getting real about the impact of digital resources on learning (288383302)

8/20/2019 Getting Real About the Impact of Digital Resources on Learning (288383302)

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Getting Real about the Impact of

Digital Resources on Learning

Julie Evans, Project Tomorrow, @JulieEvans_PT



“I think that students who used the (digital tool)

and performed well with the digital assignments

had a deeper understanding of the material.They did better on the class exams, engaged

more readily in class discussions, and had

interesting ideas about the topics.”

- Psychology Instructor



Today’s Discussion Topics:

About Project Tomorrow

Our research studies on digital resources

What we learned

More information

Your questions




Programs:

• Research & efficacy studies

• STEM education programs

• Advocacy for digital learning within

K-12 and higher education sectors

Internat ionally recogn ized education nonpro f i t organizat ion

www.tomorrow.org




Eff icacy Studies w ith in higher educat ion

o 7 separate mixed methods studies with 168 institutions

o Variety of institutions – public R1, private, communitycolleges, trade schools

o 185 instructors, 6,800 students

o

2/3rds of students rate their tech skills as averageo Partnership with Cengage Learning





o Variety of content discipline areas:• Business Law

• Chemistry• Computer Applications

• Developmental Math

• Psychology

o Variety of digital resources and Cengage products:• E-books• Homework support tools

• Student organizers

• Online curriculum

• Project based learning tools

• Supplemental digital content





o Standard methodology used in each study:

• Mixed methods with control and treatment groups• Pre and post surveys

• Student focus groups

• Instructor interviews

• Grades, test scores, homework grades• Other assessment measures

• Published study reports





o Key research question within each study:

What is the impact of the use of digital

tools, content and resources on the

learning experience?



5 key student outcomes that define the

impact of digital tools, content and

resources on the learning experience

What we learned



5 key student outcomes:

Increased engagement in content

Extension of learning process beyond

classroom

Development of workplace skills

Scaffolding for self-directed learning

Stronger self-efficacy for course success






classroom






1. Increased engagement in content

oHow do instructors evaluate student engagement?

New engagement metr ics:

Quality of student work

Percentage of assignments completed

Class participation and attendance

Timeliness of assignment completions

In class attentiveness

Evidence of use of digital materials




o Students’ perceptions on what would negatively

impact their course performance

Understand ing the relationsh ip between

performance and course work

Not understanding key concepts

Falling behind in course work

Doing poorly on tests, quizzes – not being well

prepared for those exams

Not doing homework *




“(Digital tool) provided a way to track study

and homework. Without this tool, some

students would skip doing their homework and

earn lower grades. In my class, the digital

tools worked to improve student learning and

raise student quiz and exam grades overall.”

Business Law Instructor




“The (digital content) within this course has

given me a personalized level of content and

helped me with my studying. It improved mycourse experience.”

StudentStudy within Psychology Courses - 2012



Double bottom line benefits

“Ensures that students get instant feedback

on whether they are solving problems

correctly or not. It gives them the practicethey need to be successful while saving the

instructor the burden of thousands of hours of

unnecessary grading work.”

Development Math Instructor



Increased engagement

Increased usage ofdigital content

Increased reported benefits

Better achievement results

The new engagement outcomes



2. Extension of learning process

Sample sequence of student behavior in a course

with a digi tal support too l :

Attend lectureRead textbook (digital or print)

Take pre-test to self-assess knowledge

Review personalized study plan

Do homework assignmentReview feedback

Attack areas where remediation is needed

Prepare for class discussion

Changes in student learning behavior – new paradigms




“(Digital tool) was very beneficial to me

because it made me sit down and slow down

my studying to really focus on what I was

learning. It increased my grade by creating

good study habits as well as learning the

material.”

Student

Study within Psychology courses - 2012




0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

Go to class more

Better grades

Increased engagement

Better comprehension

Extends learning

Reinforces learning

Average Tech User Nontrad'l Comm College Females

Study within Computer Applications courses - 2014

Variations in how cohorts of students approach digital

learning benefits




“(Digital tool) was a great way to learn outside ofthe classroom. When a student does homework

from a textbook there’s no instant feedback to

help guide them or explain their mistakes which

means waiting to talk to a professor or waiting

until the next class to follow up.” Student

Study within Chemistry courses - 2013






classroom






3. Development of workplace skills

Students identified workplace skills mostimportant to their future success:

Critical thinking skills

Problem-solving skills

Verbal communications

Leadership skills

Written communications

Computing skills



3. Development of workplace skills

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

All treatment students

Male

Female

Traditional

Non-traditional

Face-to-face Class

Online Class

Average/Beg Tech

Advanced Tech

Agree Strongly Agree

“Digital solutions help me develop critical thinking skills “

Study within Business Law courses - 2014






classroom






4. Scaffolding for self-directed learning

What types of self-directed learning isenabled by digital tools?

Students say:

o Practice

o Remediation

o

Tracking progress




Students: how often do you complete practice problems

using a digital homework tool when those problems are

not graded or assigned?

Always/Often 27%

Sometimes 44%Rarely 14%

Never 12%

I was able to learn outs ide of the classroom at my

own pace – 75% of s tudents agreed

Study within Developmental Math courses - 2013




“It was valuable when it came to exams.

Taking the online quizzes, using the glossary,

and using the flashcards helped me to learn the

materials much more and better prepare for the

exam as a whole.”

Student






42%

48%

7%

2% 1%

29%

44%

20%

3% 3%

Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agreenor Disagree

Disagree Strongly Disagree

Treatment Group Control Group

“I have the resources I need to be successful in this course.”





“I am able to track my progress during this course.”

32%

51%

11%

3%2%

20%

42%

22%

10%

3%

Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agreenor Disagree

Disagree Strongly Disagree

Treatment Group Control Group






classroom






5. Stronger self-efficacy for course success

58%

67%

68%

70%

44%

53%

56%

59%

Less anxiety

More motivated

More confident

Develop workplace skills

Control Treatment

Study within Business Law courses - 2014

Results of using digital content within learning



5. Stronger self-efficacy for course success

“The value of using the (digital resources) was

that it reinforced that material for me and

helped me locate my weakest areas.

Therefore, I was able to understand what I

needed to study more clearly before the test.”

Student






o Key research question within each study:

What is the impact of the use of digital

tools, content and resources on the

learning experience?



Review: 5 key student outcomes:



classroom






What we learned that can impact your p lans

2. For instructors to appreciate the value of digital

resources on student learning, instructors must

develop a personal value proposition with the tools

or content.

o Digital tools must demonstrate time savings for

most instructors to establish that value

proposition.



What we learned that can impact your p lans

3. Students’ expectations and aspirations for digital

learning are still evolving – and may surprise you.

o Higher education leaders and instructors need to

appreciate that students’ ideas should be a keycomponent of digital learning planning today.




Addi t ional informat ion and access to repor ts

f rom these eff icacy s tud ies

http://blog.cengage.com/cengage-learning-white-papers/

http://www.tomorrow.org/publications/publications.html

Want this presentation?

Sure, contact me at [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



Your questions, comments, ideas



Thank you for the discussion today!

Julie Evans [email protected]

949-609-4660 x15Twitter: JulieEvans_PT

Copyright Project Tomorrow 2015

This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted

for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes,

provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced

materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the

author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written

permission from the author.



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