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Uta Klein, John Fry & Lynn Moran: Challenging first-year Students, Pre-entry and induction learning activities. Slides from the University of Liverpool Learning and Teaching Conference 2009. Developing the critical thinking and problem-solving skills of students as rapidly as possible is a key feature in improving learning outcomes at every stage of their degree. The Department of Physics is developing three approaches designed to improve these skills and enhance the quality of learning among its first-year students. In Freshers Week we have introduced Physics Olympics, which challenges students to solve difficult problems in a fun way and demands a considerable degree of group work. This helps to set a standard for collaborative achievement and introduces students to the way that physicists think. In an attempt to engage students in active learning we have piloted the use of a computer-managed system that enables an instructor to assign homework and class tests, while allowing varying degrees of assistance and formative assessment. Since the mastery of the appropriate mathematical techniques is vital in solving physics problems, we are developing ideas for a "Maths-Fortnight" at the beginning of the first year, designed to reinforce knowledge and give confidence, particularly to mature students and those with weaker backgrounds. Evidence from the pilot studies will be presented together with a discussion of the interplay between the three components of this approach.
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Challenging
First Year Students
Steve Barrett, John Fry, Uta Klein, Lynn Moran
Department of Physics
UoL Conference, June 23rd , 2009
Issues
How to make an efficient transition from school to University?
How to keep the learning outcome and success rate high?
Are there particularly suitable teaching methods?
In Physics, special attention is required to:
understanding of unseen and more complex problems
develop/challenge logical and critical thinking
practice more mathematics
offer tools for self assessment
practice time management
Introduction and Motivation :
Physics Olympics in Freshers’ Week The Undergraduate Physics Olympics (UPO) is a half-day event
organised for freshers and is run by staff and existing undergraduate students.
It is held in Freshers’ Week, slotted in between scheduled university and departmental information sessions.
Goal:
To enhance the first-year students' experience by allowing teams of freshers the opportunity to compete against each other in physics-based hands-on tasks and quizzes:
It enables students to be introduced to the departmental laboratories, staff and more senior students in an informal environment at an early stage in the year.
Statistical and anecdotal evidence both indicate that the UPO enhances the first year experience and helps to build peer support groups.
First Year Courses for Comparison
Course Lectures AssessedExercises
Tutorials Problem Classes
Group Work
Assessed Homework
ClassTest
Contents
A 2 - - 1* - 2*5% 15% classic
B 2 2 - 1 - 6*5% - new
C 2 - 1/4 - - - - new
D - 10/6% - 1 2 4*5% - classic
E 2 - - 1-2 - - 30% new
Courses differ by contents (classical physics on University level or new fields of physics) and by the types of assessment, exercises, problem classes etc., in particular
B: Problem classes and problem solving strategies, use of electronic homework system ‘Mastering Physics’ (Pearson)
C: Course in traditional manner of lectures and non-assessed tutorials
D: No lectures but ‘techniques’ session, groups of 5 students (project-based learning), and use of ‘Mastering Physics’
E: Traditional course with a larger class test.
Feedback
• Students encouraged to give feedback at all times, and they made use of this opportunity.
• Progress/issues were discussed in students-staff committee sessions regularly.
• Modified modules (courses B and D) were evaluated by dedicated questionnaires.
• In general, students were satisfied with organisation and contents, but they said ‘that they had to work harder for those modules’.
• Details of feedback depend significantly on abilities of students.
Weak students had unexpected difficulties (but our ‘open-door’ policy helped here).
Brighter students felt that they were up to the challenge.
Module Results
Course Students Average >70% <40%
classical
A 86 69% 46% 10%
new+elearn
B 74 63% 33% 8%
new+traditional
C 78 55% 21% 27%
project-based
D 83 60% 33% 16%
new+class test
E 87 48% 19% 43%
1. year students only(63)
Around 40% of students achieved >70% in at least 2 modules.
Around 25% of students failed 2 or more modules.
Typical Module Mark-
Attendance Correlation
0
20
40
60
80
100
0 20 40 60 80 100
Mark
Attendance
Module Mark
Course D
Attendance is important and is monitored
Conclusions• The traditional approach (courses C and E) where students are
given problems to do in their own time does not give satisfactory results. The failure rate in both courses was too high (E by 20%!) which triggered a revision of the courses (contents and teaching method).
• Students learn better when required work that is assessed week by week (courses A, B and D). Weaker students did profit from problem classes and group work. The effort for B and D, however, was too large for ‘routine’ teaching.
• Independently of the type of the module more than a quarter of the students achieved excellent results (>70%). Ten per cent of the students achieved excellent results in all 5 modules, and 50% in at least one module. The excellent students can and should be challenged more.
We will develop the system further.
Next Steps
• Investigate further the correlation to mathematics modules, e.g. course E rather mathematical.
• Try to improve the synchronisation of mathematics modules and physics contents. It is planned to add new mathematics modules. Also problem classes are excellent tools for practice mathematics within physics context.
• Next pilots :
We plan to add 2 ½ ‘introduction’ days in September which should revise A-level mathematics in context of a physics task (e.g. ‘Trip to Mars’).
Use more and more widely the available electronic homework system (assessed and for practice).
