Effectiveness of Place-Based, Audio-Narrative Assignments in Undergraduate Introductory Science

• In Event: Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: Effects of the Learning Environment on Outcomes

Abstract

In this mixed-methods study, we evaluated the effectiveness of using a place-based, audio-narrative assignment in an undergraduate introductory science course by administering the Questionnaire Assessing Connections to Science (QuACS) to identify changes in 40 students’ perceptions of the learning environment and attitudes toward science between January 2017 (pretest) and May 2017 (posttest). Students’ responses to an open-ended question served as the qualitative source of data. Statistically significant improvements of over 0.4 standard deviations emerged for the two learning environment scales of Personal Relevance and Innovation. Further, students reported that they found the assignment provided a unique way to learn science and were helpful for better understanding and relaying complex scientific information.

Authors

• George Sirrakos, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

• Barry J. Fraser, Curtin University

• Erin Kraal, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

• Ari Epstein, Massachusetts Institute of Technology