Peer Instruction: Best Practices Leo Porter Cynthia Bailey Lee

We’ve seen the results What PI offers Students – Improved Conceptual Learning – Measurable Learning During Class – Reduction in Failure Rates – Improved Retention of Majors – Positive Learning Experiences – More Feedback on their Learning

Introductory Physics Force Concept Inventory – Example Question: A large truck runs into a small car head-on. The amount of force applied to the small car is: A. Less than that applied to the large truck B. Equal to that applied to the large truck C. Greater than that applied to the large truck

Physics – Dramatic gains in Learning and it’s not the instructor effect Crouch, C., Mazur, E. Peer Instruction: Ten years of experience and results Traditional Instruction Peer Instruction

Physics Learning Gains Hake, R., “Interactive-Engagement vs. Traditional Methods: A Six-Thousand-Student Survey of Mechanics Test Data for Introductory Physics Courses,” American Journal of Physics, Class Learning Gain White=Traditional (T), n=14 Black = Interactive (IE), n=48 n=62 classes Average: Traditional: 0.23 ± 0.04 Interactive: 0.48 ± 0.14

Some Research Highlights in CS

Learning Outcomes - CS Examined Final Exam Performance in CS0 – 2 sections, same class, same professor – Conscious effort to ensure same information exposure – Identical Final Exams Simon, B., Harris, J, and Spacco, J. How We Teach Impacts Student Learning: Peer Instruction versus Lecture in CS0. SIGCSE 2013.

Final Exam Scores 8 Overall Mean84.5% Std Dev13.4% N208 Standard 81.9% 13.1% 121 Simon, B., Harris, J, and Spacco, J. How We Teach Impacts Student Learning: Peer Instruction versus Lecture in CS0. SIGCSE 2013.

Final Exam Scores 9 Overall Mean84.5% Std Dev13.4% N208 Standard 81.9% 13.1% 121 Peer Instruction 88.0% 13.0% 87 Simon, B., Harris, J, and Spacco, J. How We Teach Impacts Student Learning: Peer Instruction versus Lecture in CS0. SIGCSE 2013.

Failure Rates in CS1 Examined Fail Rates (D,F,W) for 10 years at UCSD ( ) Data Set CS1 Number of Classes SI18 PI9 Number of Different Instructors SI5 PI4 Total Enrollment SI1764 PI1296 Porter, L.; Lee, C.B.; Simon, B. Halving Fail Rates using Peer Instruction: A Study of Four Computer Science Classes. SIGCSE, March 2013.

CS1 + denotes WI or SP class Standard Instruction Peer Instruction

CS1 + denotes WI or SP class Standard Instruction Peer Instruction

CS1 + denotes WI or SP class Standard Instruction Peer Instruction

Not all “PI” Classes are the same N-AN-BN-CE-DE-EE-FE-G Institution R1PUI R1 PUI Language Java PythonAliceMatlabJava Times Taught this Course Students Completed Course Percentage of CS majors 59% (ant.) 50% 29% (decl.) 70% (ant.) 1%6.4% 44% (ant.) Clickers with discussion is valuable for my learning. 74%93%100% 94%91%93% I recommend that other instructors use this approach (reading quizzes, clickers, in-class discussion) in their courses. 71%90%100%98%93%87%100% Publication pending.

An analogy You get a bacterial infection and the doctor gives you antibiotics. They tell you to take them for 10 days because after 10 days, the odds are high that the infection is gone. Could you stop at 6? Well… maybe. But maybe not. If you’re interested in faculty adoption of pedagogical practices, check out Charles Henderson’s work!

Elements of Success Tell them why you’re changing the class Make class a safe learning environment Reward participation and pre-class activities Be prepared for the unexpected Use your time wisely Ask difficult, important questions

THE FIRST DAY Some slides from Cynthia’s first day of class!

The Basics: Your Grade 5% Clickers – Participation only, not correctness – Answer at least 80% to get credit for that lecture, drop 2 lectures 5% Reading quizzes (drop 1) 20% Homework (drop 1) 30% Midterm (two,15% each) 40% Final Exam 18

What do I do in class? Think of me as your tutor Be your guide in inducing you to explore concepts Create situations and pose problems that set the scene for your exploration Answer your questions Not spend lecture reading the textbook to you with slightly different words 19

What do you do in class? (before class, you prepared yourself by reading the textbook and answering the reading quiz in Moodle) 1.I ask a question 2.You first answer it by yourself 3.Then discuss in assigned groups of 3-4 students – Like a jury, you must come to a unanimous decision – Answer the question a second time 4.I will ask groups to share their insights, and I will provide additional clarification as needed 20

“But professor, wouldn’t it be more efficient if you just taught us the right answer to begin with?” Have you ever heard of a fitness class where the instructor did all the exercises at the front of class, while the class just watched attentively? Me neither. To learn, you must do the work with your own muscle (your brain). 21 Image: Crossfit at lenoxspartanfitness.com

What do you do in this course? Prepare your brain for maximum in-class learning – Reading, reading quizzes In class: engage with your neighbors and the class, engage with the ideas – Turn them upside down and sideways, think about what common errors or misconceptions might be Seek help and seek to help others – In class, moodle forums, office hours, discussion section – I expect each class member to contribute to an environment of mutual aid and cooperation 22

Tips for a good group discussion Take turns being the first one to talk Once you all agree on the answer, don’t stop! – Always go over each wrong answer and explain why it is wrong Also interesting and useful to think about why somebody might be tempted to choose it—how was Prof. Lovett hoping to “trick” somebody by including that wrong answer? – Even if your group-mate has said something very clearly and correctly, it’s a good idea to repeat it yourself “So, what I think you said was, …” Might seem pointless, but your brain will remember better if YOU say it too 23

Rules for what you do in this course Reading quizzes – Yes: Open book, though being able to answer book is a good sign You can retry a question if you answer incorrectly (small penalty), and you can take as much time as you need Complete them individually – No: Sharing answers on a reading quiz is as inappropriate as sharing answers on an in-class exam—don’t do it 24

OTHER TIPS

Handling a tech disaster Pretty much never happens, unless you are using iclicker “Go” app for phone/browser, which can be glitch Have students vote with raised fingers: – one finger = A, 2 fingers = B, etc. Lost slides for the day? Use a question to buy time….

Encouraging volunteers in whole-class discussion Buy bulk candy after candy-heavy holidays (Halloween, Easter) Set a class goal for number of unique individuals speaking – “Let’s see if we can get 10 different people to talk in class today.” – Also good for quieting “that guy” who always dominates—now he’s detracting from the class goal of getting many different people to speak

In-Class Time PI Questions take 3-8 minutes EACH – Do NOT have 20 questions for a 50 minute lecture – DO have 3-5 questions You will HAVE to cut some content – This can be difficult – Forces Depth vs. Breadth philosophy – Pick what really matters Major concepts Common misconceptions

Take time to think—now you have it! One of my favorite things about PI (and there are many!) is having time to pause during class and do a 1-minute reflection on how things are going – Am I going too fast, too slow? – Pick your “I need to remember to do that” public speaking to-do for the day—now is your chance to check in on whether you’re doing it

Elements of Success Tell them why you’re changing the class Make class a safe learning environment Reward Participation and Pre-Class Activities Be prepared for the unexpected Use your time wisely Ask difficult, important questions Next Session will focus on questions, but first….

What are your current concerns? 20 minutes in groups, discuss the top 5 concerns most commonly mentioned about switching to PI – We’ll come back as a group to share best practices – Keep notes during your session! Feel free to add your own – They can be anything, from technical to administrative!

Next Session: Writing Good Questions