This paper describes a flipped and improved first-year digital circuits (DC) course that incorporates several active learning strategies. With the primary objective of increasing student interest and learning, an integrated instructional design framework is proposed to provide first-year engineering and technology students with practical knowledge of DC. The research presented here compares the effectiveness of the flipped course to the previous traditional course through a controlled experimental study. The improved effectiveness of the flipped course is confirmed through the significant increase in course content and significant improvements in students' performance and their perceptions of their learning experience. Preliminary results suggest that students' academic success, and their engagement and interest in engineering, can be enhanced by refinement of an integrated instructional design framework. The authors believe that this positive outcome is a result of alignment of online preview of lectures, face-to-face student/instructor and peer interactions, discussions, hands-on activities, combined with several active learning strategies infused into the class.Index Terms-Active learning, digital circuits, engineering and technology, flipped classroom, student learning.

Increasingly, numerous universities have identified benefits of flipped learning environments and have been encouraging instructors to adapt such methodologies in their respective classrooms, at a time when departments are facing significant budget constraints. This article proposes an instructional design framework utilized to strategically enhance traditional flipped methodologies in a first-year engineering course, by using low-cost technology aids and proven pedagogical techniques to enhance student learning. Implemented in a first-year engineering course, this modified flipped model demonstrated an improved student awareness of essential engineering concepts and improved academic performance through collaborative and active learning activities, including flipped learning methodologies, without the need for expensive, formal active learning spaces. These findings have been validated through two studies and have shown similar results confirming that student learning is improved by the implementation of multi-pedagogical strategies in-formed by the use of an instructional design in a traditional classroom setting.

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Introduction: The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 will transition to a pass-fail format in 2022. This is likely to result in an increased focus on Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) scores. Thus, academic advisors must provide evidence-based guidance for preparing students. While prior research has examined the utility of academic indicators to predict student performance on the USMLE exams, no significant scholarly effort has described or evaluated students' study approaches. The research study's goal was to understand what strategies and resources students utilized when preparing for the Step 2 CK exam and investigate the relationship(s) between these approaches and performance. Methods: Students at a single US medical school were surveyed about their Step 2 CK preparation. We analyzed self-reported exam preparation strategies and the use of specific resources to determine their relationship with Step 2 CK score. Results: Student performance on Step 2 CK was correlated with performance on previous exams, including school-specific examinations, National Board of Medical Examiners clerkship shelf exams, and Step 1. Two study strategies were positively correlated with Step 2 CK score in preliminary analyses: completing more working practice questions, and the proportion of a question bank completed. In hierarchical regression, only completing more working questions remained predictive, after controlling for demographic variables and Step 1 performance. Conclusions: Faculty and staff can optimize students' Step 2 CK performance by encouraging them to work through case-based, clinically-focused questions. Further study is needed to describe optimal preparation strategies better.

In response to a request from a campus student organization, faculty from three fields came together to develop and teach an integrated interdisciplinary course on water issues and social activism. This course, “Water as Life, Death, and Power”, brought together issues from the fields of anthropology, biology and chemistry to explore water rights, access to clean water, and water treatment methods. Students enrolled in the course developed interdisciplinary projects related to a variety of local and global water issues to present real-world solutions at a university-wide student research showcase. This article reports the assessment outcomes of the course, measuring changes in both interdisciplinary learning and levels of student activism.