Running head: DOES ACTIVE LEARNING ENHANCE
Does Active Learning Enhance Learning Outcomes Within the Criminal Justice Curriculum?
Jeffrey Brockhoff
EPCC
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DOES ACTIVE LEARNING ENHANCE
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Abstract
This paper examines the relationship between active learning and learning outcomes in
the criminal justice discipline. The purpose of my research was to determine whether or not the
use of active learning strategies in the classroom had an effect on the desired learning outcomes.
As educators we must move away from the standard classroom environment of lecture that
promotes memorization and instead we must employ active learning strategies in order to more
thoroughly engage the student in critical thinking. Active learning exercises allow the student to
come to a deep-understanding of the topics. As instructors we must decide which active learning
strategies are useful in conceptualizing the materials and then afterwards we must perform an
assessment to determine whether or not the strategy employed was beneficial. Student
engagement does not equate success; we must employ purposeful activities that promote the
learning process. Through my research I want to determine if the implementation of active
learning strategies can have a positive impact on the desired learning outcomes?
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Does Active Learning Enhance Learning Outcomes in the Criminal Justice Curriculum?
Educators face the daunting task of ensuring instructional objectives are met throughout
each and every semester. Instructional objectives are viewed as the intended achievements.
(Harden, 2002, p. 154). Within those objectives lie the learning outcomes. Learning outcomes
focus on the measurable cognitive, behavioral and attitudinal development of students as they
interact with a learning activity (Keshavarz, 2011, p. 2). For the instructor, learning outcomes
are more clearly defined as what the instructor intends for learning in a particular course
(objectives) and how the student demonstrates learning in the course (outcomes) (Ascough,
2011). How those objectives and outcomes are met up is to the individual instructor.
My research project focuses on the educational strategy of utilizing active learning and
specifically does active learning improve the students’ knowledge and retention of the required
subject matter; the learning outcomes? Active learning can be defined as any instructional
method that engages students in the learning process. Students who are engaged in active
learning strategies should be able to comprehend and retain the materials better than those
presented with terms and definitions they are expected to memorize. It must be noted that active
learning does not merely involve the student; it must be used to evoke critical thinking. Critical
thinking is the “purposeful, reasoned, and goal-directed” use of cognitive skills and strategies. It
is the kind of thinking involved in solving problems, formulating inferences, calculating
likelihoods and making decisions (Halpern, 1999, p. 70). Active learning allows the student to
student to comprehend the material in a discernable manner.
As educators we must move away from the traditional approach of learning and
instruction which is lecture. Lecture tends to reinforce the student’s role as a passive learner and
depersonalizes the learning experience (Smith & Caraciotto, 2011). Through lecture the student
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is presented with material, expected to learn and regurgitate it and move on to the next subject
and exam. This style of instruction promotes surface learning, not deep-learning. Surface
learning results in the memorization of facts as opposed to the meaningful understanding of the
materials. Deep-learning on the other hand promotes the big-picture understanding of the
concept (Howie & Bagnall, 2013).
When asked to participate in the learning process often times the students become
resistant. It is easier to allow the instructor to do the work. Unfortunately, many students are
comfortable with this type of learning environment as there is not a great amount of effort
exerted on their part. This style of learning can be related to compliant learning. With
compliant learning a student is presented with the lecture and may answer a question asked by
the instructor, but they are not necessarily engaged; instead an engaged student will ask
additional questions which delve into critical thinking (Zmuda, 2008).
There are various methods of active learning, they include discussion, problem-solving,
presentations, group work, brainstorming, role plays and anything else that gets the student
engaging with each other and engaging with the lecture material (Revell & Wainwright, 2009).
Some specific active learning exercises include reciprocal questioning, where the instructor
provides question stems to individuals or groups which elicits critical thinking. Another exercise
is scenarios or case studies which can be employed individually or in groups. This type of
exercise allows the students to synthesize the concepts and apply their knowledge to solve or
analyze problems and present their findings to the class ("Active Learning Strategies," n.d.) It is
the responsibility of the instructor to determine the appropriate exercises for the lessons
presented and make any adjustments as needed. Just because a student is engaged does not
necessarily mean the student is coming to a deeper understanding of the material. The instructor
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cannot assume their method of instruction is producing the desired outcome. They must assess
their techniques and adjust the pedagogy accordingly (Van Auken, 2013).
My belief is that active learning does enhance the learning outcomes. In order to study
the effectiveness of active learning, I chose CRIJ 1301: Introduction to Criminal Justice to test
my hypothesis. I chose this specific class because it is the preparatory class that sets the
foundation for the El Paso Community College Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice. There are
five core subjects in the degree plan; they are CRIJ 1301: Introduction to Criminal Justice, CRIJ
2313: Correctional Systems and Practices, CRIJ 1306: Court Systems and Practices, CRIJ 1310:
Fundamentals of Criminal Law, and CRIJ 2328: Police Systems and Practices, Appendix A.
The Introduction to Criminal Justice course exposes the students to terms, definitions
and concepts that will be expounded in further detail throughout the other core courses. The
introductory course is the building block for the future classes. It is imperative that the students
gain an understanding of the materials in the introductory class so that they can use the concepts
and ideas to help them succeed in the other core classes.
In order to formulate my hypothesis, I created active learning exercises for each class
period during the first six weeks of the Spring 2015 semester, Appendix B. I chose three
Introduction to Criminal Justice Classes during this time period and utilized the same activity for
each class. My goal with the exercises was to elicit critical thinking through the use strategies
that would solicit knowledge and probe for higher-level thinking (Lujan & Love, 2014). Among
the active learning exercises I used were icebreakers, think, pair and share, seven little words,
Appendix C, reciprocal questioning and the use of collaborative learning. I used the icebreakers
exercise, two truths and a lie on the first day of class, so the students would understand that
participatory learning is expected throughout the course.
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In order to test my hypothesis, I examined the mean and median from the Fall 2014 to the
Spring 2015 semester. I compared the exam #1 and exam #2 test scores from the Fall 2014
semester to those from the Spring 2015 semester. The format of the exams remained consistent
from the Fall 2014 semester to the Spring 2015 semester. Exam #1 consisted of 45 multiple
choice questions and two short answer questions. Exam #2 consisted of 47 multiple choice and
two short answer questions. In order to maintain the integrity of the exams there were questions
added and others deleted; the short answer questions were also changed.
The two Introduction to Criminal Justice classes chosen from the Fall 2014 semester
were CRN 11594 and CRN 11596. For CRN 11594, the classroom average for exam #1 was
84.53 and exam #2 was 76.47. The classroom averages for CRN 11596 showed exam #1 at 83
and exam #2 at 74.92. The overall exam #1 score mean after combining CRN 11594 and CRN
11596 was 83.76. The overall average was 73.69 for exam #2.
The classes chosen for the Spring 2015 semester were CRN 22010, CRN 23626 and CRN
22016. The exam #1 average for CRN 22010 was 81.55 and exam #2 was 82.61. The results
from CRN 22016 were exam #1 at 87.8 and 85.78 for exam #2. The results for CRN 23626 were
80.25 on exam #1 and 74.25 on exam #2. The combined average (mean) score of the three
classes for exam #1 was 83.2 and 80.88 for exam #2.
The results of my research showed a positive gain of 6/10th point average for exam #1
and an additional 7.2 point gain for the average of exam #2. The increase of 7.2 points was a
significant gain between the semesters. Even though there was only a slight rise in the exam #1
response, I feel the use of active learning exercises were responsible for the increases.
After computing the mean scores, I examined the median scores for each semester.
During the Fall 2014, the median score for exam #1 was 85.5 and exam #2 was 79.5. The
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median for the Spring 2015 semester showed exam #1 at 86.6 and exam #2 at 80.5. In
comparison there was a one point increase from Fall to Spring on exam #1 score the. Exam #2
showed also showed a one point increase from the Fall to Spring semester.
In reviewing the median scores for exam #2, I found that 18/56 (32%) of the students in
the Fall 2014 semester received a “D” or below. The median results for exam #2 in the Spring
2015 semester showed that 7/35 (20%) of the students received a “D” or below. In the Spring
2015 semester a number of students scored closer to the median, thus resulting in fewer failures.
Even though there was a disparity in the number of students used in the research; 56 in the Fall
2014and 35 in the Spring 2015, I feel that the use of active learning exercises contributed to the
overall rise in the median scores on Exam #2.
Educators must move away from the lecture style of instruction. Instructors must
develop and employ active learning strategies that provoke critical thinking and deep-learning.
Simply providing material and expecting students to memorize and regurgitate on exam day is
not effective. This surface method of instruction is not effective and does not lead to an in-depth
understanding of terms, concepts and ideas. Through my project I was able to show that the
purposeful use of active learning strategies can have a positive effect on the learning outcomes.
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References
Ascough, R. (2011). Learning (about) outcomes: How the focus of assessment can help overall
course design. Canadien Journal of Higher Education, 41(2), 44-61. Retrieved from
http://ojs.library.ubc.ca/index.php/cjhe
This article shows the importance and benefits of planning and developing learning
outcomes. The article further outlines the process of designing the outcomes.
Halpern, D. F. (1999, Winter). Teaching for critical thinking: Helping college students develop
the skills and dispositions of a critical thinker. New Directions for Teaching and
Learning, 1999(80), 69.
In this article the author relates the importance of critical thinking among college
students. The article focuses on the skills needed for critical thinking.
Harden, R. (2002, March). Learning outcomes and instructional objectives: Is there a
difference? Medical Teacher, 22(2), 151-155.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0142159022020687.
Throughout the article the author compares and contrasts the relationship between the
educational objectives and the learning outcomes.
Howie, P., & Bagnall, R. (2013). A critique of the deep and surface approaches to the learning
model. Teaching in Higher Education, 18(4), 389-400.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2012.733689.
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The authors' perform a critical analysis of Bigg's surface and deep learning models. They
explain each process and conduct an analysis of the information.
Keshavarz, M. (2011). Measuring course learning outcomes. Journal of Learning Design, 4(4),
1-9. Retrieved from https://www.jld.edu.au/
This article provides a description of learning outcomes and shows the importance of
developing quantitative methods for measuring these outcomes.
Lujan, M., & Love, S. (2014). Critical thinking higher-order thinking strategies guide. Houston,
TX: RR Donnelley.
This compact guide was created as a quick reference for educators to use in order to elicit
creative and critical thinking. The guide offers suggestions, provides strategies and offers
assessment tools that can be used in the classroom.
Revell, A., & Wainwright, E. (2009, May). What makes lectures ’unmissable’? Insights into
teaching excellence and active learning. Journal of Geography in Higher Education,
33(2), 209-223.
Through the study of students in geography courses at Brunel University shows that an
enthusiastic lecturer can bring life to a subject and gain the interest of students. They
further found the high degree of interactivity can promote deep-learning.
Smith, C. V., & Caraciotto, L. (2011, January). Is active learning like broccoli? Student
perceptions of active learning in large lecture classes. Journal of the Scholarship of
Teaching and Learning, 11(1), 53-61. Retrieved from http://josotl.indiana.edu/
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The authors look at the challenges of implementing active learning exercises in a large,
lecture based classroom environment.
Some basic active learning strategies. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/teachlearn/tutorials/active/strategies/index.html#thin
The University of Minnesota Center for Teaching and Learning provides many useful
active learning strategies that can be used in the classroom.
Van Auken, P. (2013, April 2013). Maybe it’s both of us? Engagement and learning. Teaching
Sociology, 41(2), 207-215. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0092055X12457959
The article focuses on the instructor's experience using interventions to enhance student
engagement in local case studies. The author's use of active and collaborative learning
techniques increased the level of interest and engagement by the students. The author
related that not every exercise used is effective and the instructor must reflect on the
techniques utilized and make adjustments to the pedagogy.
Zmuda, A. (2008, November). Springing into active learning. Educational Leadership, 66(3), 3842.
This article relates that too often students have a mindset established that they are in the
classroom to merely follow directions and finish any necessary work. The article
provides examples of how to move the student from a compliant learner to an active
learner.