David Pundak 1,2, Orit Herscovitz 2, Miri Shacham 2 1. Kinneret College on the Sea of Galilee 2. ORT Braude College, Israel Meital Annual Conference, Open Univeristy, Israel 30 June

Active Learning Difficulties in Traditional Courses Students are passive most of the time Instructor cannot identify students’ difficulties Guiding students in a large class is difficult Students focus more on problem-solving techniques in the exam and less on understanding scientific principles. Course materials are quickly forgotten and do not serve as a base for advanced courses. 2

Active Learning: confronting traditional learning difficulties Rearranging course structure Combining lecture, recitation and lab Shortening lecture time to minutes Conducting discussions and providing feedback Activating students in groups Concept tests Problem solving Research relating to animations and simulations Students present their solutions in front of class Lecturer’s duties include: guiding groups of students, managing social aspects of the course, continuous evaluation, managing an active web site. 3

Active Instructors- a case study Developing learning materials over 3 years Ongoing experience of active learning over 4 years Group of active instructors included: 3 instructors in mathematics 3 instructors in physics 2 instructors in chemistry 4

Changes Experienced by Active Instructors Student-teacher's role “ The room structure allows much more flexibility to students. The room erases the borders between the provider of knowledge (teacher) and the receiver of knowledge (students), and creates a changeover between provider and receiver… “ Knowledge construction “ It is fascinating to see how students begin to construct knowledge, how this process develops during the course. This cannot be seen in any other mode of instruction. There is a sense that the students’ minds are transparent and we can see the way in which the knowledge is organized.” 5

Changes Experienced by Active Instructors (continued) Cooperative learning in small groups “ In regular classes it is actually impossible to provide personal guidance. In an active class, when I approach a group of students, all 3 or even 9 of them are involved. “ “ Group work contributes very much. The group is a supporting environment. “ 6

Research Background An improvement in students’ involvement and achievements following active instructors’ teaching. Other instructors in the academy expressed willingness to adopt elements of active learning. E-instructors’ need to encourage communication between E-learners. 7

8 Research Questions 1. What are the attitudes of the 'active instructors' toward active learning? 2. Is there any gap, and if so how large, between the attitudes of the 'active instructors' and the attitudes of the other FTF instructors in academic institutions regarding active learning? 3. Is there any gap, and if so how large, between the attitudes of the 'FTF instructors' and the attitudes of the E-Instructors regarding active learning?

No. of InstructorsGroup 8Active Instructors 153FTF - Instructors 56E-Instructors 217 Total 9 Research Population

Developing the research questionnaire 10 Questionnaire with 35 statements, divided into 6 areas. Respondents had to choose their approach from a scale of 1 (disagree) to 5 (agree) Active learning Instruction Traditional Instruction Instruction Area # Instruction and guidance of students are important No need to guide students Activation of a large class 1 Students’ involvement in class is essential Attending class is elective Students' Involvement 2 Students can study subjects from a syllabus independently All learning materials must be presented to students Students' independence 3

11 Developing the research questionnaire Part A - questionnaire with 35 statements, divided into 6 areas. Active learning Instruction Traditional Instruction Instruction Area # Students can present new scientific conjectures and ideas on their own Students are unable to build new scientific knowledge Students’ construction of knowledge 4 Finding a compromise between the learning program and students’ understanding of it It is important to teach the entire syllabus Completion syllabus vs. understanding 5 Instructor has to become acquainted with students’ learning difficulties and assist in solving them Instructor has to focus on his role as a provider of knowledge Instructor’s role 6

Research Results 12

Comparison between FTF, E and Active instructors (Kruskal-Wallis Test) Large class Involve- ment Indepen- dence Develop. Knowl- edge Quantity/ Under- standing Instructor's role Domain / Variable Ranking of FTF instructors Ranking of E-Instructors Ranking of 'active instructors' Chi squared 0.002< <0.001 Significance

Comparison between the Mean of FTF and E instructors (T Test) Large class Involve- ment Indepen- dence Develop. of knowledge Quantity/ Under- standing Function of Instruction Domain / Variable Mean of FTF instruction Mean of E- Instruction 0.52< Significance

Findings and Discussion Contrary to our assumption there are small differences between E-instructors and FTF instructors in their tendency toward active learning. The result could be explained by the instructors' tendency to maintain their traditional FTF teaching style even when they begin to teach virtual classes. In some cases economic constraints directed the institutions to develop e-learning courses, alongside the FTF courses.

Conclusions There is a large gap between "active instructors’” experience of success and how FTF and E-Instructors relate to this teaching method. The research tool developed can be used to locate potential active lecturers. It is advisable to expose FTF and E instructors to the advantages of active pedagogy without creating pressure or threatening. As a first step it is recommended to expose FTF and E- Instructors to active learning in large classes. Promoting active learning among FTF and E-Instructors may improve students’ satisfaction regarding their learning in academic institutions. 16

Recommendations Carefully check the uniqueness of success stories in active learning, while trying to adopt it. Expose lecturers FTF and E-Learning to theoretical background and to practical solutions in activating a large class. Adjust changes for each course and department and learning style. 17

Thank You Dr. David Pundak Ort Braude College Kinneret College on the See of Galille Israel 18