Biosensors Show Promise as a Measure of Student Engagement in a Large Introductory Biology Course

Autor/inn/en	McNeal, Karen S.; Zhong, Min; Soltis, Nick A.; Doukopoulos, Lindsay; Johnson, Elijah T.; Courtney, Stephanie; Alwan, Akilah; Porch, Mallory
Titel	Biosensors Show Promise as a Measure of Student Engagement in a Large Introductory Biology Course
Quelle	In: CBE - Life Sciences Education, 19 (2020) 4, Artikel 50 (10 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1931-7913
DOI	10.1187/cbe.19-08-0158
Schlagwörter	Measurement Equipment; Learner Engagement; Large Group Instruction; Science Instruction; Biology; Undergraduate Students; Lecture Method; Introductory Courses; Active Learning; Instructional Effectiveness; Outcomes of Education + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Messinstrument; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Biologie; Einführungskurs; Aktives Lernen; Unterrichtserfolg; Lernleistung; Schulerfolg
Abstract	This study measured student engagement in real time through the use of skin biosensors, specifically galvanic skin response (GSR), in a large undergraduate lecture classroom. The study was conducted during an intervention in an introductory-level biology course (N = 420) in which one section of the course was taught with active-learning approaches and the other with traditional didactic teaching. GSR results were aligned and correlated with the Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics], or COPUS, and student self-reflections on their own engagement. Results showed that the active-learning section spent more time working in groups, resulting in GSR measures that trended higher and self-reported engagement, while showing indications of higher content learning gains compared with the traditional lecture section. Comparisons between COPUS scores and GSR readings indicate that engagement increased during group work and decreased during listening activities. Throughout a class period, GSR activity of the active-learning group showed increased trends compared with baseline measures, while the traditional lecture group showed decreased trends. Results indicate that GSR is a promising measure of real-time student engagement in the undergraduate classroom, bringing a new technique to discipline-based education researchers who aim to better measure student engagement; however, some limitations exist for broad-scale implementation. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	American Society for Cell Biology. 8120 Woodmont Avenue Suite 750, Bethesda, MD 20814-2762. Tel: 301-347-9300; Fax: 301-347-9310; e-mail: ascbinfo@ascb.org; Website: http://www.ascb.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01