Students’ Participation And Its Relationship To Success In An Interactive Learning Environment

Abstract

Abstract:The context of our study is a calculus-based, studio-format introductory college physics course implementing the Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE). We have gathered data that allows us to quantify students' participation in three broad areas of the physics class: In-class learning activities, class review session that happened at the beginning of every class, and the informal learning community that formed outside of class time. Using video data, classroom observations, and students' self-reports, we quantified students' participation in these three aspects of the class throughout a single semester. We investigated the relationship between students' participation and their success in the course as measured by their FCI gain, exam scores, and scores on out-of-class assignments. Our results reveal that different aspects of the class play distinct roles in learning. Students who participated more in class review sessions ended up with better conceptual understanding. Self-reported hours of study outside of class was significantly correlated with success on out-of-class assignments.