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The Context. Honors Organismal Biology course 120 junior level students 3rd semester of 4 semester curriculum students work in permanent groups, during class group problems are “upper Bloom’s” exam-style problems. The Questions.
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The Context • Honors Organismal Biology course • 120 junior level students • 3rd semester of 4 semester curriculum • students work in permanent groups, during class • group problems are “upper Bloom’s” exam-style problems
The Questions • Does requiring students to write out their thinking processes and problem solving strategies help them improve their problem solving abilities? • Does sharing their written thinking processes and problem solving strategies with their peers help them improve their problem solving abilities? Teaching Goals: • develop problem solving skills • transfer problem solving skills to new problems • develop appropriate study skills, strategies, and habits
Why is this interesting? • thinking and problem solving skills are transferable • thinking and problem solving skills are higher order Bloom’s
Study Design Overview • Fall class 2x per week • use same problems in Yr1 and Yr2 • neurophysiology, renal, and GI sections (maybe more)
Study Design • Baseline data • (pre/post) metacognitive awareness survey • (pre/post) study process questionnaire • (pre/post) problem solving self-confidence • GPA, Biocore GPA • (Yr1) individual problem solutions (rubric) • (Yr2) individual problem solutions & intervention: documented problem solutions (rubric)
Class Yr1 • 10 min individual problem solution • turn in solution • 10 min group problem solution • turn in group solution • class review of problem • grade individual and group solutions • measure difference
Class Yr2 • 10 min individual problem solution • 5 minoutline strategy used to solve the problem • turn in solution andindividual strategy • 10 min group problem solution • 5 min outline group strategy • turn in group solution andgroup strategy • class review of problem • grade individual and group solutions • measure difference
Analysis • develop rubric to assess problem solutions (ability) • develop rubric to assess problem solution strategies
Analysis Does writing problem solution strategies improve problem solving ability? • compare problem solving ability in Yr1 vs. Yr2 • correlate changes in problem solving ability throughout Y2 with changes in individual strategy outlines in Y2 • compare pre-post metacognitive, study skills, and self-confidence in problem solving ability surveys