Assessing Implementation of Collaborative Learning Strategies

Harvard University, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

In recent years, problems in American science education, from elementary schools to universities, have been widely publicized and have aroused great concern. It has been repeatedly established that students often fail to master key concepts under the lecture approach that is commonly used in high school and undergraduate science courses. Some progress has been made in developing alternative pedagogies based on more active forms of learning, which are more effective in producing student learning. However, such pedagogies are still not widespread. A number of strategies have been developed to improve the teaching of introductory science courses, several of which can be used in a variety of disciplines, and extensive assessment has demonstrated the effectiveness of these strategies. Over the past ten years, Peer Instruction has been established as one effective way to improve student learning in undergraduate science courses by including collaborative exercises within the context of traditional lectures. Peer Instruction is presently used by hundreds of instructors around the world, and the majority of those instructors testify to its effectiveness and ease of implementation. The goal of this project is to assess the effectiveness of Peer Instruction at a variety of institutions and to determine the implementation factors that contribute to its success. The results will improve understanding of what makes Peer Instruction work and, thus, allow for more effective implementation of Peer Instruction. In addition, the work serves to increase the body of research on collaborative learning and to stimulate additional faculty to begin using collaborative teaching methods such as Peer Instruction. Assessment tools are being developed and enhanced to efficiently assess student achievement on standard conceptual instruments. The project involves a number of collaborating faculty from across the country whose courses are participating in the focused study of Peer Instruction. The results will enable science faculty around the nation to teach more effectively with Peer Instruction. The results thus have the potential to impact not only the 50,000 students who are currently taught using Peer Instruction, but also the more than 150,000 students of faculty who have expressed interest in using Peer Instruction in their classes.