31 colleges that represented all types of institutions, with a
wide range of class sizes and instructional styles—traditional
and interactive.
Figure 3 shows a plot of learning gain g, measured with
the LSCI astronomy questions, versus class-averaged preinstruction
score for Astro 101 courses in our study, sorted
by type of institution. For comparison, the shaded region indicates
the range of results for Hake’s introductory-physics
study. The boundaries at g = 0.3 and 0.7 separate the ranges
of learning gain that Hake characterized as low, medium,
and high.
One striking result is evident. The range of LSCI preinstruction
scores is surprisingly narrow, clustered around
25%, regardless of institution type. That’s very different from
Hake’s study, in which pre-instruction scores ranged from
30% to 70%. That discrepancy illustrates a fundamental difference
between the student population taking Astro 101 and
that taking introductory college-level physics. Many physics
students come to introductory college physics having already
taken physics in high school. But Astro 101 students are
mostly nonscience majors with little prior knowledge of the
basic concepts of light and spectroscopy.
The class learning-gain scores in figure 3 vary widely,
from almost 0 to 0.5, illustrating that the LSCI is capable of
measuring changes in student understanding and, by extension,
the effectiveness of teaching about light and spectroscopy
in Astro 101. Because the gains appear to be independent
of institution type—and also, as we find, of class
size13—we conclude that neither of those two variables can
explain the variation in g. This result suggests that type and
effectiveness of instruction are crucial variables. Characterizing
introductory-physics classes by whether instructors used
any of a variety of interactive learning strategies, Hake had
demonstrated that—as measured by g—the interactive
classes outperformed the traditional lecture-only classrooms,
on average, by about a factor of two.
In our study, we knew that a significant fraction of the instructors
were using interactive learning strategies because
they were members of the greater national CAE community.
We developed a questionnaire for instructors that let us quan
31 colleges that represented all types of institutions, with awide range of class sizes and instructional styles—traditionaland interactive.Figure 3 shows a plot of learning gain g, measured withthe LSCI astronomy questions, versus class-averaged preinstructionscore for Astro 101 courses in our study, sortedby type of institution. For comparison, the shaded region indicatesthe range of results for Hake’s introductory-physicsstudy. The boundaries at g = 0.3 and 0.7 separate the rangesof learning gain that Hake characterized as low, medium,and high.One striking result is evident. The range of LSCI preinstructionscores is surprisingly narrow, clustered around25%, regardless of institution type. That’s very different fromHake’s study, in which pre-instruction scores ranged from30% to 70%. That discrepancy illustrates a fundamental differencebetween the student population taking Astro 101 andthat taking introductory college-level physics. Many physicsstudents come to introductory college physics having alreadytaken physics in high school. But Astro 101 students aremostly nonscience majors with little prior knowledge of thebasic concepts of light and spectroscopy.The class learning-gain scores in figure 3 vary widely,from almost 0 to 0.5, illustrating that the LSCI is capable ofmeasuring changes in student understanding and, by extension,the effectiveness of teaching about light and spectroscopyin Astro 101. Because the gains appear to be independentof institution type—and also, as we find, of classsize13—we conclude that neither of those two variables canexplain the variation in g. This result suggests that type andeffectiveness of instruction are crucial variables. Characterizingintroductory-physics classes by whether instructors usedany of a variety of interactive learning strategies, Hake haddemonstrated that—as measured by g—the interactiveclasses outperformed the traditional lecture-only classrooms,on average, by about a factor of two.In our study, we knew that a significant fraction of the instructorswere using interactive learning strategies becausethey were members of the greater national CAE community.We developed a questionnaire for instructors that let us quan
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..
