Contribution: Practical active learning stations (PALSs)-equipped classrooms function similar to prototypical active learning classrooms (ALCs). They support student collaboration and active learning pedagogies but at a fraction of the cost. Background: Active learning pedagogies and active learning technology are revitalizing STEM education and their use has led to an increase in student performance and satisfaction with the learning environment in postsecondary settings. An obstacle to increasing access to ALCs is the cost of constructing such learning environments. To address this challenge, a means to retrofit an existing computer laboratory into an ALC by making use of economy hardware and open-source software was devised. Intended Outcomes: In the context of an introductory sequence of programming courses (i.e., CS1 and CS2), students in a PALS-equipped classroom would perform as well as students in a prototypical ALC. Application Design: A quasi-experimental study was employed to compare the overall student performance across learning environments. Student performance was measured by the final exam score and overall course score. Throughout the study, the PALS-equipped classroom was paired five different times in head-to-head comparisons with either a prototypical ALC or a traditional classroom. Findings: The focus of the study was the potential effects of classroom type on students' final exam score and the overall course score. A statistically significant effect was found for only one measure, which was that students in the PALS classroom in CS1 scored higher on their overall course score even when accounting for demographic differences and the pretest measure. There were no other significant effects for classroom type, either on the final exam score for either course or the overall course score in CS2.

中文翻译：

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实用的主动学习站将现有的学习环境转变为灵活、主动的学习教室


贡献：配备实用主动学习站（PALS）的教室的功能与典型的主动学习教室（ALC）类似。他们支持学生协作和主动学习教学法，但成本却很低。背景：主动学习教学法和主动学习技术正在重振 STEM 教育，它们的使用提高了学生的成绩和对高等教育环境学习环境的满意度。增加获得 ALC 的机会的一个障碍是构建此类学习环境的成本。为了应对这一挑战，我们设计了一种利用经济硬件和开源软件将现有计算机实验室改造为 ALC 的方法。预期成果：在一系列介绍性编程课程（即 CS1 和 CS2）中，配备 PALS 的教室中的学生的表现将与典型 ALC 中的学生一样好。应用程序设计：采用准实验研究来比较不同学习环境中学生的整体表现。学生的表现是通过期末考试成绩和课程总成绩来衡量的。在整个研究过程中，配备 PALS 的教室与典型的 ALC 或传统教室进行了五次不同的配对比较。结果：研究的重点是课堂类型对学生期末考试成绩和整体课程成绩的潜在影响。仅在一项指标上发现了统计上显着的效果，即即使考虑到人口统计差异和预测试指标，CS1 PALS 课堂上的学生的总体课程分数也较高。 课堂类型对任一课程的期末考试成绩或 CS2 的整体课程成绩没有其他显着影响。