Reassuring Students that Intensive Strategies, Authentic Instruction and Self-Assessment Lead to Authentic Learning

Abstract

The Plant and Soil Sciences eLibrary (PASSEL) offers worldwide access to animations and content lessons. Application lessons were added to show how key concepts are used in occupations. Such lessons cannot be effective if students make superficial or no use of them. What assurance can we offer that their time and effort will pay off? University students in a first-year Plant Sciences course were asked to read a lesson on Transpiration Principles and an application called "Greening up the Greens," then answer survey and assessment items. One asked, "Which strategy best describes your use of the application lesson?" Only 7% of the 149 students said they did not read the application, 24% scanned the lesson but did not answer the practice questions, 30% read the lesson and answered the questions but did not check all their answers, and 42% said they read it, answered the questions and checked their answers. On seven of the eight items, the 42% who said they used the most intensive strategy out-performed the class average. That 42% had even more advantage on more difficult items, providing evidence that engagement with the lessons is related to better understanding of a key concept as measured by assessment items.