From homework to hard work - a pilot project on active learning tutorials
Nina Scheres, TLC-Sciece innovation team
Faculty of Sciences, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Challenge and goal
Challenge:
In many courses at the Faculty of Science, tutorials are set up as 'homewrok-classes'; students sit down individually and do assignments such as answering questions or do calculations. Sometimes, students can come in and leave whenever they want. TAs (student-TAs) are present in the room to answer any questions that the students may have, but don't play an active role. The tutorials often have low attendance when not compulsory, and students don't see the value of the tutorials. (based on evaluations)
Goals:
To improve active and intensive/deep learning during tutorials, by using interactive and group activities, and by changing the role of TAs from passive/reactive (answer questions when asked) to active guidance / facilitators of the students' learning process
Topic of the user case
Pilot-case with a course coordinator of a physics course together with TLC-Science to co-create active tutorials
Local context (specific)
The TLC was contacted by a course coordinator who requested help and advice to change their 'homework-tutorials' to active tutorials for deap learning and/or collaborative learning that can still be guided by TAs (in stead of lecturers). This requires a different intent in how to 'use' TAs, which is a more general wish within the faculty. NB: TAs in this regard are student TAs: 2nd or 3rd year BSc, 1st or 2nd year MSc students who apply for a job as TA; either taking their own programme in parallel, or taking a gap year to gin work experience. (not PhD students or junior teachers)/
Students often don't show up after the first few tutorials. In evaluations, they describe not seeing the value, or not getting the right kind of help by the TAs.
In the current situation, TAs receive didactical training by the TLC. They are trained in groupdynamics, clear instructions, student centered learning, reflect on their own teaching skills, etc, but they are generally not required to use these skills during tutorials. They have more potential and we could use that potential; and the TAs can be facilitators of the learning process of the students
Local CPD goals
The goal of this pilot is actually two-fold (or even 3-fold); a. to change the design of tutorials for students from individual, passive work, to active learining / deeplearning and co-working activities, and b to chage the role of TAs in this coure from passive (answer questions) to active (guide a group, give explanations, give instructions, give feedback).
Moreover, classrooms for active learning, redecorated with flexibe furniture, have recently been designed at the faculty. The new, active tutorials will preferably be hosted in this rooms, to enable a large variaty of active learning activities, and at the same time experiment with the funriture options of these rooms.
Local steps are:
Define aims and wihses of the course coordinator for the specific course
Analyze current situations, contents and resources/restraints of the course, and student evaluations, to highlight the spaces within the course/schedule for change
Co-develop active tutorials with coure-coordinator, focussing on educational activities that can be guided by TAs
Instruct TAs for the specific tutorials
Try-out: run the course with the active tutorials
Evaluate results; assist course coordinator with evalution, quitionnaires, possible interviews with students and TAs.
Needs in STEM-CPD Roadmap:
Competences:
4 engage students and arouse interest for the discipline in the class
19 design active learning classes (sessions using digital technology)
Attitudes:
6 use students evaluations and the feedback of students to improve courses.
13 analyse the effect of teaching and introduce changes in an evidence based way.
Activities:
11 collaborating with a peer-lecturer on a redesign of a course.
13 collaborating on a teaching innovation project.
14 getting personal coaching / support by a pedagogical expert.
Needs defined in STEM-CPD Roadmap
Competences
Attitudes
Activities
CPD activities at the local university
1. "Intake" One on one discussion/working sessions with course coordinator:
to define cuurent situation, wishes, goals, aims, etc
2. Share information (p.a. literature, experiences from others, examples etc) on active leariing methods with course coordinator.
3. Follow up one-one one working sessions with coours coordinator and possibly co-teacher to brain storm and discuss suitable active teaching methods for the tutorials; co-design and co-develop a course and lesson plans for the tutorials. Intereting otions to also include knowledge on introvert vs extravert activities!
4. Collect experiences from the course and evaluate together with course coordinator
- qualitative: student evaluation, TA evaluation, course coordinator quantitative: p.a. succes rate
Teaching and learning materials
Co-developed course plan, lesson plans
Literature / 'case reports' , other avaiable information
Possibly: Backbones for lesson slides
Sustainable implementation
If this works well for this specific course, the course will keep this design for the future, and, hopefully, spread the news.
Based on the results from this pilot we further hope to:
- develop worshops or advisory guidelines for other course coordinators on how to design active learning tutorials and reach the full potential of TAs
- Create a 'databse of good practices' with active learning activities that can be succesfully applied guided by TAs
- Promote this different way of 'using' TAs and change a way of thinking about the value of tuorials by outreach: p.a. newsletter items, short info video, etc.
- Guide other course-coordinators of programme developers to get the most learning outcomes of their TA-guided tutorials in one on one or small group trajectories
- Align TA training and competences with their taks (and vice versa!)
Expected impact of the CPD User Case
The use case will (hopefully) improve the learning outcomes of the specific course, by:
- more deep learning / active learning and co-working in the tutorials of this course
- more efficient use of sparse time; students work with the contents on a deeper level and do the more simple assignments at home
- less need for 'hyperstudying' a few days in advance to an exam, as students will have had more active interaction with the contents
- more student engagement and motivation to work on the contents because of stimulating activities
- more fun in teaching for TAs and more personal development and motivation for them as teachers
- valuable guidance of students by their more experienced peers
- better student evaluation of the tuorials and the TAs
Plans for eventual continuation of the CPD within the same topic
See 'sustainable implementation'
Plus: the use of the active learning spaces form a sub-experiment on how to fully use the options of flexible furniture settings for active learning activities. The experiences from the tutorials can give important information and ideas on the (re)desing of other learning spaces. CPD activities could include workshop on how to use furniture setting to support active learning, guidelines/suggestions, informational videos, etc.
Developing confidence in interactive teaching, and learning facilitation (type P1-2, P1-3)
This CPD scenario describes a User case in which lecturers develop their competence in teaching in higher education and designing interactive teaching and how to engage and motivate students and how to facilitate discipline specific thinking and develop attitudes in practicing teaching and learning in an evidence informed way.
The approximate duration of a User case that follows this scenario is several weeks.
In this CPD scenario the participants professionalize in a close connection to their own teaching practice (at their workplace) and meet in person on location with the training staff and with other participants.
Competences
Attitudes
Activities
Learning environment
Time
Several weeks
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