Significant improvement was evident in both mid- and end-semester exam results compared with student cohorts from preceding years, although this could also be influenced by many other factors. Increased student engagement and the immediate feedback obtained during lectures were advantages commonly noted by lecturing staff.

scholarly journals Technology-engagement Teaching Strategy Using Personal Response Systems on Student’s Approaches to Learning to Increase the Mathematics Pass Rate

10.28945/4393 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 331-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sibongile S Simelane-Mnisi ◽  
Andile Mji
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Teaching Strategy ◽  
Approaches To Learning ◽  
Pass Rate ◽  
Personal Response Systems ◽  
Response System ◽  
Strategic Approach ◽  
Personal Response System ◽  
Response Systems

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether the effectiveness of the Technology-engagement Teaching Strategy using personal response systems with student’s approaches to learning will increase the pass rate in the Mathematics course Background: The challenge in this study was to develop the learning activities that accommodate individual differences and diversity in learning. Furthermore, Studies investigating students’ approaches to learning have mostly done this in a face-to-face learning environment as opposed to incorporate exploration thereof when integrating educational technology. Methodology: A mixed method approach was used. The basis of using this method was a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches which gives a clearer understanding of research problems than either approach alone. Participants were 240 students registered for Mathematics II at a study University of Technology in South Africa. Purposeful, convenience and simple random sampling were used to select the participants. Contribution: No study that has investigated the utility of personal response systems with students’ approaches to learning is currently available as observed by the researcher. In this case, the combination of the two variables in this study makes it unique and therefore important in contributing to the body of knowledge focusing on the role of technology in pedagogy. Findings: The results showed that while the majority of students followed the Strategic Approach the same Technology-engagement Teaching Strategy was used for students following Surface Approaches. The Technology-engagement Teaching Strategy was developed in such a manner to accommodate students following different approaches. The personal response system continuous assessments, as well as the semester test, revealed the improvement in academic performance as well as the increase in mathematics pass rates. It was also found that using personal response system enhances students’ mathematical communication skills, and helps to develop the skills needed to write and read mathematical proofs. Recommendations for Practitioners: It is recommended that academics take into consideration the students approaches to learning in their teaching practices. It is crucial that lecturers take advantage of technology to enhance their teaching practices and decrease the fear of the unknown and open up to new innovations in teaching. Recommendation for Researchers: It is recommended that the use of personal response systems should be explored in different mathematics settings (different lectures and universities). Such an exploration according to the researcher will be useful in endorsing what has been reported in this paper. Impact on Society: The results revealed that the Strategic Approach was the most dominant among the participants in this study. The results also showed the improvement in students’ academic performance as well as the number of students who passed increased. Future Research: A further research study could be conducted with students in a different discipline where poor academic performance is experienced.

Preparing Psychology Majors to Enter the Workforce

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Drew C. Appleby
Keyword(s):  
American Psychological Association ◽  
The United States ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
American Psychological ◽  
Psychology Programs ◽  
Job Seeking ◽  
Psychology Faculty ◽  
Psychology Majors ◽  
Psychology Curriculum ◽  
Undergraduate Psychology

Undergraduate psychology programs have not always provided the same level of support for their job-seeking students than they have for those preparing to become psychologists. This is a particularly unfortunate situation because, according to the American Psychological Association's Center for Workforce Studies (American Psychological Association, 2017), only 13% of the 3.4 million people in the United States who have earned a bachelor's degree in psychology have gone on to earn a higher psychology degree. The first part of this article uses quotations from seven national reports on the psychology curriculum to identify the genesis and gradual amelioration of this unfortunate situation. The remainder of this article focuses on strategies that psychology faculty can use to help their job-seeking students successfully accomplish Goal 5: Professional Development of the APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major. These strategies include referring advisees to professionally trained advisors and becoming aware of careers in which baccalaureate-level psychology majors have entered or can prepare to enter and the sets of knowledge, skills, and characteristics important for success in these careers.

An Evaluation of Production Versus Error-Recognition Techniques for Teaching APA-Style Citations and References

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 328-333
Author(s):  
Guy A. Boysen
Keyword(s):  
American Psychological Association ◽  
Student Evaluations ◽  
American Psychological ◽  
Production Activity ◽  
Psychology Curriculum ◽  
Error Recognition ◽  
Undergraduate Psychology ◽  
Initial Instruction

American Psychological Association (APA)-style writing is an essential part of the undergraduate psychology curriculum. However, little is known about the effectiveness of specific techniques for instructing students on how to format APA-style citations and references. The current research compared the effectiveness of having students ( N = 76) produce versus recognize errors in APA-style citations and references. Production of materials led to significantly better performance on both an immediate quiz and a later test. Student evaluations ( N = 43) of the activities showed that they elicited similar enjoyment and effort, but most students preferred the error-recognition activity despite indicating that the production activity would lead to more learning. These results indicate that initial instruction of APA style should emphasize the production of correctly formatted APA-style materials.

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