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The University of Waikato

Private Bag 3105

Hamilton, New Zealand

0800 WAIKATO

www.waikato.ac.nz

Alison Campbell

School of Science & Engineering

You let them talk in lectures?Student discussion as formative assessment

21 November 2008

“Effective science communication is an art involving creativity,

imagination, and innovation, along with planning, practice, decision

making, and evaluation. Teaching is a scholarly activity, benefiting

from research, collective experience, and crititcal thinking

throughout. Yet with all the demands on our time we seldom have

an opportunity to think through the entire process.”

(Committee on Undergraduate Science Education, 1997)

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University science teaching:

• Has a strong focus on transmission of

knowledge;

• Less emphasis on developing understanding of

the nature of science;

• First-year classes often large;

• Standard lecture format with little opportunity for

active student engagement;

• Assessment processes often summative &

encourage surface learning.

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Nature of science:

After 3 years of study, 3rd-year biology students had

no better understanding of the nature of science

than 1st-year students at the beginning of their

university career.(Campbell & Cooke, unpub.)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1st yr 3rd yr before 3rd yr after

me

an

Lik

ert

sc

ore

Section C: understanding nature of science

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Issues for first-year university students:

• Problems with new concepts;

• Inability to see the „big picture‟;

• Differing cultural and educational

backgrounds;

• Large amount of course content;

• Lack of independent learning skills.

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“Yeah, they then come to university and

expect to be fed everything, they expect

handouts, they expect everything on a

plate and then they expect to know that

everything that could possibly be in the

exam is in the handouts …”

(Campbell et al. 2008)

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“… to translate [other teaching methods] into a

sort of, practical classroom situation was quite

difficult especially when you‟re got all this course

material where you‟ve got to get through, it‟s

lovely to have, let‟s have group sessions and lets

do this, you know, you just don‟t have time to do it

all.”

(Campbell et al. 2008)

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Excessive content (& inappropriate assessment) may

see students using surface learning strategies to cope…

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Formative assessment: “the process used by

teachers and students to recognise and

respond to student learning in order to

enhance that learning, during the learning.” Bell & Cowie (2001)

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Concept mapping &

feedback on learning

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“[Problem-solving sessions] were also the

most satisfying lectures of all because you

know, we can then nut out the problem and I

can help the students and I know they are

learning.” (Campbell et al. 2008)

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But – more easily achieved in tutorial classes.

Harder to manage in lecture rooms (less

opportunity for teacher-student discussion).

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“I think [lectures are] a shocking way of teaching. I

don‟t think it‟s a good way of learning but it‟s a good

way of disseminating information and I think, I try

and combine teaching with the dissemination of

information.”(Campbell et al. 2008)

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Talking in lectures

as formative assessment

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(From Nicol & Macfarlane-

Dick, 2006)

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Good feedback practice:• Helps clarify what good performance is

• Facilitates development of self-assessment (reflection) in

learning;

• Delivers high-quality information to students about their learning;

• Encourages teacher and peer dialogue around learning;

• Encourages positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem;

• Provides opportunities to close the gap between current and

desired performance;

• Provides information to teachers that can be used to shape

teaching.(From Nicol & Macfarlane-Dick, 2006)

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“I am absolutely impressed by the way you get

students to interact with you and with each other.”

“[You help us to] find out what we didn‟t know and

show us what you think we should know.”