Session F2A INSTRUCTIONAL TOOLS FOR PROMOTING SELF ...

Session F2A INSTRUCTIONAL TOOLS FOR PROMOTING SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING SKILLS IN FRESHMEN Sharon Fellows1 , Richard Culver2 , Peter Ruggieri3 , William Beston4 Abstract - Over the past three years, faculty at Binghamton University and Broome Community College had studied the literature on self-directed learning and developed instructional activities to promote this vital skill in entering engineering students. This paper is a final report on this effort. It will describe the concept of self-directed learning and the learning tools we have developed for use in our entry level engineering programs. Our interest in self-directed learning arose, in part, from our conviction that distance learning will become more pervasive in the near future. To date, the primary use of distance learning has been with mature learners. As this approach to instruction moves into undergraduate programs, students will need to be more autonomous in order to survive the rigors of introductory courses in math and science without the support of classmates and instructor. The modules developed in this NSF-sponsored project are designed to promote these capabilities in our students. Some are online activities; others are designed for use in the classroom. All are designed to provide feedback to the students, which helps them assess their own skill development as they progress through the activity. This paper will describe how to design educational activities that not only teach the material, but also develop SDL capabilities in students.

RATIONALE AND BACKGROUND For the past three years, faculty at Binghamton University and Broome Community College have collaborated on the development of instructional modules to promote the skills in self-directed learning, SDL. Earlier reports on this work have given the details of the modules and their development.[1]-[3]. This paper will summarize our work and describe our findings in the use of these modules. The paper instruments developed as part of these modules are available at http://www.wtsn.binghamton.edu/betaco/inside. htm, and on a CD-Rom, which will be provided free upon request. The use of the modules was described in a workshop presented at the 2002 ASEE Annual Conference. While we could justify the development of SDL capabilities in students as preparation for their professional careers, as asynchronous learning (ASL) becomes more widespread, the SDL skills will be needed for a student to survive in college. Successful ASL courseware has been developed for use in graduate courses for practicing professionals, where the motivation and maturity are in place for a successful learning experience. But now we are seeing

the introduction of ASL courses in community colleges and lower-division four-year courses where they will challenge the students to take charge of their learning in a way never required before. ASL courses will be needed by small colleges with engineering science programs to provide the specialized elective courses required by engineering students preparing to transfer to a four-year program. At the time when we are concerned with the increasing use of distance – read solo – learning via the Internet, we are faced with a student body with few of the skills and attitudes that are considered necessary for 1 success in this approach to learning. Various studies of today's college students list the following characteristics: Worldly sophisticated – College students are involved with styles, sophisticated social scenes, and alcohol and drugs. Declining social, civic conscience – There is less interest in the environment, diversity issues, and politics. This may have changed somewhat in response to the 9/11 tragedy. Heavy influence from TV, Internet, and Advertising – With a multibillion-dollar industry enticing them to spend and focus on these flashy forms of entertainment, this is not surprising. Very good at PLAYING with computers – Innumerable forms of microprocessor-based games and entertainment encourage students to use the computer as a toy. Programming and advanced applications are no longer needed for fairly sophisticated activities. Overly stimulated, short attention span – MTV, video games and the media provide a world where undisciplined stimulation makes the concentration needed for true scholarship to be an alien experience. Utilitarian Academics – The goal of gaining an education as a means of becoming a total person has become lost in the drive for certification in a professional field with prestige and high financial compensation. Liberal studies are on the decline, as well as difficult subjects such as math, science,

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Sharon Fellows, Division of Engineering Design, Binghamton University, [email protected] 2 Richard Culver, Mechanical Engineering Dept., Binghamton University, [email protected] 3 Peter Ruggieri, Engineering Science Dept., Broome Community College, [email protected] 4 William Beston, National Science Foundation, wbeston.nsf.gov

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Session F2A and engineering. Students rarely put effort into anything for which they do not get academic credit. Education structure by examinations – The push for school accreditation through standardized examination is exacerbating a situation that has grown through the use of SAT and GRE as gateways to prestigious educational institutions. Do not read much – While Harry Potter has inspired a young generation to start reading, it is increasingly difficult to get students to read a text book or analyze a piece of literature. They use other means of getting information. Active in Volunteer Work – One positive indication is an increased interest in volunteering for social causes, although activities such as a walkathon do not provide much intellectual stimulation. [4, 5] In view of this profile it is not surprising that studies by Beston of BCC students enrolled in the ASL courses offered on their campus showed that attrition was high in science, math and engineering courses for students under the age of 25. [2] The modules developed in this study are designed to provide the training and exposure needed to develop these students in to effective autonomous learners. Our work has been based on the model for staged selfdirected learning (SSDL) developed by Gerald Grow [6]. Good instruction must be formatted so that the intellectual challenge is appropriate and the context is relevant to the student's life experience. Grow describes four stages of ability in the SSDL, ranging from Dependent (Stage 1) to Self-Directed (Stage 4). At each level the role of the instructor for optimum match with the student changes. This is illustrated in Table 1. Grow states that there is nothing wrong with being a dependent learner – one who needs to be taught, but it is limiting. In some cases, Stage 3 or 4 learners may become dependent in certain salutations where it is temporarily advantageous. The ability to be self-directed is situational: one may be self-directed in one subject, a dependent learner in another. Furthermore, the self-directed learner will frequently work collaboratively with other learners or specialists. The difference is that the Stage 4 learner assumes responsibility for designing the learning situation, where the Stage 1 learner is dependent upon the teacher to do that. The goal of our modules is to move students beyond Stage 1. Most students enter college as Stage 1 or 2 learners. Early intervention in study development programs such as the Success Strategies of Raymond Landis is important while students are settling into the new environment at college. [7]

TABLE I _______GROW 'S STAGED SELF -DIRECTED LEARNING MODEL_________ Stage Student Instructor Instructional Example______ ___ 1 Dependent Authority Lecture, coaching with immediate Coach overcoming deficiencies resistance 2 Interested Motivator Inspirational lecture, discussion group Guide informational, goal setting 3 Involved Facilitator Discussion led by instructor who participates as equal, seminar 4 Self-directed Consultant Internship, dissertation, self-directed study group or individual work

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DESCRIPTION OF THE M ODULES Goal Setting, Time Management, and Study Skills (GTS): The GTS Module teaches students how to plan and schedule their time and then how to control and regulate those plans and schedules. The Learning Objectives for the module are to assist students in identifying long and short-term goals; assist students in analyzing their current time management skills and to demonstrate a plan they can use immediately to improve their planning and scheduling skills and apply it to all areas of their life. The module is designed to be used in the classroom or independently by the student. Because the Module is a multi step process, it was designed to allow the instructor to use specific sections or to incorporate the module into the curriculum throughout the semester. An Instructor's guide accompanies the module. Mindmapping - Mindmapping is a whole brain, visually interesting version of outlining. There are different formats for specific objectives. The mindmapping module introduces students to three forms of mindmapping: preclass, reading a difficult text, and brainstorming. Preclass reading shows the students how to prepare for a difficult class like Chemistry in less than 15 minutes. It prepares students to make associations with the material that will be covered in class. Reading a difficult text shows students how to organize ideas and identify connections and patterns in the material. Brainstorming shows students how to look for new paths of thinking and how to delay the critical judgmental part of the thinking process when they begin to think about a problem. The modules are quick and easy to use and can be used in almost any situation or class. Number systems - This set of modules illustrates the idea that a value in any number system consists of place-holders multiplied by the base number raised to succeeding powers and all added together. Techniques for converting between base 10 numbers and other systems are described for binary, octal, and hexadecimal systems. The problem of imperfect conversion of a base 10 decimal to a binary value is illustrated and a spreadsheet is used to help with the manipulations.


Session F2A Preferred Learning Styles - The first of these modules directs students to the on-line site of Richard Felder at North Carolina State University to produce a table of results that indicate their preferred learning style. Additional sites are given that provide explanations and implications of their preferences. Follow-up modules ask for a short reflective essay on "How I Prefer to Learn" and a short response to reading an on-line article describing some students with particular learning styles. Total Quality Assurance - These five modules send students to various Internet sites to read articles on quality. They try to provide a better understanding of the common terms, issues, and assessment tools used to talk about "Quality". Descriptive Geometry - These modules begin with several basic definitions and a statement of the Rule of a Point and then lead students through finding the True-Length of a line, the Point-View of a line, the Edge-View of a plane, and the True-Size of a plane. In addition, the topics of visibility and intersection of lines in space and visibility and intersection of a line and a plane in space are covered. Some practice examples are included at the end of each module.

ELEMENTS OF SUCCESSFUL SDL M ODULES As we developed the modules, certain characteristics emerged which are necessary to develop effective SDL modules. First, if they are going to be used on the web, they must demonstrate good ASL design. Since these modules are intended to encourage students to develop good study skills on the web, they must provide a positive experience for the students when first used. Second, the modules should have before-and-after assessment tools, which allow students to monitor their progress – and provide the instructor feedback on the student's progress, as well as the effectiveness of the module. Third, the modules should use extensive visuals, since most students are visual learners and are used to sophisticated visual presentation in video and computer games. Fourth, visual learning strategies, such as mind maps, can help students structure their learning, particularly when working alone. The modules should be short, covering one topic, with a clearly defined syllabus and objectives. They should be highly structured, to replace the guidance normally provided in the class by the instructor. When using SDL modules, particularly in the ASL mode, the role of the instructor changes to that of a coach or tutor. The successful instructor using this type of module will function as a learning manager, organizing the learning strategy around the module. Even though the students may be doing most of the work alone, they need to be a member of a learning community, such as study groups, or through a chat room on the computer. This bridges between the social environment of the classroom and the solo study carrel. Since these modules are designed for use by freshmen, the instructor still has an important directive role in

motivating students to use them. Professor Beston began and ended each weekly orientation class with a slide that asks the question: "Do you know that your learning is your own responsibility?" Professor Fellows found that the study skills modules were effective when used repeatedly throughout the semester and in conjunction with demanding courses, such as chemistry and mathematics. In place of the instructor, the web-based material serves as a content specialist. So, it should be based on advanced learning strategies, using the most sophisticated techniques available.

OBSERVATIONS FROM USE OF SDL M ODULES The positive results obtained with the SDL modules have been gratifying. Students find them interesting, and appreciate the flexibility of working on them offline at their own convenience. The pre and posttests provide validation of their learning without the stress of a conventional quiz. Experience at BCC has indicated that students do as well learning through these modules as student studying the same material in a conventional class. [3] At B.U., Professor Fellows worked in conjunction with the lead instructor in the introductory chemistry and physics courses. Using these modules as part of a comprehensive study "success" program, student performance has improved markedly in one year. This will be reported in more detail at future conferences. To be successful, this type of innovation requires a "Champion" within the faculty, someone who is committed to making the modules work and who has been trained in their use. The modules in them self, like a textbook, do not make a successful course. The role of the instructor will change as instructional material like these modules becomes common in the modern classroom.

REFERENCES [1] Culver, R. S., Fellows, S., Beston, W., " Keys to Success: SelfDirected Learning", #1430 Proc.- 2002 ASEE Annual Conference, St. Louis, June, 2000. [2] Beston, W., Fellows, S., Culver, R.S., " Self-Directed Learning in an ASL Course", #T3G, Proc.-Frontiers in Education Conference, Kansas City, October, 2000. [3] Beston, W., Culver, R.S., Fellows, S., Ruggieri, P., Biegen, J., "Using Self-Directed Learning Modules to Prepare Students for Life-long Learning", #3486, Proc.-ASEE Annual Conference, Albuquerque, June, 2001. [4] Astin, A., "Fostering Student Engagement in Learning", The Collaboration for the Advancement of College Teaching and Learning, 15(3), May 2001. [5] Schmittau, J, School of Education, Binghamton University, private conversation. [6] Grow, G.O., "Teaching Learners to be Self-Directed", Adult Education Quarterly, 41(3), pp. 125-149. [7] Landis, R. B., Studying Engineering, 2nd . Ed., Discovery Press,2000.
