Facilitating Active
Learning in the
Lecture Theatre
Simon Lancaster (CHE)
@S_J_Lancaster
Stro
ngly A
gree
Agree
Neutra
l
Disagr
ee
Stro
ngly D
isagr
ee
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Elvis Presley was charismatic?
A. Strongly Agree
B. Agree
C. Neutral
D. Disagree
E. Strongly Disagree
More than anecdotal evidence
Scott Freeman, Sarah L. Eddy, Miles McDonough,
Michelle K. Smith, Nnadozie Okoroafor, Hannah Jordt,
and Mary Pat Wenderoth Active learning increases
student performance in science, engineering, and
mathematics Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences 2014, 111, 8410–8415.
Active learning disproportionately benefits students
likely to fail.
Average difference reported was +6%.
Inexperienced academics practising active learning
pedagogies are more effective than experienced
colleagues delivering classic (passive) lectures.
A pragmatic progression
Lecture Capture
Vignettes
Student Production
Lecture Flipping
Peer Instruction
Student sourcing
‘Screencasting versus Lecture
capture’?
A screencast is a recording of the evolving image on the
screen during a presentation synchronised with the
speaker’s audio narration.
We use Camtasia Studio but other solutions are available.
Total lecture capture requires intelligent camerawork…
Which of these do you regard as pros of
screencasting / lecture capture?
A. Learning aid
B. Revision aid
C. Illness contingency
D. Self observation
E. Recording ‘quality
control’
Learn
ing a
id
Revision a
id
Illness
contin
gency
Self obse
rvatio
n
Record
ing ‘q
uality
contro
l’
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Which of these do you regard as cons of
screencasting / lecture capture?
A. Additional equipment
B. Revision aid
C. Discourages lecture
attendance?
D. Discourages note
taking?
E. Takes too long
F. Loss of interactivity
G. Absence of charisma
Additional e
quipm
ent
Revision a
id
Discoura
ges l
ecture
att.
..
Discoura
ges n
ote ta
king?
Takes too lo
ng
Loss
of i
ntera
ctiv
ity
Absence
of c
harism
a
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Addressing some of drawbacks of
Screencasts: Vignettes We use the term
‘vignette’ to refer
to a short segment
of a screencast,
covering a critical
concept, which
may be augmented
by an interactive
component
introduced during
the editing
process.
Student comments on Faculty
Authored Vignettes
“Staff vignettes are great revision tools because they are recorded well and the information is clear and concise!”
“Good revision tool because if you haven't completely understood something in the lecture or when revising then you can go to that place in the vignette and listen to the explanation again!”
“All lecturers should do it”
“Would be more effective if lectures were recorded as vignettes that are only 5 minutes long”
Why do you ask your students to prepare and
present presentations?
A. …
B. …
C. …
D. …
E. …
… … … … …
20% 20% 20%20%20%
Flipping roles:
Student Authored Vignettes
1. The students are paired and allocated a
revision topic.
2. Each student pair prepares a presentation to
be critiqued by their peers and instructors.
3. Each pair delivers a presentation to their
peers and the session is captured using
Camtasia Studio.
4. Each student pair creates a vignette from
their screencast or a subsequent recording.
5. The student authored vignettes are published
online to be used as a revision tool.
Mid
Febru
ary
Mid
Marc
h
Mid
April
Mid
May
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When was the exam?A. Mid February
B. Mid March
C. Mid April
D. Mid May
No experience made preparation difficult
Students don’t have a lot of time to do it. Takes longer
than actual Powerpoint
Need more Camtasia experience/easier software
Very good revision tool if a lot of effort is put into
producing it
Quality may differ and affect revision – can’t rely on
them
Student Evaluation
Thought about information in a different way when
preparing interactive questions
You can add more to existing presentation which is good
Made you go over material you might have forgotten
Had lecture notes and additional material (narration)
Highlights key areas
Student Evaluation
What would you like to do to improve
learning?1. Increase interactivity
2. Confront misconceptions
3. Incentivise private study
4. Facilitate thought
Incr
ease in
tera
ctiv
ity
Confront m
isconce
ptions
Ince
ntivise
priv
ate st
udy
Facil
itate
though
t
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Our model of lecture flipping
Students are strongly encouraged to watch a screencast
recording of the (previous year’s) lecture the flipped
lecture is replacing.
They attend the timetabled teaching slot and are
engaged in as interactive and as ‘challenging’ a session
as the ‘lecturer’ can muster using every audience
participation device at their disposal.
Which are genuine student evaluation
comments?1. A lot of the descriptive chemistry was very dry and essentially boring. It is hard
to teach this kind of material but the 'flipped lectures' seemed to combat this.
2. I appreciated Dr Lancaster's efforts to make the lectures interesting and
engaging in a modern way. The 'flipped' lectures were very successful.
3. I really enjoyed the flipped lectures and find that revising that material is
much easier.
4. The flipped-lectures are a definite step in the right direction, away from
archaic lectures with little or no mental stimulus, towards a more interactive
learning experience that maximises learning outcome!
5. They were good fun as it was nice to have interaction with the lecture as
opposed to just being talked at, it was also nice having knowledge of what you
were talking about as we had already gone through the material!
6. I think the flipped lectures were a really good idea because it was a more
interactive way to engage students into learning, rather than the repetitive
routine of having to listen to the lecturer work through a PowerPoint
presentation for an hour.
When we shed body fat, most of the weight
exits the body through
1. Perspiration
2. Defecation
3. Exhalation
4. Urination
Perspira
tion
Defeca
tion
Exhalat
ion
Urinatio
n
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Which one of the three little pigs built
the most environmentally sustainable
house?
A. First little pig (straw)
B. Second little pig (wood)
C. Third little pig (brick)
Firs
t litt
le p
ig (s
traw
)
Seco
nd littl
e pig
(wood)
Third
little
pig
(bric
k)
0% 0%0%
Student Sourcing Questions?
Be open to student suggestions
Encourage students to submit questions
for use within flipped sessions
Use Peerwise to structure, screen and
select questions in the sweet spot for
peer instruction
Seek answers from students and even
draft new questions ‘on the hoof’
Conclusions Suggestions
Ask what you are adding by expecting your students
to attend.
Can you reduce your content sufficiently to allow
enough interaction?
Can you ever have enough interaction?
If you can’t then flip.
Start small but commit fully.
Question everything, especially the questions.
Try Peer Instruction… or just skip straight to PBL.
Seek (possible) answers from the floor.
Relinquish as much control as possible and enjoy the
ride.
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