Cyber Peer Led Team Learning (cPLTL)Taking the Classroom Experience Online

Randy Newbrough & Pratibha Varma-Nelson

Sloan-C 5th Annual International SymposiumEmerging Technologies for Online Learning

July 26, 2012

• What is PLTL?• Critical Components for Successful PLTL Programs• National Dissemination and Impact of PLTL• IUPUI’s PLTL Workshops• New Frontiers with Cyber PLTL (cPLTL)• Preliminary Findings on cPLTL’s Effectiveness• Future Directions for cPLTL Research

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Overview

Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL)Peer: A more experienced undergraduate student who has recently completed the course with a good grade.

Led: Refers to leadership. A leader is a guide to others. Goes through extensive training to assume this role.

Team: A group of 6-8 people who work together to achieve a common goal.

Learning: The goal of the team is to learn chemistry.

Course

• 2 - 3 hours of lecture per week

• 1.5 - 2 hours of PLTL workshop per week

• 3 hour lab facilitated by faculty and/or a TA

What is a PLTL Workshop?• 6-8 students

• Materials with problems slightly above the level of standard end-of-chapter questions and specifically designed for group work.

• A well-trained leader

• Compliment to the lecture

Gosser, D.K., M.S. Cracolice, J.A. Kampmeier, V. Roth, V. Strozak, and P. Varma-Nelson 2001 The Workshop Model: Peer Leadership and Learning. A Guidebook. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

3 Types of PLTL Implementations

PLTL workshop • replaces part of a lecture• replaces a TA led recitation• is an added component to the course

Critical Components for a Successful Workshop Program

• Integral part of the course• Challenging materials (no answer keys)• Trained and closely supervised leaders • Supportive faculty• Appropriate physical arrangement • Supportive Administration

Gafney “Evaluation of PLTL, Peer-Led Team Learning: A Guidebook. Eds Gosser, D., Cracolice, M., Kampmeier, J., Roth, V., Strozak, V., Varma-Nelson, P. (2001). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

City College of New York, (1-2), St. Xavier Chicago, (3), U. of Pittsburgh (4), Penn State Schuykill, (5), U. of Kentucky (6), U. of Ohio Athens (7), U. of Miami Ohio (8), U. of Rochester, Org (9), U. of West Georgia (10), and NYC Technical (11).

12-15 (Independent studies)

Blue = Non PLTL Red = PLTL

Non-PLTL vs. PLTL

Tien, Roth, Kampmeier J. Res. Sci. Teaching (2002) U. Rochester Organic Chemistry Blue = Non PLTL Red = PLTL

Student Breakdown

Impact of PLTL on Students at IUPUI

1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 20080

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

C105 DFW: Fall Semesters

No Workshop

Workshop

Year

Per

cen

t W

ith

dra

wal

2008

Disciplines Using PLTL• General Chemistry• Organic Chemistry• Biochemistry• Biology• Psychology• Mathematics• Computer Science

Next Step: Moving Online• cPLTL• Replicate F2F workshop experience• Partner Institutions• Scalability

cPLTL Research Group

In the beginning…

Main Room

Group Room

Students Concerns• Xournal (third party software) caused crashes• Stopped saving information/lost information• Network failures• Wireless connection caused problems• People talking at the same time-maybe more a

problem with audio delay• Sometimes difficult to hear• White board (from Adobe Connect) was sometimes

a problem

Present setup…

21

Orientation & Equipment Distribution

cPLTL Leader Training

24

Student View of Workshop

25

cPLTL with Document Camera

Activities in PLTL Workshops• Brainstorming• Round robin• Problem Solving in pairs• Subgroups• Concept maps• Reflecting on problem solving• Reflecting in change of understanding• Using molecular models

Why cyber PLTL (cPLTL)?Untapped opportunities• HS-University • Community College-University • Non-traditional and working students• Allows new ways to capture data for discourse

analysis and do research on how students learn in this environment

• Understand leader styles-useful for peer leader training

Leader quotes“The model is the same, but the way it is done is different; online you can’t pick up on body language cues like you can in face-to-face. Face-to-face also provides a better gauge of exactly what’s going on because you can see more what the students are doing. Students are a lot more willing to write things down in face-to-face, but think more deeply about what they write in cPLTL.”

Leader quotes

“The same amount gets accomplished, but differently; cPLTL gets fewer problems done but more in depth. cPLTL requires choosing which problems are more attainable. Both an advantage and disadvantage of cPLTL is students having to walk other students through their work rather than just show them.”

Leader quotes• “Running a cPLTL workshop is initially draining and

nerve wracking because of all the voices and it’s hard to pick out what each person is saying.” [Not much of a problem now-addressed in training]

• “cPLTL is a success. This last week I had a student in Florida…attend my class without any problem. [S]uccess! I was actually pretty amazed that it went off without a hitch.”

Students Comments• “Communicated effectively with other students”• Convenience• No commuting• Liked being able to share work• Easier to communicate• Leader most positive aspect

61.49 62.79

0102030405060708090

100

Percentage Correct

PLTL

cPLTL

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ACS First Semester General Chemistry Exam

Across 5 Semesters

No statistically significant difference in ACS Scores

(n = 111)

(n = 121)

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Mean GradesNo statistically significant difference in mean grades

(n = 121)

(n = 111)

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End-of-Course GradesNo statistically significant difference in course grades

Across 5 Semesters

(n = 121) (n = 111)

Advantages of cPLTL• Referred to information in the lecture, electronic

course notes and materials posted in Oncourse• Used internet easily to access resources to define,

support and refute conclusions• Easily shared their work and resources with the

entire group• Used other interactive tools such as Skype to report

problems• Talking more about content online

Next Step: Partnering and Expansion• Florida International University• Purdue University• Expansion of cPLTL sections at IUPUI• Conducted 1st cPLTL National Adoption Workshop

PartnersNancy PelaezBiology, Purdue UniversitySpring 2012Blackboard and Adobe Connect

Thomas Pitzer Biology, Florida International UniversityFall 2011Moodle and Adobe Connect

• Finished the sixth semester at IUPUI• 329 students have participated• 25 leaders have led cPLTL workshops• 24 General Chemistry sections at IUPUI• 10 Biology sections at Purdue University• 16 Biology sections at Florida International

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Current Status

cPLTL Project Team

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cPLTL Interdisciplinary Research Group• John Sours, Undergraduate, Chemistry• Kevin Mauser, Graduate student, BME• Gina Ammerman, Graduate Student, Chemistry• Juliana Banks, Postdoc• Lin Zhu, Lecturer, Chemistry• Lorie Shuck, IT Staff, CTL• Tom Janke, IT Staff, CTL• Randy Newbrough, IT Staff, CTL• Joshua Smith, Associate Prof, Education• Donald Wink, Evaluator• Pratibha Varma-Nelson, PI

Acknowledgments• Peer Leaders• PLTL Project Partners• NSF-DUE-0941978• NGLC Wave I• pvn@iupui.edu

Questions?