20090912

Education research: preliminary feedback on flashcards (Cuesta College, Physics 205A, Fall Semester 2009)

Cuesta College students taking Physics 205A (college physics, algebra-based, mandatory adjunct laboratory) at Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA use numerical keypad clickers (Classroom Performance System, einstruction.com) to enter homework and to engage in peer-interaction ("think-(pair)-share") discussion questions during lecture.

However, during the first two to three weeks of instruction, students are first coached through the "think-(pair)-share" process using flashcards instead of clickers. At the end of the third week of the semester, students were given the opportunity to evaluate the instructional components of the course, and the use of flashcards in an online "Learning Resource Survey" hosted by SurveyMonkey.com. Questions from section II are adapted from the Student Assessment of Learning Gains (SALG) survey (developed by Elaine Seymour, Wisconsin Center for Education Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison), and questions from section III (III.1, III.3, III.5, and III.7) were adapted from a "Clicker Attitude Survey" (N. W. Reay, Lei Bao, and Pengfei Li, Physics Education Research Group, Ohio State University).

These are the complete survey results. Analysis will be forthcoming after more data has been compiled from future semesters. Values for the mean and standard deviations are given next to the modal response category for each question. Note that the order of questions within sections II and III were randomly scrambled for each student.
Learning Resource Survey
Cuesta College
Physics 205A Fall Semester 2009 sections 70854, 70855, 72177
(N = 30)

I. In order to receive credit for completing this survey,
first enter your first and last name below:
____


II. How much did each of the following aspects of the class help
your learning?

II.1 Lecture by instructor.
1. Strongly disagree 2 : **
2. Disagree 2 : **
3. Neutral 6 : ******
4. Agree 12 : ************ [3.7 +/- 1.1]
5. Strongly agree 7 : *******

II.2 Doing unassigned textbook problems/clicker questions/practice quizzes.
1. Strongly disagree 0 :
2. Disagree 0 :
3. Neutral 6 : ******
4. Agree 14 : ************** [4.1 +/- 0.7]
5. Strongly agree 9 : *********

II.3 Using flashcards to participate in class.
1. Strongly disagree 2 : **
2. Disagree 2 : **
3. Neutral 4 : ****
4. Agree 16 : **************** [3.7 +/- 1.1]
5. Strongly agree 6 : ******

II.4 Reading the textbook.
1. Strongly disagree 0 :
2. Disagree 1 : *
3. Neutral 10 : **********
4. Agree 13 : ************* [3.8 +/- 0.8]
5. Strongly agree 5 : *****

II.5 Demonstrations/videos in class.
1. Strongly disagree 1 : *
2. Disagree 1 : *
3. Neutral 10 : **********
4. Agree 13 : ************* [3.6 +/- 0.9]
5. Strongly agree 4 : ****

II.6 Interacting with other students during class.
1. Strongly disagree 0 :
2. Disagree 2 : **
3. Neutral 2 : **
4. Agree 15 : *************** [4.2 +/- 0.8]
5. Strongly agree 11 : ***********

II.7 Interacting with other students outside of class.
1. Strongly disagree 0 :
2. Disagree 1 : *
3. Neutral 16 : **************** [3.5 +/- 0.7]
4. Agree 9 : *********
5. Strongly agree 3 : ***

III. Answer the following statements which may or may not describe
your beliefs about the use of flashcards in this class.

III.1 I like using flashcards.
1. Strongly disagree 0 :
2. Disagree 2 : **
3. Neutral 6 : ******
4. Agree 17 : ***************** [3.8 +/- 0.8]
5. Strongly agree 5 : *****

III.2 Flashcards helped me understand lectures better.
1. Strongly disagree 2 : **
2. Disagree 2 : **
3. Neutral 6 : ******
4. Agree 16 : **************** [3.6 +/- 1.1]
5. Strongly agree 4 : ****

III.3 I would recommend using flashcards in future semesters of Physics 205A.
1. Strongly disagree 1 : *
2. Disagree 1 : *
3. Neutral 5 : *****
4. Agree 17 : ***************** [3.9 +/- 0.9]
5. Strongly agree 6 : *******

III.4 I will avoid other classes using flashcards in future semesters.
1. Strongly disagree 11 : ***********
2. Disagree 12 : ************ [1.9 +/- 2.1]
3. Neutral 6 : ******
4. Agree 0 :
5. Strongly agree 1 : *

III.5 Flashcards were a positive experience.
1. Strongly disagree 1 : *
2. Disagree 1 : *
3. Neutral 3 : ***
4. Agree 20 : ******************** [3.9 +/- 0.8]
5. Strongly agree 5 :*****

III.6 Too much time in class was spent using flashcards.
1. Strongly disagree 2 : **
2. Disagree 14 : ************** [2.7 +/- 1.2]
3. Neutral 8 : ********
4. Agree 2 : **
5. Strongly agree 4 : ****

III.7 Too many flashcard questions were asked.
1. Strongly disagree 4 : ****
2. Disagree 17 : ***************** [2.3 +/- 1.0]
3. Neutral 6 : ******
4. Agree 3 : ***
5. Strongly agree 0 :

III.8 Using flashcards was difficult.
1. Strongly disagree 16 : **************** [1.5 +/- 2.9]
2. Disagree 14 : **************
3. Neutral 0 :
4. Agree 0 :
5. Strongly agree 0 :

IV. (Optional.) Please type in any comments you may have regarding
the use of flashcards in Physics 205A.
The following are all of the student responses to this question, verbatim and unedited.
"I Think The Flashcard System Is A Perfect Way To Get Introduced To And Move On To The Clickers."

"I liked the use of flash cards, besause they gave the instructor a good idea of where the class stood in understanding the material. as far the cards helping me understand the material that we were covering in class, well the flash cards weren't bad, but i would have liked the instructor to do more examples and demonstrations, not to mention explanations on the board."

"I thought using flash cards was very helpful. I think I need to spend more time doing the book problems and getting the anwsers to the clicker questions. Now I know what to look for through the class link."

"The flashcards are a great idea for interactive learning, however they did not influence the amount of content learned."

"The use of flashcards is helpful and good to use as a reenforcement of the lecture. However i think i personally need more lecture and explanations and problems thoroughly worked out and less flashcards rather than the majority of class being flashcards."

"Flashcards make me feel smart because i usually get the answers right. So, it makes class more rewarding for me"

"I've never had a class where the teacher lectured with clicker questions and flashcards. Maybe it will take me awhile to get used to it. I do feel as though I learn the most when I am doing the clicker questions and studying the textbook. I learn more when I study alone. I apologize for being harsh."

"Overall I understand why a teacher would use flashcards/clickers. It encourages students to listen, stay awake, talk to other students, ask questions from other students, etc., which is all positive. I personally can only learn when I see the problem completely worked out and would love to see more problems worked out on the board step by step. Even showing basic steps... This is how I process the best, but overall I enjoy the flashcards/clickers."

"flashcards and discussion with students is helpful, yet difficult for the shy"

"I think using flashcards is a great idea because it helps you to see if the class really understands a concept."

"I think that they are a great way to get everyone involved in the lecture"

"The flashcards seem to be the focus of this class, I was hoping for more lecture and explanation of the material we should be learning, during class time. A vast majority of my learning so far has been from reading the text. This is just a very different style of learning and teaching and I am going to do my best to adjust. I realize that most of the students seem to be more advanced in their math and this is where I need to freshen up."

"Overall I really like concept of flashcards and clickers to allow the teacher to get a general idea that the class is following the lecture and understands the material. However, I dislike using them so frequently, and would appreciate more actual lecture; you have to reach all types of learners."

"The flashcard use in this class, I believe, is very good. It kicks participation up 100%. In a standard lecture, maybe a few people are called on, but using flashcards gets everyone involved."

"The use of flashcards were fine so long as they don't distract from the overall lesson of the class session."

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