Using an Inquiry-Based Approach in an Introductory Mathematics Course: Student Perceptions and Outcomes
Abstract
For decades STEM education experts have recommended a shift from traditional lecture based instruction toward more student-centered methods in which students take responsibility for their own learning through problem solving. But are today’s college students receptive to such a break from tradition? In this session, the presenter will discuss results from the first year of a two-year quasi-experimental study funded by the Educational Advancement Foundation to compare the effects of using a student-centered approach with very little direct instruction to a traditional lecture approach. A Likert-type survey was used to assess the students’ preferences for teaching style, and open-ended surveys and interviews were used to gather more detailed information on the students’ perceptions and attitudes. In addition, a pre-test and common final exam was used to compare achievement. The presenter will describe the specifics of the teaching approach and provide an overview of both the quantitative and qualitative results.
Location
Room 2002
Recommended Citation
Cooper, Thomas E., "Using an Inquiry-Based Approach in an Introductory Mathematics Course: Student Perceptions and Outcomes" (2014). SoTL Commons Conference. 91.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/sotlcommons/SoTL/2014/91
Using an Inquiry-Based Approach in an Introductory Mathematics Course: Student Perceptions and Outcomes
Room 2002
For decades STEM education experts have recommended a shift from traditional lecture based instruction toward more student-centered methods in which students take responsibility for their own learning through problem solving. But are today’s college students receptive to such a break from tradition? In this session, the presenter will discuss results from the first year of a two-year quasi-experimental study funded by the Educational Advancement Foundation to compare the effects of using a student-centered approach with very little direct instruction to a traditional lecture approach. A Likert-type survey was used to assess the students’ preferences for teaching style, and open-ended surveys and interviews were used to gather more detailed information on the students’ perceptions and attitudes. In addition, a pre-test and common final exam was used to compare achievement. The presenter will describe the specifics of the teaching approach and provide an overview of both the quantitative and qualitative results.
