Effective Learning Strategies Proposal

1. STUDENT PREPARATION AND PARTICIPATION ARE THE KEYS TO STUDENT SUCCESSBambi Hora, University of Central Oklahoma Mary F. Sheets, University of Central OklahomaKatherene P. Terrell, University of Central Oklahoma Robert L. Terrell, University of Central Oklahoma • The Learning Process • Most students do not understand the learning process. Some possess great learning capabilities, but most do not. Some learners are quite disciplined, but do not study effectively or efficiently. Many have little motivation to master subjects that they consider to be “irrelevant.” • All people learn through three senses – the pathways of learning: • Auditory – forms the basis for “lectures” • Visual – appeals to the “video” generation • Kinesthetic – relies on the sense of touch • What students do not know is the power of combining the three pathways to learning and how well the combination of these methods improves the effectiveness and efficiency of their efforts. • Professors should encourage students to use all their senses in the learning process. Multi-sensory classroom presentations encourage active learning and student engagement. Mastery of the subject matter requires 5 to 15 introductions of the material. Most students believe that 2 or 3 reviews of the information complete the learning cycle. • Strategies That Did Not Work • Participation points - Awarding points for specific class participation appears to be symptomatic of the millennia generation who are unwilling to risk a wrong answer. Repeated efforts to allay their fears failed. • Games and puzzles - Introducing games and puzzles to improve critical thinking and problem solving skills did not improve students’ willingness to study. It did, however, introduce students to such activity which may improve their general critical thinking skills. • Student access to solutions manuals - Schools have different philosophies on the students’ use of solutions manuals. Practice at solving problems and creating decision models teaches students to have confidence in their own abilities to analyze and think. Current students appear to value right answers more than how to develop intelligent solutions. We believe that providing solution manuals and not requiring problem solving in accounting classes perpetuates a low-level grasp of accounting concepts. Feedback from employers convinces us this is true. Effective Learning Strategies Proposal No matter how phenomenal the professor, student success depends on students’ preparation before class, because great teaching is helping students to learn. Active learners also learn more rapidly and retain information for longer periods of time than passive learners. Most students will prepare and participate only to the extent that the professor demands it. Successful teachers share common traits of requiring students to prepare for class and offering them opportunities to actively engage in the learning process. Participative learning leads to intellectual empowerment and helps students develop a commitment to lifelong learning. The authors have dedicated themselves to the pursuit of active learning and student engagement. Their experience indicates that interactive education produces more adept analytical thinkers with better developed interpersonal skills. In this pursuit they have developed a tool set to promote student preparedness, active participation, collaborative learning, student engagement, and service learning. • Strategies That Worked • Note cards • Daily quizzes • Group problem presentation • Group annual report projects • Web-CT quizzes • Group testing and pretests

2. Note Cards • The Rationale: • Most students come to the university with very poor study habits. Many have haphazard critical thinking skills. Few understand the concept of disciplined study. Teaching students to clarify their thoughts, to internalize conceptual understanding, and learn to analyze, synthesize and evaluate advanced concepts becomes easier with simple, old-fashioned, hand-written note cards. • The Procedure: • First, create a hook to get students to buy into the concept of all the “extra work” involved in making note cards. Hooks that work include: • Give extra credit points for preparing appropriate hand-written note cards. Why hand written? Writing by hand provides kinesthetic learning because it imprints on the brain and reinforces both visual and auditory learning. Typing does not have the same brain effect. • Allow students to use the note cards on quizzes or examinations in lower level classes. This is especially helpful in highly technical classes with application based tests. • Do not allow students to use note cards on tests but have them turn in the cards to the professor at the test to receive their extra credit. Should the professor allow students to use the note cards on one isolated test, it is amazing how they learn what they failed to find important enough to include in their note cards. • Make sure to teach students how to “internalize” concepts by deconstructing its meaning and condensing the information into a few words or simple mathematical formulas. • Most students want to cram lots of information on one card. Teach them to use color and write only small amounts of data or concepts on each card in large letters and numbers. This improves their visual learning and helps put the learning in long-term memory. • The Benefits: • Grades improve from the preparation and deliberate study efforts in preparing cards. • The note card method helps students organize their thoughts and become more effective with their study time. • When students master the note card study habit, they find that their study time becomes more efficient. • Once students become proficient in the preparation and study of the note cards, many do not refer to them on tests. • Some students become note card enthusiasts and use this technique in all their major courses. Daily Quizzes The Procedure: At the beginning of each class, give a 5-10 point quiz over material to be covered during that class period. The professor can use paper and pencil, “clicker” technology, or on-line quick quizzes that take only 5 minutes. The professor should go over the results immediately after the quiz to reinforce the learning. Make the points count enough to require students to perform well on them. Daily quizzes can count up to 10-15 percent of the total grade. Use a variety of types of questions for daily quizzes. Use true-or-false, multiple-choice, identification, matching, or short problems to vary the output. If the professor uses types of objective questions not used in regular examinations, it lessens the risk that a student will fail who has difficulty with one particular type of testing activity. The Benefits: To do well in this endeavor, students must prepare for class and read the material. Students invest time in studying for the quizzes, which is one more introduction to the learning. The student receives immediate feedback that either empowers the learning or gives a clear signal that the current effort is insufficient. • Group Homework Presentation • The Procedure: • Each student participates in a group that remains the same all semester. • Each student prepares homework assignments before class individually or with group members. The professor assesses a penalty for repeated unpreparedness as evaluated and documented by group members. • The professor assigns each group a problem to present at the beginning of the class period. • Student groups have 5-10 minutes to prepare the assigned problem for presentation, to discuss which answer to present, and to decide how to explain the answer. • The group presents the assigned problem. Class members may ask questions which the group must answer. The questions must raise a specific objection to the presentation. • The Benefits: • Group presentations provide incentive for preparing homework and learning from other class members. A side benefit arises because students frequently form study groups that enhance the learning process in the current class that continues into subsequent semesters. Group Annual Report Projects The Procedure: Students select or are assigned a group of 3-5 people. The group chooses a company of interest for investment or employment. Following curricular requirements, students analyze the company throughout the semester and prepare a formal report and group presentation. The Benefits: Students believe they have more control over what they study, which makes them more interested in learning the course concepts. This helps today’s students find more relevance in their coursework with real world application. Note: This has been used successfully in both an introductory accounting course, and a governmental/ not-for-profit accounting course. • Group Testing and Pre-tests • The Procedures: • Students are assigned (or select) a group for the semester. Reading level tests cover units of 2 to 4 chapters, prior to the coverage of material in class. The testing process consists of students • taking the test as an individual and handing in the scantron • immediately retaking the test with the entire group and handing in a group scantron • Students may use their books during these tests. The professor reviews the exam answers following the group exam providing timely feedback. • Each class determines the weighting of the individual and group scores. Examples include 50/50 and 0/100. Group members must score a passing percentage of the group score in order to receive group score credit to minimize the free rider problem. • The Benefits: • Students must read the material before it is covered in class. The testing process allows them to benefit from group interaction and reinforcement from other group members. Students have some control over their learning and grading environment and complaints about grading decrease. WebCT Online Quizzes Option 1: Chapter Quizzes Students must read chapter prior to day it will be discussed in class. Students login to WebCT and take a five or ten question reading quiz. The quiz shuts down at class time, so students must do it before class begins. The Benefits: Because students read the chapter prior to class, each may identify questions about the material prior to class and the online quiz does not use valuable class time. Option 2: Article Quizzes The Professor assigns current Wall Street Journal articles about topics in the course. Students must take an online quiz on the article within a 48-hour window. The Benefits: Students incorporate current topics into their studies, see real world examples of the subject, and make their study time more relevant.