Dataset Information

The doctrine of normal tendency in active learning teaching methodology: investigations into probability distributions and averages.

ABSTRACT: Traditional lecture and active learning methods of teaching a university course are compared. The particular course is university calculus. The lecture method was applied to two sections of calculus. The active learning method was applied to two other sections. In all cases students were given an examination near the beginning of the course and a final examination at the end of the course. The score averages for the active learning method were higher than for the lecture method. The distribution of scores for the lecture method were non-normal multimodal in the first and final examinations. The distribution for the active learning method went from non-normal multimodal in the first examination to unimodal normal in the final examination. A new undeceivable nature evidence-based method is presented for measuring teaching efficacy by probability distribution.

Supplementary information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43545-021-00154-1.

SUBMITTER: Ridley D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8164912 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

The doctrine of normal tendency in active learning teaching methodology: investigations into probability distributions and averages.

Ridley Dennis D Ngnepieba Pierre P de Silva Aryanne A

SN social sciences 20210531 6

Traditional lecture and active learning methods of teaching a university course are compared. The particular course is university calculus. The lecture method was applied to two sections of calculus. The active learning method was applied to two other sections. In all cases students were given an examination near the beginning of the course and a final examination at the end of the course. The score averages for the active learning method were higher than for the lecture method. The distribution ...[more]

PMID: 34693323

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundVarious evidence-based and student-centered strategies such as team-based learning (TBL), case-based learning (CBL), and flipped classroom have been recently applied to anatomy education and have shown to improve student engagement and interaction. These strategies shift the focus of teaching from knowledge transmission to knowledge construction by students and encourage the use of tasks. This study discusses the use of an active and engaging learning strategy to teach the musculoskeletal system to Year 1 MBBS students (Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados) and examines the correlation between assessment modalities and student performance.MethodsThe "Active and Engaging Learning Strategy" was used to assess student learning in the form of oral presentations. Students had presentations on muscle attachments, muscle actions, blood and nerve supply, and applied anatomy of the limb musculature. Questions on the limbs (Locomotor System) were included in pre and post-presentation spotters, in-course assessments, and final examinations. Percentages, paired t-test, independent sample t-test, and zero-order correlations were performed to confirm the results for the different objectives of the study.ResultsThe main modes of presentation chosen were poems (37.1%), followed by stories (21.2%), songs (11.4%), and skits (10.6%). The majority of students (84%) found the strategies beneficial and recommended such sessions for future cohorts (92%). Students achieved significantly better scores in post-presentation spotters (p < 0.01) and the marks of in-course and final examinations also showed significant improvement (p < 0.01).ConclusionOur study highlighted that the active and engaging learning strategy can be used as an effective learning tool in anatomy. Students were proactive in preparing the muscle presentations by utilizing their own creativity, curiosity, and intelligence. Further studies should be conducted using randomized controlled trials to assess the effectiveness of various learning strategies which could open a new door to medical education.

Project description:The increasing use of information technology in the discovery of new molecular entities encourages the use of modern molecular-modeling tools to help teach important concepts of drug design to chemistry and pharmacy undergraduate students. In particular, statistical models such as quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR)-often as its 3D QSAR variant-are commonly used in the development and optimization of a leading compound. We describe how these drug discovery methods can be taught and learned by means of free and open-source web applications, specifically the online platform www.3d-qsar.com. This new suite of web applications has been integrated into a drug design teaching course, one that provides both theoretical and practical perspectives. We include the teaching protocol by which pharmaceutical biotechnology master students at Pharmacy Faculty of Sapienza Rome University are introduced to drug design. Starting with a choice among recent articles describing the potencies of a series of molecules tested against a biological target, each student is expected to build a 3D QSAR ligand-based model from their chosen publication, proceeding as follows: creating the initial data set (Py-MolEdit); generating the global minimum conformations (Py-ConfSearch); proposing a promising mutual alignment (Py-Align); and finally, building, and optimizing a robust 3D QSAR models (Py-CoMFA). These student activities also help validate these new molecular modeling tools, especially for their usability by inexperienced hands. To more fully demonstrate the effectiveness of this protocol and its tools, we include the work performed by four of these students (four of the coauthors), detailing the satisfactory 3D QSAR models they obtained. Such scientifically complete experiences by undergraduates, made possible by the efficiency of the 3D QSAR methodology, provide exposure to computational tools in the same spirit as traditional laboratory exercises. With the obsolescence of the classic Comparative Molecular Field Analysis Sybyl host, the 3dqsar web portal offers one of the few available means of performing this well-established 3D QSAR method.

Dataset Information

The doctrine of normal tendency in active learning teaching methodology: investigations into probability distributions and averages.

Supplementary information

Publications

The doctrine of normal tendency in active learning teaching methodology: investigations into probability distributions and averages.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets