This paper demonstrates the value of an innovative test preparation strategy, applied over multiple semesters to one principles of macroeconomics class. The professor makes a video of himself taking a copy of the test students are preparing for, talking aloud about how to think about the question and work through the solution. A natural experiment occurred one semester when the professor was unable to provide the think-aloud preparation video, but other, standard preparation materials were in place. It is demonstrated that students increase their scores on other questions in the same modules by an average of 7.6 percentage points with think-aloud videos. Think aloud interventions are shown to be an effective tool to enhance student content learning.
Tag: flipped classroom
An Engaging, Yet Failed Flip
The flipped classroom is growing significantly as a model of learning in higher education. However, there are ample problems with the research on flipped classrooms, including where success is often defined by student perceptions and a lack of consistent, empirical research supporting improved academic learning. This quasi-experimental study describes a semester-long comparison of two of the same courses taught by the same instructor utilizing a primarily didactic lecture approach and a flipped classroom approach. The experiment found results in which students in the didactic lecture class had significantly higher end-of-course scores than those in the flipped classroom; however, with regards to a document-based analytic essay question there was no statistically significant difference.