Research on the Extent of Active Learning - Merbitz's PSI Plug

Some blog followers might be interested in “Research on the Extent of Active Learning – Merbitz’s PSI Plug” [Hake (2011b)]. The abstract reads:

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ABSTRACT: In “Re: Research on the Extent of Active Learning” [Hake (2011a)] at http://bit.ly/u63GbO, I stated “the glacial inertia of the educational system, though not well understood, appears to be typical of the slow Diffusion of Innovations [Rogers (2003)] in human society.”

SClistserv's Chuck Merbitz (2011) responded (paraphrasing): “I'm not surprised at the glacial pace or the burial of innovations: 20 years ago Sherman (1992) reviewed the ‘Personalized System of Instruction (PSI)’ a highly effective innovation published most famously 43 years ago by psychologist Fred S. Keller (1968) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_S._Keller in 'Goodbye, teacher....' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . In her book Mastery Learning in the Science Classroom: Success for Every Student, Kelly Morgan (2011)] speculates that PSI is not widely used because *its very success at teaching students was a factor in its abandonment* - it upsets the social structure when too many learners master the material, a finding that has been replicated in the precision teaching world http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precision_teaching. . . . .[[My Insert: “and in the physics education world http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physics_education”]]. . . . ."

For another take on the demise of PSI see “The rise and fall of PSI physics at MIT” [Friedman et al. (1976)] at http://bit.ly/vMlEdD. For the burial of innovations see, e.g., “Re: Interactive Engagement Has Many Forms” [Hake (2005] at http://bit.ly/voy3vd.
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To access the complete 17 kB post please click on http://bit.ly/sD6S9f.

Richard Hake, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Indiana University
Honorary Member, Curmudgeon Lodge of Deventer, The Netherlands
President, PEdants for Definitive Academic References
which Recognize the Invention of the Internet (PEDARRII)

rrhake@earthlink.net
Links to Articles: http://bit.ly/a6M5y0
Links to SDI Labs: http://bit.ly/9nGd3M
Blog: http://bit.ly/9yGsXh
Academia: http://iub.academia.edu/RichardHake


“And it ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain of success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. Because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new. This coolness arises partly from fear of the opponents, who have the laws on their side, and partly from the incredulity of men, who do not readily believe in new things until they have had a long experience with them. Thus it happens that whenever those who are hostile have the opportunity to attack they do it like partisans, whilst the others defend lukewarmly....”
Machiavelli (The Prince, 1515)

“The PRIMA FACIE AFFRONT: Whereas I have spent a significant fraction of my professional life perfecting my lectures and otherwise investing conscientiously in the status quo, therefore to suggest an alternative is, by definition, to attack me.”
Halfman et al. (1977)

REFERENCES [All URL’s shortened by http://bit.ly/ and accessed on 6 Dec 2011.]
Hake, R.R. 2011a. “Re: Research on the Extent of Active Learning,” online on the OPEN! AERA-L archives at http://bit.ly/u63GbO. Post of 4 Dec 2011 19:01:51-0800 to AERA-L and Net-Gold. The abstract and link to the complete post were transmitted to several discussion lists and are also on my blog “Hake'sEdStuff” at http://bit.ly/tMRRqi with a provision for comments.

Hake, R.R. 2011b. “Research on the Extent of Active Learning – Merbitz’s PSI Plug” online on the OPEN! AERA-L archives at http://bit.ly/sD6S9f. Post of 6 Dec 2011 15:09:34-0800 to AERA-L and Net-Gold. The abstract and link to the complete post are being transmitted to several discussion lists.

Halfman, R., M. L.A. MacVicar, W.T. Martin, E.F. Taylor, & J.R. Zacharias. 1977. “Tactics for Change.” MIT Occasional Paper No. 11; online at http://bit.ly/s8z5xL. Thanks to John Belcher for placing this gem on the web.

Machiavelli, N. 1515. The Prince, translated by W.K. Marriott, online at http://bit.ly/vXOWVU thanks to the Constitution Society.

Re: Research on the Extent of Active Learning

Some blog followers might be interested in a discussion list post “Re: Research on the Extent of Active Learning” [Hake (2011)]. The abstract reads:

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ABSTRACT: POD’s Rae Jean Goodman, in her post “Research on extent of active learning,” evidently equating active learning with collaborative work, posed this question (paraphrasing): “It is common knowledge that more ‘collaborative work’ is being assigned and carried out by students, but can anyone recommend authoritative reports or articles that attest to changing learning/teaching modalities?”

In “The Impact of Concept Inventories On Physics Education and It’s Relevance For Engineering Education” [Hake (2011) http://bit.ly/nmPY8F (8.7 MB)] I discussed the implementation of non-traditional reform pedagogy in higher education - relevant to Goodman’s post because reform methods often involve collaborative work and/or active learning. Therein I:

(1) EMPHASIZED economist Bill Goeff’s complaint that psychologists Banta & Blaich (2011), evidently unaware of Physics Education Research, find few cases of improved learning after a teaching innovation despite the work of e.g., Hestenes et al. (1992), Hake (1998a), Crouch et al. (2007), and Deslauriers et al. (2011);

(2) POINTED OUT that:

(a) the glacial inertia of the educational system, though not well understood, appears to be typical of the slow Diffusion of Innovations [Rogers (2003)] in human society;

(b) there are at least “Eleven Barriers to Change in Higher Education”;

(c) even so, for physics education, Rogers’ early adopters of reform have now appeared at e.g., Harvard, North Carolina State University, MIT, the Univ. of Colorado, California Polytechnic at San Luis Obispo, and the Univ. of British Columbia, possibly presaging a Rogers take off for physics education reform, about two decades after the first use of Concept Inventories http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concept_inventory ; and

(3) CONCLUDED that:

(a) Concept Inventories can stimulate reform, but judging from the results in physics it may take about two decades before even early adopters become evident;

(b) there are at least seven reasons why the rate of adoption of reforms may be greater in engineering education than in physics education.
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To access the complete 27 kB post please click on http://bit.ly/u63GbO.

Richard Hake, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Indiana University
Honorary Member, Curmudgeon Lodge of Deventer, The Netherlands
President, PEdants for Definitive Academic References
which Recognize the Invention of the Internet (PEDARRII)

rrhake@earthlink.net
Links to Articles http://bit.ly/a6M5y0
Links to SDI Labs: http://bit.ly/9nGd3M
Blog: http://bit.ly/9yGsXh
Academia: http://iub.academia.edu/RichardHake

“Physics educators have led the way in developing and using objective tests to compare student learning gains in different types of courses, and chemists, biologists, and others are now developing similar instruments. These tests provide convincing evidence that students assimilate new knowledge more effectively in courses including active, inquiry-based, and collaborative learning, assisted by information technology, than in traditional courses.”
Wood & Gentile (2003)


REFERENCES [All URL's shortened by http://bit.ly/ and accessed on 5 Dec 2011.]
Hake, R.R. 2011. “Re: Research on the Extent of Active Learning,” online on the OPEN! AERA-L archives at http://bit.ly/u63GbO. Post of 4 Dec 2011 19:01:51 -0800 to AERA-L and Net-Gold. The abstract and link to the complete post are being transmitted to several discussion lists.

Wood, W.B., & J.M. Gentile. 2003. “Teaching in a research context,” Science 302: 1510; 28 November; online as a 209 kB pdf at http://bit.ly/oK46p7.

The Impact of Concept Inventories On Physics Education and It’s Relevance For Engineering Education

Some blog followers might be interested in “The Impact of Concept Inventories On Physics Education and It’s Relevance For Engineering Education” [Hake (2011)].

The abstract reads:

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I review the:
(a) Before Concept Inventory (BCI) dark ages of post-secondary introductory physics education;

(b) 1985 advent of the first physics CI, the Mechanics Diagnostic (MD) by Halloun & Hestenes (HH);

(c) 1987-90 early research use of the (MD) by HH, Hake, and Crouch & Mazur;

(d) 1992 Force Concept Inventory (FCI), successor to the MD, and the Factor Analysis Debate (1995);

(e) 1995 revision of the FCI by Halloun, Hake, Mosca, and Hestenes;

(f) 1998 meta-analysis of FCI/MD results on 62 introductory physics courses (N = 6542) showing about a two-standard-deviation superiority in average normalized gains for “interactive engagement” over traditional passive-student lecture courses by Hake and subsequent confirmation by about 25 other physics education research studies.

I then indicate:

(a) fourteen hard lessons from the physics education reform effort;

(b) suggestions for the administration and reporting of CI’s;

(c) listings of CI’s, including those for physics and engineering; and comment that:

(d) for physics education the road to reform has been all uphill;

(e) the glacial inertia of the educational system, though not well understood, appears to be typical of the slow Diffusion of Innovations [Rogers (2003)] in human society;

(f) there are at least “Eleven Barriers to Change in Higher Education”;

(g) but, even so, for physics education, Rogers’ “early adopters” of reform have now appeared at Harvard, North Carolina State University, MIT, the Univ. of Colorado, California Polytechnic at San Luis Obispo, and the Univ. of British Columbia, possibly presaging a Rogers “take off” for physics education reform, about two decades ACI (After Concept Inventory).

I conclude that:

(a) CI’s can stimulate reform, but judging from the results in physics it may take about two decades before even early adopters become evident;

(b) there are at least seven reasons why the rate of adoption of reforms may be greater in engineering education than in physics education.

In an Appendix I respond to criticisms of the FCI and the average normalized gain g(ave).

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To access the complete 8.7 MB article please click on http://bit.ly/nmPY8F.

Richard Hake, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Indiana University 24245 Hatteras Street, Woodland Hills, CA 91367

Honorary Member, Curmudgeon Lodge of Deventer, The Netherlands.

rrhake@earthlink.net http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake/ http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~sdi/ http://HakesEdStuff.blogspot.com/ http://iub.academia.edu/RichardHake

REFERENCES

Hake, R.R. 2011. “The Impact of Concept Inventories On Physics Education and It's Relevance For Engineering Education,” invited talk, 8 August, second annual NSF-sponsored “National Meeting on STEM Concept Inventories,” Washington, D.C., online as an 8.7 MB pdf at http://bit.ly/nmPY8F or as ref. 64 at http://bit.ly/a6M5y0.