ABSTRACT

Traditionally, undergraduates study several ‘long thin’ modules at the same time. Under ‘immersive scheduling’, students complete a ‘short fat’ module (i.e. a single subject studied over a compressed period), before moving onto other modules. This piece of social research capitalised on the introduction of immersive scheduling to the first year of all undergraduate programmes at one UK University. Both semesters began with a short fat module, before students switched to studying long thin modules simultaneously. A novel ‘within-subjects’ analysis compared how individuals (N > 3000) performed in immersively-delivered modules versus traditional modules. Overall, marks on immersively-delivered modules were significantly higher, with this pattern replicated across semesters and in various demographic subgroups. This real-world evaluation complements existing ‘between-subjects’ studies, where an identical module is delivered in immersive and traditional formats to separate cohorts. It offers further indications that immersive scheduling may be a beneficial pedagogic tool for enhancing student attainment.

摘要

传统上，本科生同时学习几个“长而细”的模块。在“沉浸式日程安排”下，学生在进入其他模块之前先完成一个“短脂肪”模块（即在压缩时间内学习的单个主题）。这项社会研究利用在英国大学所有本科课程的第一年引入沉浸式日程安排。两个学期都从一个短的胖模块开始，然后学生们同时转向学习长的瘦模块。一项新颖的“受试者内”分析比较了个人（N > 3000）在沉浸式交付模块与传统模块中的表现。总体而言，沉浸式交付模块的分数明显更高，这种模式在整个学期和不同的人口子群体中都得到了复制。这种真实世界的评估补充了现有的“学科间”研究，在这种研究中，以沉浸式和传统格式提供相同的模块到不同的队列。它提供了进一步的迹象，表明沉浸式日程安排可能是提高学生成绩的有益教学工具。