Impact of student engagement activities on student performance on a short assessment

Abstract Text: Cooperative learning techniques such as ‘Turn To Your Partner’ (TTYP) offer opportunities to engage an entire classroom while encouraging learners to think more deeply about a topic. A question is formulated to promote deeper understanding of a lecture concept.  Students are challenged to think about the question multiple times—individually, with a partner, and during classroom discussion where individuals are randomly held accountable for thinking. To assess the value of this activity on achievement in a challenging senior-level animal science class, 47 students were enrolled in a blinded study comparing the number of TTYP activities in a class period (0, 1 or 2) with student performance on a short 5-point quiz at the beginning of the following lecture period. The experiment was conducted twice during the semester, with each treatment (0, 1 or 2 TTYP) conducted during the first exam period (P1) and again during the second exam period (P2).  Only scores from students that were in attendance during both experimental and assessment lectures were included in analysis (n = 35 to 42 students).  Data were analyzed using the Mixed procedure of SAS, with the fixed effects of period and number of TTYP, and the random effect of student. There was a tendency for a TTYP × period interaction (P = 0.08) where during P1, 2 TTYP scores (3.47 ± 0.177) were greater (P = 0.004) than 0 TTYP scores (2.81 ± 0.183), and tended to be greater (P = 0.07) than 1 TTYP scores (3.05 ± 0.192). Scores between 0 TTYP and 1 TTYP did not differ (P = 0.30). However, during P2 there were no differences (P > 0.33) between scores for 0, 1 or 2 TTYP, (3.43 ± 0.187, 3.20 ± 0.191, and 3.38 ± 0.185, respectively). After the use of TTYP during P1, scores improved, possibly because material in this period is biochemistry-based and typically less interesting to students. However, by P2 the students may be more interested in the material and have a better understanding of expectations, such that TTYP number did not impact overall performance. This experiment suggests that utilizing simple techniques to engage learners during lecture may be beneficial to encourage participation early during the semester, as well as promote thinking during presentation of difficult material. Student evaluations at the end of the semester were overwhelmingly positive in response to both the TTYP exercises and the quiz assessments.

Keywords: student, cooperative learning, engagement