Active Online Learning: Supporting Collaboration and a Sense of Community in Undergraduate Mathematics

• In Event: Computer and Internet Applications in Education Poster Session

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that active learning in classroom contexts improves student engagement, motivation, and performance. However, recent changes to the educational landscape, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, have constrained many classes to online environments. Our study investigated how we could support active online learning with a learning community approach. We redesigned an activity for active learning classrooms, called Community Supported Worksheets (CSW), as an online activity. Results show how learning community pedagogy can be applied online to support group and whole-class interactions and individual learning in undergraduate mathematics, and discusses the challenges of asynchronous collaboration within this context. This study serves to grow our understanding of how to develop flexible active learning patterns and provides implications for future iterations.

Authors

• Joel Wiebe, University of Toronto

• Yanhong Li, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

• Jinjun Dai, Central China Normal University

• Xinli Wang, University of Toronto

• James D. Slotta, University of Toronto