Promoting Active Learning Inside
and Outside the Classrooms
Teaching Development Grant Sharing Session
(15 December 2009)
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•
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Principal Investigator: Catherine Chiu;
Research and Teaching Assistant: Valerie Yap
AIS2020: Introduction to Sociology
Project Objectives:
1. To promote the use of Classroom Assessment
Tasks (CATs) and Blackboard as tools for
learning.
2. To design and test learning activities
3. To monitor and assess the effectiveness and
impact of the student learning activities
PART 1:
Project Activities
To aid students effectively learn an introductory course, students
were involved in the learning process.
Besides the usual group presentations and group discussions, other
classroom assessment techniques (CATs) were carried out:
Active Learning Inside the
Classroom
Application Cards
Brainstorming Activity
Debate
Reflect-Group-Share
Video Showing
Active Learning Outside the
Classroom
Course Preparatory Assignment
Individual Critique Paper
Journal Writing
Online Survey
Discussion Board
Note: All learning activities except Video Showing and Discussion Board were awarded
marks ranging from 1-3 points per activity.
Applying the CATs
Application Card
To apply concepts and theories to social issues
Example: Apply theoretical approaches to explain “workers
going on strike”
Brainstorming Activity
To propose multiple ideas on how to solve an issue
Example: How to engage men and women in achieving
gender equality
Course Preparation Assignment
To distinguish concepts and theories as preparation prior to
the class lecture
Example: Can an interpretive sociologist be a conflict
sociologist? Why or why not?
Debate
To defend their position and appraise opposing views on a
particular issue
Example: Decline of traditional families in Hong Kong
Discussion Board
Forum for discussing and expressing any comments and
views on the lecture and class activities
Example: A new BBC poll has found widespread
dissatisfaction with free-market capitalism. What is your
reaction to the survey findings, and what is your view on
capitalism?
Individual Critique Paper
To assess how well students critically evaluate the main points
of a group presentation
Example: Critique group presentation on “How
"Mcdonaldization" is emerging and its impacts – emergence
of a global culture?”
Journal Writing
To interpret and question their observations or reflections on
a social issue
Example: Listing down your waste for a day and reflecting on
what this says about your lifestyle
Online Survey
To assess students’ prior knowledge of a topic or issue; to
serve as a supplement to the lecture
Example: Gender Values Survey
Reflect-Group-Share
To independently formulate their opinion/views and share
with a group
Example: Which of the models of capitalism, namely market
capitalism, managed capitalism and state capitalism will have
more positive effects on democracy?
Video Showing
To analyze and relate the video content to the lecture
Example: Global Environmental Issues
Students were given opportunities to talk, discuss, write
and apply what they are learning.
Example 1
Online Survey (Pre-class Activity)
Purpose: To assess students’ prior knowledge of gender;
to serve as a supplement to the lecture
1.
2.
3.
4.
Students answer the Gender Values Survey on Blackboard.
Students express and briefly explain their own views to
statements relating to gender.
The findings are presented at an appropriate point in class.
These will also be uploaded to Blackboard for the student’s
reference.
The instructor links new information to the results.
Example 2
Application Card (In-class Activity)
Purpose: To assess students’ ability to apply deviant
theories to explain juvenile shoplifting
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Students form groups of 4-5
Each group is assigned one deviant theory
Groups discuss and attempt to transfer what they have just
learned to explain juvenile shoplifting
Groups share and receive feedback from the instructor and
their classmates
At the end of class, worksheets are collected. Answers are
compiled and summarized which will later be uploaded to
Discussion Board.
Example 3
Individual Critique Paper (Post-class Activity)
Purpose: To assess how well students critically evaluate the
main points of a group presentation
1.
2.
3.
Each student is assigned a presentation topic to critique.
After each presentation, students are given a week to analyze
and interpret the presentation as well as express their own
views on the given topic.
A week after, papers are marked and returned to the students
with comments.
PART 2: Student Feedback
A. Learning experience
B. Course participation activities
Rating of Students’ Learning
Experience
Mode
(n=22)
Mean
(n=22)
I have gained a good knowledge of the basic sociological
concepts and paradigms.
4 (64%)
4.09
I have become more competent in examining social actions
from a sociological point of view, instead of from an
individualistic point of view.
4 (64%)
3.82
I have learned to apply the sociological concepts and
paradigms to analyzing social issues and everyday-life
situations.
4 (68%)
3.95
I made use of sociological literature and other reference
materials in oral presentations as well as papers.
4 (68%)
3.95
Course Intended Learning Outcomes:
Note: (5 = strongly agree; 1 = strongly disagree)
Selective Feedback of
Students’ Learning Experience
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“The course improved my way to analyze some social phenomenon. It teached me
some theory on social events. And it is good and useful in doing term papers.” // “I
learn many sociological concepts and I can apply them to the other projects in the
future.”
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“This course really helps me to look into things from different perspectives, criticize
things from different angles.” // “Course participation activities & content coverage help
me understand more about sociology and help me to analyze social issues from a
sociologist’s view.”
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“I like this course can help me understand myself more and on my attitude about the
different form of society.”
Course Participation Activities
Student Participation
Active
Observant 14%
but not
particularly Moderately
active
Active
50%
36%
Not active
0%
• Although half of the class
consider themselves observant
but not particularly active, 55%
agreed that they feel
encouraged to participate in
class.
• 41% of students agreed that
the format of the class (lecture,
discussion/activity) was helpful
to the way they learned.
Effectiveness of Course Participation
Activities
•68% agreed that class discussions help them understand key ideas
in the course.
•91% of the students stated that the class activity summaries posted
on the Discussion Board were useful.
•Students expressed that the summaries can be used as a
reference or to review what they have learnt in class. It is also
found to be a nice way to conclude the lesson.
Rating of Teaching & Learning Activities
Note: (5 = strongly agree; 1 = strongly disagree)
Mode
(n=22)
Mean
(n=22)
Course Preparation Assignment (CPA)
4 (50%)
3.83
Discussion Board
3 (62%)
3.24
4=5 (36%)
4.00
Journal writing
3 (41%)
3.55
Pre-class survey
4 (50%)
3.91
Application cards
4 (64%)
4.00
Brainstorming activity
4 (59%)
4.23
Debate
4 (50%)
3.95
Group discussion
4 (55%)
4.27
Group presentation/reporting
4 (43%)
3.81
Reflect-Group-Share activity
4 (50%)
3.95
4 (57%)
4.24
I. Individual Learning Activities
Individual critique paper
II. Group Learning Activities
III. Video showing
Video showing
Selective Feedback from Students
Application Cards
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“To think deeply and widely of sociology not just theory but practical materials” // To
put the theory or concepts into practice.” // “Helped me in reviewing my knowledge
gained on lesson in the aspects of applying or understanding.”
Course Participation Activities
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“I like the course participation activities as we can have enough time to share our
opinions and have a free time to criticize, it can enhance our knowledge of sociology.”
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“I think the CPAs are useful as they let me to have self-reflection on many of the issues.”
// “Help me to know more about what is teaching in class and have more knowledge on
the topic”
Course Preparation Assignment
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“Helps me to evaluate my understanding to the course.” // “Encourages self-learning.”
Debate
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“Group the classmates into different groups according to their own perception on
traditional family is really interesting as it allows me to see how others view and
whether my view is the majority or minority. It advocates me to think whether my own
view is the most correct.”
[con’t]
Group Discussions
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“Let us to think more about the content talked in the class (...) it seems that it is
another way to revise the knowledge.”
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“I can get to know whether I understand or not.”
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“During the discussions, I can clarify many misunderstandings of lectures. It helps to
make the lesson more interesting and interactive.”
Reflect-Group-Share
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“Lets me know more about other’s opinion which help me understand more about the
discussed topic.” // “I can learn how to respect other comments and ideas. I learn it is
important to respect people’s whose opinions are different from us.”
Video Showing
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“Lets me know thoroughly about the topic.” // “My memory about this will be held for
longer time and it is better for me to study the course.”
Conclusions
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Students had shown enthusiasm and interest in the course subject and the
course participation activities.
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Benefits of the Course Participation Activities:
1. Student-centered
2. Maximize participation
3. Highly motivational (esp. group-related work)
4. Encourages self-learning
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We were able to use a number of CATs and determine which worked better in
enhancing student participation and learning however there was still some
imbalance in activities done inside and outside the classroom.