Abstract:

The transition from high school to college is extremely difficult for the students, in many ways. In particular, attending classes in large lecture format (150 students or more) adds a considerable burden to students in their first year. This burden stems from the many issues that have diluted the pedagogical influence of teaching in large lectures, such as lack of interaction between students and their instructors, diminished class participation, diminished availability of contact hours with the instructors, lack of directional study, and disconnect in assessment of students expectations. Our work involves the integration of technological tools as effective means of instruction in large lecture settings that address some of these issues.
Specifically, we have developed Microvideos, a Clicker Question bank, and Electronic flashcards to enhance the students’ learning experiences. Microvideos were developed to improve the student-instructor interaction outside of class. These are short videos (less than 10 minutes) presenting key calculus concepts and problems that are traditionally challenging for students. A Clicker Question bank was created on the topics covered in Calculus I to facilitate active participation and engagement in the classroom. A sustained pool of questions allowed the use of this technology more effectively and frequently thereby increasing the student in-class participation. Finally, the set of Electronic flashcards was created to provide students with a successful directional study approach. In this paper we report on the planning and implementation process of these technological tools, as well as preliminary findings from student perceptions on the use of these technologies.

Keywords:

Microvideos, Flashcards, Clicker, Question Bank, student interaction, class participation.