Student Engagement & Student Engagement & Content Reinforcement Content Reinforcement

With “Clickers” & With “Clickers” & Online Essay Online Essay AssignmentsAssignments

Adisa A. Alkebulan, Ph.D.Africana Studies

African American History

AFRAS 170 A/B

2

African American HistoryAfrican American HistoryAFRAS 170A/BAFRAS 170A/B

Two separate coursesAFRAS 170A up to 1865 during

fall semesterAFRAS 170B 1865-Present during

spring semester100-135 students for each course

Mondays & Wednesdays 10:00-10:50Fridays: online session

220 WC or 161 LT

3

African American HistoryAfrican American HistoryAFRAS 170A/BAFRAS 170A/B

Lectures are delivered via PowerPoint & posted on Blackboard

Ethnically diverseFreshmen & sophomores

4

The Dilemma & ObjectivesThe Dilemma & Objectives

Dilemma 1:Lack of learner engagement in

lecture coursesObjective: I employed the Classroom

Performance System (CPS) to make learners an active part of the in class learning process

Pose questions that provoke learners to think about the issues/events discussed in the courses

5

The Dilemma & ObjectivesThe Dilemma & Objectives

Dilemma 2: Inability of many students to retain

informationObjective: I wanted to create an

assignment that would force learners to interrogate the text on a much deeper level than just skimming and jotting down notes

6

Student Experiences

Clicker usage helps me to remember important course content?Strongly/Somewhat agree: 74%Strongly/Somewhat disagree: 12%

My professor asks clicker questions that are important to my learning?Strongly/Somewhat agree: 84%Strongly/Somewhat disagree: 10%

7

Student Experiences Online essay questions help me to remember

important course content? Strongly/Somewhat agree: 73% Strongly/Somewhat disagree: 10%

My professor asks online essay questions that are important to my learning?

Strongly/Somewhat agree: 70% Strongly/Somewhat disagree: 6%

Students recognize and value clicker and online essay questions

Improvement in grades Spring 2007: 1.9 GPA Fall 2007: 2.3 GPA

8

Planning for Future Design Cycles

Strengths: Student assessments significantly increased Students enjoy the clicker questions

Weaknesses Students dislike online essay questions Students prefer going to class versus online

assignmentsI did not anticipate students displeasure

with not coming to classReduction of online essay assignments

Every other week Extra credit

Captivate