2020 EDSIG Proceedings: Abstract Presentation

Practicing Evidence Based Teaching in Online Systems Analysis and Design and IT Project Management courses

Doncho Petkov
Eastern Connecticut State University

Olga Petkova
Central Connecticut State University

Abstract:

COVID’19 pandemic is forcing many universities to replace classroom instruction with synchronized online teaching. The unique challenges of this societal crisis present faculty with the opportunity to improve the learning of their students through some of the techniques of evidence-based teaching (EBT). According to Schwartz & Gurung (2012), Killian (2014) and others, EBT strategies include clear lesson goals, using the “show and tell” approach, questioning to check for understanding, using of graphic summary of the class, allowing lots of practicing, provisioning of feedback, nurturing metacognition and a few others. Evidence-based teaching can be defined as “educational practices derived from empirical data that show a well-established association with improved course grade, student feedback, and course-driven learning goals” (Barthgate et al (2019) and others). EBT based teaching has found wide acceptance in nursing, STEM disciplines but there are not many reports on its use in Information Systems. (IS). Evidence based teaching in IS has been treated at the theoretical level by Blundel & Berardi (2016). One aspect of it, Active Learning, has been investigated before by the second author (see Leong & Petkova (2003)) and by others as well. We had used previously most of the above listed strategies to some degree in our classroom teaching without gathering data however. The challenge this time was to apply them in a systematic way in online synchronous courses in the conditions of the pandemic, and to gather evidence on student performance and their perceptions about their learning experience.

This paper reports on research in progress on applying EBT techniques in two online synchronous IS courses- Systems Analysis and Design and IT Project Management at two universities in the Northeast in 2020. Work investigating EBT in online synchronous IS courses has not been reported before to the best of our knowledge. We describe the mechanism of applying the EBT strategies in the two courses, our observations on the impact of these strategies on the learning of students and on their results. We analyze also student responses to a questionnaire related to the way how these EBT strategies were applied in the online synchronous classes. Future work may involve a comparison of the impact of such strategies on asynchronous online courses and classroom mode of delivery.

References:

Barthgate et al (2019). Perceived supports and evidence-based teaching in college STEM, International Journal of STEM Education (2019) 6:11.

Blundel G.& Berardi V. (2016). Towards evidence-based teaching, problem-based learning and metacognitive assessment cycles, In 2016 Proceedings of the EDSIG Conference, Las Vegas, NV.

Killian, S. (2014). 10 Evidence Based Teaching Strategies-The Core List, available at http://evidencebasedteaching.org.au

Leong, L., and Petkova, O., (2003). Teaching E-Commerce: A Platform for Active Learning, International Business and Economics Research Journal , 2(3), 17-23

Schwartz, B. M., & Gurung, R. A. R. (Eds.). (2012). Evidence-based teaching for higher education. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/13745-000