Active, flipped and aligned: new (or old) ways of teaching astronomy Jasmina Lazendic-Galloway Monash University Michael Fitzgerald Edith Cowan University/Monash University ASA Annual Meeting July 2016

Society evolves, so is (should) teaching and learning Transmission Behaviorist Cognitivist Social Constructivist ??

Super-short guide to Physics Education Research (PER) or Astronomy ER (AER) 1980’s: Conceptual understanding of physics (eg, force concept inventory – FCI) Eric Mazur 1991: Peer instruction Zelik et al 1997: Astronomy Diagnostic Test (ADT) Hake 1998: Interactive physics courses twice as effective in terms of student learning gains Prather et al 2008: similar conclusion for astronomy classes (traditional verses “active”)

Our challenge: 21 st century skills Core subjects, skills (discipline-based) Learning and innovation skills (Critical thinking, Problem solving, Communications, Creativity, Innovation) Digital literacy skills (Computing, Information, ICT and Media literacy) Career and life skills: Collaboration and teamwork Leadership, responsibility, citizenship Initiative and self-direction Flexibility and adaptability Social and cross-cultural interaction Career and learning self-reliance Trilling & Fadel, 2009, Summary of 21 st Century Skills (pp ):

Or, in other words: Credit: We live in knowledge-based economy – University degree a “minimum” requirement Employers: students lack soft-skills (critical thinking, team work, etc) Society: are the costs worth the skills? We are training/educating for jobs that don’t exist yet

How to do it? Active Flipped Aligned Collaborate, explain, discuss, argue Use f2f time more efficiently: for understanding not transmission Between assessment, feedback and learning outcomes

1 st year astronomy units ASP1010 Earth to Cosmos – Introduction to astronomy 3 lectures + 2h labs replaced by 2 x 2h workshops ASP1022 Life in the Universe – introduction to astrobiology 3 lectures + 2h labs replaced by 2 x 1h lectorials and 2h workshop 200+ students Elective Science, Eng majors majority and 20-30% of other majors

Physics and Astronomy Collaborative Environment (PACE) Studios

Results = ( % – % ) / (100 – % ) The median gain was /- 0.19

What our students said: “Its dynamic new way of providing two 2hr workshops per week instead of separate lectures and labs meant that not only did I learn everything more thoroughly but they eliminated the problem that other units sometimes have where the lectures and the labs are teaching different material, making the labs very difficult to have the appropriate knowledge for. This new structure was very helpful and allowed me to learn the content more thoroughly than any course before.“ “Because it is a new unit, I appreciate you constantly requesting feedback and improving on the unit. It has definitely improved over the semester and I feel like I am learning more in the workshops - meaning less study to do at home!” “I feel as though the recent change in the course material this semester of removing lectures entirely was not the best idea. Whilst this does makes the course arguably far more enjoyable and exciting, I and others I've spoken to concerning the course agree that the lack of lectures makes it harder to learn course content and will likely make the exam considerably more difficult.”

Conclusion What our lecturers say: students are so engaged, I want to do this for my units! Lots of work to set it up, but well worth it! There are many ways, start small and find what suits you and your students Get continuous feedback from students, TAs and peers You will want to fly off to Argentina in your darkest hours, but when it works, it’s amazing Helps engage students more, and they learn better