USING A MOOC TO
FLIP MY FRESHMAN
BIOLOGY COURSE
BRIAN WHITE
UMB PROVOST FELLOW
FOR EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY
PLAN
• Issues
• Transforming the course
• Key Features
• Dissemination
• Discussion Questions for each
• What more do you need to know?
• What questions/issues does this raise?
• What should we do next?
GENERAL BIOLOGY I
AT UMASS BOSTON
• First semester majors’ course
• Less coverage; more depth
• Application and problem solving
• 334 students
• 68% Female
• 64% Non-White
• Average age 20.0
FLIPPED CLASS GOAL
Students should come to class prepared.
FLIPPED CLASS GOALS
Use the students’ and teacher’s time most effectively:
At home (flexible time; no instructor)
• Read
• Watch Video
• Warm-up problems
In class (fixed time; instructor)
•
•
•
•
Discuss
Apply
Ask questions
Fill in gaps
Active Learning
MOOC VS SPOC
Massively Open On-line Course
• ~ weekly units
• Lectures with graded “Test Yourself Questions”
• Graded Problem Sets and Exams
Small Personalized On-line Course
• ~ daily units
• Lectures with ungraded “Test Yourself Questions”
• Ungraded Warm-up Problems
SPOC
MATERIALS
FOR ONE
SESSION
ACTIVE LEARNING INTR0.
Which of the following best describes your
experience with “clickers”?
A. I have not heard of “clickers” until today
B. I have heard of “clickers” but never used them
C. I have used “clickers” as a student
D. I have used “clickers” as a teacher
How would the following HTML appear on a web page?
Hello<u> world</u>!
A. Hello World!
B. Hello World!
C. Hello World!
D. Hello World!
E.
I don’t know how this would appear on a web page.
EVIDENCE FOR
EFFECTIVENESS OF AL
“Active learning increases student performance in
science, engineering, and mathematics”
Meta-analysis of 225 studies of AL:
• Increases exam scores
• Decreases failure rates
Freeman et al. PNAS 111(23):8410 (2014)
Class Session Time Breakdown
100
Other
nonClicker
iClicker
Lecture
80
60
40
20
0
Traditional 1
Traditional 2
What is the minimum amount of lecture possible in
an active learning class?
A. 0% (no lecturing at all)
B. 10%
C. 25%
D. 50%
E. 75%
Class Session Time Breakdown
100
Other
nonClicker
iClicker
Lecture
80
60
40
20
0
Traditional 1
Traditional 2
Flipped
STUDENT FEEDBACK: SPOC?
What should I use in Bio 111 next year?
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Definitely
Conventional
Probably
Doesn't Matter
Conventional
Probably
SPOC
Definitely
SPOC
STUDENT FEEDBACK: SPOC?
Advantages of SPOC-based Class (289/334 students):
• “Can stop and rewind lectures” (46%)
• “Can watch at my own pace/time” (33%)
• “Practice questions help me understand” (25%)
• “Rapid feedback on problems is helpful” (18%)
• “Can go back and review material” (16%)
• “I come to class prepared” (13%)
• “Class time is used for application, etc” (12%)
60
50
Blended
Average: 73.4
Difference is NS
0
10
20
30
Conventional
Average: 75.6
40
70
Final Exam Scores
0.05
0.15
0.25
0.35
0.45
0.55
0.65
0.75
0.85
0.95
Kiley Brown & Drew Caruso
DISCUSSION:
TRANSFORMING THE CLASS
• What more do you need to know?
• What questions/issues does this raise?
• What should we do next?
• Other questions/thoughts/ideas?
II: KEY FEATURES
1. Tight integration of video, questions, class
activities, expectations
1. Judicious use of low-stakes “ungraded” questions
How Useful Were These in Preparing for the Exams?
|
Warmup Questions
|
Test Yourself Questions
|
Problems Book Questions
|
Extra Questions
|
EL Lectures
|
BW Lectures
Never
Rarely
Often
Always
“UNGRADED” PROBLEMS
Must get correct but:
• After first try, they can click “Show answer”
Goals:
• Low stakes => more exploration
• They might not “get it” from on-line materials
• Wrong answer = learning opportunity (≠ failure)
Risks:
• Slacking
• Potential course collapse…
Consider this student’s log entries for one problem:
01:24:08 – loaded problem 4_2
01:24:11 – submitted incorrect answer to 4_2
01:24:12 – clicked 4_2’s “Show Answer”
01:24:26 – submitted correct answer to 4_2
How would you categorize this sequence?
A. Never tried problem 4_2 (N)
B. Tried 4_2 but never got it correct (I)
C. Got 4_2 correct before looking at answer (C)
D. Got 4_2 correct after looking at answer (P)
E. Never got 4_2 correct even after looking at answer (W)
1.0
Fraction of Students Getting Warm−ups Correct Without Peeking
Biochemistry
Mol Biol
Rec DNA & Genomics
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
Fraction
0.8
Genetics
0
20
40
60
Problem
80
100
120
Nicole Floro
80
100
Total Exam Score vs Fraction Correct Without Peeking
60
40
20
Score
R−squared = 0.16
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
Fraction
0.8
Nicole Floro
“WAIT ‘TILL NEXT YEAR”
• Show students the data
• Tighter integration
• Different types of before class problems
• Core – simple but cannot peek (2 tries)
• Challenge – harder and can peek (infinite tries)
DISCUSSION:
KEY POINTS
• What more do you need to know?
• What questions/issues does this raise?
• What should we do next?
• Other questions/thoughts/ideas?
DISCUSSION:
DISSEMINATION
• Adoption
• Who should do this?
• In which courses?
• Implementation
• What tools would they need?
• How would they find them?
What more do you need to know?
What questions/issues does this raise?
What should we do next?
Other questions/thoughts/ideas?
QUESTIONS?
Brian.white@umb.edu
Course home page: http://intro.bio.umb.edu