TY - JOUR
T1 - Practical Active Learning Stations to Transform Existing Learning Environments into Flexible, Active Learning Classrooms
AU - Eickholt, Jesse
AU - Johnson, Matthew R.
AU - Seeling, Patrick
N1 - Funding Information:
Manuscript received January 12, 2020; revised May 27, 2020 and June 29, 2020; accepted July 11, 2020. Date of publication August 5, 2020; date of current version May 5, 2021. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant 1608043. (Corresponding author: Jesse Eickholt.) Jesse Eickholt and Patrick Seeling are with the Department of Computer Science, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859 USA (e-mail: eickh1jl@cmich.edu).
Publisher Copyright:
© 1963-2012 IEEE.
PY - 2021/5
Y1 - 2021/5
N2 - Contribution: Practical active learning stations (PALSs)-equipped classrooms function similar to prototypical active learning classrooms (ALCs). They support student collaboration and active learning pedagogies but at a fraction of the cost. Background: Active learning pedagogies and active learning technology are revitalizing STEM education and their use has led to an increase in student performance and satisfaction with the learning environment in postsecondary settings. An obstacle to increasing access to ALCs is the cost of constructing such learning environments. To address this challenge, a means to retrofit an existing computer laboratory into an ALC by making use of economy hardware and open-source software was devised. Intended Outcomes: In the context of an introductory sequence of programming courses (i.e., CS1 and CS2), students in a PALS-equipped classroom would perform as well as students in a prototypical ALC. Application Design: A quasi-experimental study was employed to compare the overall student performance across learning environments. Student performance was measured by the final exam score and overall course score. Throughout the study, the PALS-equipped classroom was paired five different times in head-to-head comparisons with either a prototypical ALC or a traditional classroom. Findings: The focus of the study was the potential effects of classroom type on students' final exam score and the overall course score. A statistically significant effect was found for only one measure, which was that students in the PALS classroom in CS1 scored higher on their overall course score even when accounting for demographic differences and the pretest measure. There were no other significant effects for classroom type, either on the final exam score for either course or the overall course score in CS2.
AB - Contribution: Practical active learning stations (PALSs)-equipped classrooms function similar to prototypical active learning classrooms (ALCs). They support student collaboration and active learning pedagogies but at a fraction of the cost. Background: Active learning pedagogies and active learning technology are revitalizing STEM education and their use has led to an increase in student performance and satisfaction with the learning environment in postsecondary settings. An obstacle to increasing access to ALCs is the cost of constructing such learning environments. To address this challenge, a means to retrofit an existing computer laboratory into an ALC by making use of economy hardware and open-source software was devised. Intended Outcomes: In the context of an introductory sequence of programming courses (i.e., CS1 and CS2), students in a PALS-equipped classroom would perform as well as students in a prototypical ALC. Application Design: A quasi-experimental study was employed to compare the overall student performance across learning environments. Student performance was measured by the final exam score and overall course score. Throughout the study, the PALS-equipped classroom was paired five different times in head-to-head comparisons with either a prototypical ALC or a traditional classroom. Findings: The focus of the study was the potential effects of classroom type on students' final exam score and the overall course score. A statistically significant effect was found for only one measure, which was that students in the PALS classroom in CS1 scored higher on their overall course score even when accounting for demographic differences and the pretest measure. There were no other significant effects for classroom type, either on the final exam score for either course or the overall course score in CS2.
KW - Active learning
KW - active learning classroom (ALC)
KW - economical active learning
KW - portable active learning station
KW - transform classroom
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85089372922&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/TE.2020.3009919
DO - 10.1109/TE.2020.3009919
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85089372922
VL - 64
SP - 95
EP - 102
JO - IEEE Transactions on Education
JF - IEEE Transactions on Education
SN - 0018-9359
IS - 2
M1 - 9159874
ER -