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3 results on '"Emily P. Driessen"'

1. Equitable Instructor Assessment Changes Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Author

Todd Lamb, Emily P. Driessen, Abby E. Beatty, Rachel Youngblood, Abby Esco, Sehoya Cotner, Catherine Creech, Abby Grace Drake, Sheritta Fagbodun, Kristen S. Hobbs, A. Kelly Lane, Erin Larson, Sophie J. McCoy, Seth Thompson, and Cissy J. Ballen

Abstract

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak mandated a rapid transition to online classes with little warning. Previous literature studying the effects of this sudden shift demonstrated enormous impacts on instructors and students. However, the details concerning science instructor assessment choices during this time are less clear. We asked biology instructors to reflect on the changes they made to their assessments of student learning during the emergency transition to remote instruction in spring 2020 and whether the potential changes were motivated by equity concerns. We also asked instructors to describe the assessment changes they intended to keep in future semesters. Through quantitative and qualitative analyses, we found that instructors removed forms of assessment more often than they added them, and the most common changes included how instructors administered exams and engaged students through participation. Instructors reported that equity concerns motivated their decision-making, particularly their concern over students' ability to access learning resources. Instructors indicated they would keep many of the changes they made in response to the shift to online learning. Our research shows that the pandemic dramatically altered how instructors assessed students in biology, but equity-based decisions leading to lasting change may be one positive outcome for future students.

Published
2024
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2. Characterizing and Changing Course Elements in Undergraduate Biology Education

Author

Emily Paige Driessen

Abstract

I conducted a set of four studies to catalogue and examine course elements, including active learning strategies and evidence-based teaching practices, and their influence on student experiences and performance in college biology classes. In the first study, I defined the term "active learning" and catalogued the 300[plus] strategies used and researched in the context of biology education research, as it was previously amorphous. Second, I conducted a meta-analysis of the effect of group work on student performance in post-secondary biology courses, showing group work has the potential to increase student performance by approximately one letter grade. Third, I investigated student perceptions of and their preparation habits for online open-note exams in an undergraduate biology class, as compared to their previous experiences with closed-note exams in other classes. Results demonstrated (1) students perceived increased exam scores, decreased exam-anxiety, decreased study time spent personally, and decreased study time spent by their peers for open-note exams, and (2) students adapted their study habits for open-note exams and students who focused on understanding, note preparation and using external resources outperformed students who did not report those study habits. Finally, I documented how the emergency transition to online classes, due to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, impacted undergraduate student study habits in an introductory organismal biology class over time. We identified several consistent similarities - as well as dramatic differences - in their responses as the time away from campus increased. Together, I highlight how course elements impact student experiences and performance in post-secondary biology courses. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Published
2023

3. Why Students Struggle in Undergraduate Biology: Sources and Solutions

Author

Claire B. Tracy, Emily P. Driessen, Abby E. Beatty, Todd Lamb, Jenna E. Pruett, Jake D. Botello, Cara Brittain, Ísada Claudio Ford, Chloe C. Josefson, Randy L. Klabacka, Tyler Smith, Ariel Steele, Min Zhong, Scott Bowling, Lucinda Dixon, and Cissy J. Ballen

Subjects
COVID-19, Humans, Students, Biology, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Education
Abstract

Students' perceptions of challenges in biology influence performance outcomes, experiences, and persistence in science. Identifying sources of student struggle can assist efforts to support students as they overcome challenges in their undergraduate educations. In this study, we characterized student experiences of struggle by 1) quantifying which external factors relate to perceptions of encountering and overcoming struggle in introductory biology and 2) identifying factors to which students attribute their struggle in biology. We found a significant effect of Course, Instructor, and Incoming Preparation on student struggle, in which students with lower Incoming Preparation were more likely to report struggle and the inability to overcome struggle. We also observed significant differences in performance outcomes between students who did and did not encounter struggle and between students who did and did not overcome their struggle. Using inductive coding, we categorized student responses outlining causes of struggle, and using axial coding, we further categorized these as internally or externally attributed factors. External sources (i.e., Prior Biology, COVID-19, External Resources, Classroom Factors) were more commonly cited as the reason(s) students did or did not struggle. We conclude with recommendations for instructors, highlighting equitable teaching strategies and practices.

Published
2022

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