Cyber Peer Led Team Learning (cPLTL) Taking the Classroom Experience Online Randy Newbrough &...
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Transcript of Cyber Peer Led Team Learning (cPLTL) Taking the Classroom Experience Online Randy Newbrough &...
Cyber Peer Led Team Learning (cPLTL)Taking the Classroom Experience Online
Randy Newbrough & Pratibha Varma-Nelson
Sloan-C 5th Annual International SymposiumEmerging Technologies for Online Learning
July 26, 2012
• What is PLTL?• Critical Components for Successful PLTL Programs• National Dissemination and Impact of PLTL• IUPUI’s PLTL Workshops• New Frontiers with Cyber PLTL (cPLTL)• Preliminary Findings on cPLTL’s Effectiveness• Future Directions for cPLTL Research
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Overview
Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL)Peer: A more experienced undergraduate student who has recently completed the course with a good grade.
Led: Refers to leadership. A leader is a guide to others. Goes through extensive training to assume this role.
Team: A group of 6-8 people who work together to achieve a common goal.
Learning: The goal of the team is to learn chemistry.
Course
• 2 - 3 hours of lecture per week
• 1.5 - 2 hours of PLTL workshop per week
• 3 hour lab facilitated by faculty and/or a TA
What is a PLTL Workshop?• 6-8 students
• Materials with problems slightly above the level of standard end-of-chapter questions and specifically designed for group work.
• A well-trained leader
• Compliment to the lecture
Gosser, D.K., M.S. Cracolice, J.A. Kampmeier, V. Roth, V. Strozak, and P. Varma-Nelson 2001 The Workshop Model: Peer Leadership and Learning. A Guidebook. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
3 Types of PLTL Implementations
PLTL workshop • replaces part of a lecture• replaces a TA led recitation• is an added component to the course
Critical Components for a Successful Workshop Program
• Integral part of the course• Challenging materials (no answer keys)• Trained and closely supervised leaders • Supportive faculty• Appropriate physical arrangement • Supportive Administration
Gafney “Evaluation of PLTL, Peer-Led Team Learning: A Guidebook. Eds Gosser, D., Cracolice, M., Kampmeier, J., Roth, V., Strozak, V., Varma-Nelson, P. (2001). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
City College of New York, (1-2), St. Xavier Chicago, (3), U. of Pittsburgh (4), Penn State Schuykill, (5), U. of Kentucky (6), U. of Ohio Athens (7), U. of Miami Ohio (8), U. of Rochester, Org (9), U. of West Georgia (10), and NYC Technical (11).
12-15 (Independent studies)
Blue = Non PLTL Red = PLTL
Non-PLTL vs. PLTL
Tien, Roth, Kampmeier J. Res. Sci. Teaching (2002) U. Rochester Organic Chemistry Blue = Non PLTL Red = PLTL
Student Breakdown
Impact of PLTL on Students at IUPUI
1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 20080
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
C105 DFW: Fall Semesters
No Workshop
Workshop
Year
Per
cen
t W
ith
dra
wal
Disciplines Using PLTL• General Chemistry• Organic Chemistry• Biochemistry• Biology• Psychology• Mathematics• Computer Science
Next Step: Moving Online• cPLTL• Replicate F2F workshop experience• Partner Institutions• Scalability
Students Concerns• Xournal (third party software) caused crashes• Stopped saving information/lost information• Network failures• Wireless connection caused problems• People talking at the same time-maybe more a
problem with audio delay• Sometimes difficult to hear• White board (from Adobe Connect) was sometimes
a problem
Activities in PLTL Workshops• Brainstorming• Round robin• Problem Solving in pairs• Subgroups• Concept maps• Reflecting on problem solving• Reflecting in change of understanding• Using molecular models
Why cyber PLTL (cPLTL)?Untapped opportunities• HS-University • Community College-University • Non-traditional and working students• Allows new ways to capture data for discourse
analysis and do research on how students learn in this environment
• Understand leader styles-useful for peer leader training
Leader quotes“The model is the same, but the way it is done is different; online you can’t pick up on body language cues like you can in face-to-face. Face-to-face also provides a better gauge of exactly what’s going on because you can see more what the students are doing. Students are a lot more willing to write things down in face-to-face, but think more deeply about what they write in cPLTL.”
Leader quotes
“The same amount gets accomplished, but differently; cPLTL gets fewer problems done but more in depth. cPLTL requires choosing which problems are more attainable. Both an advantage and disadvantage of cPLTL is students having to walk other students through their work rather than just show them.”
Leader quotes• “Running a cPLTL workshop is initially draining and
nerve wracking because of all the voices and it’s hard to pick out what each person is saying.” [Not much of a problem now-addressed in training]
• “cPLTL is a success. This last week I had a student in Florida…attend my class without any problem. [S]uccess! I was actually pretty amazed that it went off without a hitch.”
Students Comments• “Communicated effectively with other students”• Convenience• No commuting• Liked being able to share work• Easier to communicate• Leader most positive aspect
61.49 62.79
0102030405060708090
100
Percentage Correct
PLTL
cPLTL
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ACS First Semester General Chemistry Exam
Across 5 Semesters
No statistically significant difference in ACS Scores
(n = 111)
(n = 121)
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End-of-Course GradesNo statistically significant difference in course grades
Across 5 Semesters
(n = 121) (n = 111)
Advantages of cPLTL• Referred to information in the lecture, electronic
course notes and materials posted in Oncourse• Used internet easily to access resources to define,
support and refute conclusions• Easily shared their work and resources with the
entire group• Used other interactive tools such as Skype to report
problems• Talking more about content online
Next Step: Partnering and Expansion• Florida International University• Purdue University• Expansion of cPLTL sections at IUPUI• Conducted 1st cPLTL National Adoption Workshop
PartnersNancy PelaezBiology, Purdue UniversitySpring 2012Blackboard and Adobe Connect
Thomas Pitzer Biology, Florida International UniversityFall 2011Moodle and Adobe Connect
• Finished the sixth semester at IUPUI• 329 students have participated• 25 leaders have led cPLTL workshops• 24 General Chemistry sections at IUPUI• 10 Biology sections at Purdue University• 16 Biology sections at Florida International
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Current Status
cPLTL Interdisciplinary Research Group• John Sours, Undergraduate, Chemistry• Kevin Mauser, Graduate student, BME• Gina Ammerman, Graduate Student, Chemistry• Juliana Banks, Postdoc• Lin Zhu, Lecturer, Chemistry• Lorie Shuck, IT Staff, CTL• Tom Janke, IT Staff, CTL• Randy Newbrough, IT Staff, CTL• Joshua Smith, Associate Prof, Education• Donald Wink, Evaluator• Pratibha Varma-Nelson, PI
Acknowledgments• Peer Leaders• PLTL Project Partners• NSF-DUE-0941978• NGLC Wave I• [email protected]