Online Instructor Design Series
Instructional Strategies for Improving Content Retention
February 19, 2013 2 pm - Collaborate
Instructional Strategies for Improving Content Retention
What do you want your students to remember
from your class a decade from now?
Approaches
for helping students retain course content
What is the Issue?
• Research shows that students capture only
20-40 % of a lecture’s main ideas in their
notes.
• And without reviewing the lecture material
students remember less than 10 % after
three weeks.
Online Instructor Design Series
eTROY Instructor Tracy Newvine
CJ3375 Introduction to Social Scientific Inquiry course
Basically a research methods class for criminal justice majors
What I would like my students to remember from this course is:
• How to interpret polls and understand sampling
• How to analyze data from national surveys
• How to actually collect survey data
• How folks create academic journal articles and publish
Online Instructor Design Series
eTROY Instructor Tracy Newvine
In an online course how do you achieve these goals:
• Audio lectures
• Posted examples
• Assignments that incorporate those concepts
Too much content, not enough thinking, and too little FUN!
(DiCarlo, 2009)
 Important that students develop an interest and love for lifelong learning.
Once students are inspired and motivated, there are countless resources
available to learn more about a subject. Thus, teachers must abandon the mistaken
notion that unless they “cover the content” students will be unprepared for the future and
they will have failed as teachers.
Rather than worrying about covering content, teachers must design activities to
focus student learning on how to solve important questions.
Memorizing anything discourages deep thinking.
 Deep thinking is essential because understanding is the residue of thinking!
To encourage thinking we must create a joy, an excitement, and a love for learning.

We must make learning fun
because if we are successful, our students will be impatient to run home, study, and
contemplate–to really learn.
How to improve student content retention:
A tale of two classrooms (Bethune, 2011)
 The goal in all teaching for content retention:
--Leave students with the feeling “I have this new skill / understanding
that I did not have at the start of class!”
--Ensure students understand the concepts involved rather than just
demanding rote memorization
OR
1. Teacher presents a problem
2. Students attempt to solve this problem using
their existing understanding.
3. The teacher works with the class, using the
process to help students deduce a new concept
Enhanced learning and retention through “Writing to Learn”…
(Stewart, Myers, and Culley, 2010)
Microthemes = short in-class writing assignments designed to facilitate active learning, as
pedagogical tools in psychology courses.
 Active learning and retention of course material, and writing development
 Students who completed microthemes throughout the semester scored higher than
comparable students who did not on writing quality and on knowledge and application of
material taught 10 weeks earlier.
Using collaborative, modified peer led team learning to improve
student success and retention…(Biggers, Yilmaz, and Sweat 2009)
 Collaborative, modified peer-led team learning - student-centered instruction
working in small groups facilitated by a peer leader
 Findings: using undergraduate leaders to implement a peer-led team
learning model can be effective in promoting achievement and retention
Dr. Casille’s peer-to-peer project:
-- Students are more engaged when the assignment
is about them.
-- Collectives provide a good balance of individual
responsibility and minimal coordination while still
providing social support.
-- Students generally appreciate thoughtful peer-to
peer feedback.
Experiential learning enhances student knowledge retention...
(Bauerle and Park, 2012)
 Question: would experiential learning improved homework scores among students
who participated in a field trip by asking if simply attending the field trip increased the
homework score?
 Results: participating in a field trip experience when coupled with a homework
assignment increased student homework scores.
Virtual Field Trip / Hands-on Art Projects
Creed, Starry Night over Iraq
What our student’s say about retaining content…
I have thoroughly enjoyed this course. Initially, I was nervous about having everything
online. I thought the course would be like reading a textbook online and that is not something I
would enjoy. However, the modules are great! I like the mixed media and that it quizzes you
as you progress. I think that has definitely helped me retain more information. Now, I
wish more classes would utilize mixed media instead of just a textbook …Not only are the
modules well organized and enjoyable, but they are interesting.
-Rebekah
The article I found discussed adding the use of external mental stimulators
to motivate you prior to logging in to begin classes. Although one is selfmotivated and has many tools at your disposal, brain teasers can offer
definite advantages to learning. I have included the link below.
http://onlinelearningtips.com/2012/05/24/avoid-your-mental-plateau-withbrain-teasers/
-Darwin
Online Instructor Design Series
Student FORUM
March 5, 2013 2 pm - Collaborate
What do our eTROY students have to say?
Students will share their thoughts during a discussion forum:
Experiences with online courses
Ways instructors can help students reach their educational
goals through richer, engaging eCourses
How to improve teacher/student interaction in an online
learning environment with today’s tech-savvy students
Contact Your Designer
Josh Hill
jhill124870@troy.edu
HHS
Sheila Morgan
smorgan124918@troy.edu
General Studies
Gayle Nelson
gnelson@troy.edu
CCFA, A&S
Inga Oberst
ioberst@troy.edu
SCOB, TROY1101
Stanley Ross
sross125002@troy.edu
EDU
Loubna Zahri
lzahri@troy.edu
A&S
http://trojan.troy.edu/etroy/facultydevelopment/index.html
References
Bauerle, T. L., & Park, T. D. (2012). Experiential learning enhances student knowledge retention in the plant
sciences. HortTechnology , 22(5), 715-718.
Bethune, J. (2011, February 5). [Web log message]. Retrieved from
http://www.knewton.com/blog/edtech/2011/02/05/how-to-improve-student-content-retention-a-tale-of-twoclassrooms/
Biggers, M., Yilmaz, T., & Sweat, M. (2009). Using collaborative, modified peer led team learning to improve
student success and retention in intro cs. Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education, March 3-7.
Bligh, D. A. (2000). What's the use of lectures?. In J. R. Davis (Ed.), Better teaching, more learning: Strategies
for success in postsecondary settings. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Custers, E. J. F. M. (2010). Long-term retention of basic science knowledge: A review study. Advances in
Health Sciences Education, 15, 109-128. doi:10.1007/s10459-008-9101-y.
DiCarlo, S. E. (2009). Too much content, not enough thinking, and too little fun!. Advances in Physiology
Education, 33, 257–264. doi:10.1152/advan.00075.2009.
Kiewra, K. A. (2002). How classroom teachers can help students learn and teach them how to learn. THEORY
INTO PRACTICE, 41(2), 71-80.
Stewart, T. L., Myers, A. C., & Culley, M. R. (2010). Enhanced learning and retention through ''writing to learn''
in the psychology classroom. Teaching of Psychology, 37(1), 46-49.
doi:10.1080/00986280903425813.