How do instructional methods employed by instructors at the front of a lecture class affect student engagement? To begin to answer this question, we used the established Teaching Dimensions Observation Protocol (TDOP) to code teacher behavior over time during a series of first semester Organic Chemistry lectures. These codes were used to correlate and assess how particular pedagogical techniques, such as lecturing with demonstrations, are associated with student attention, on-task and off task behavior, and note-taking. Additional data were collected through head-mounted video cameras and electronic pens, which allowed us to code student behaviors in response to instruction. Student observation videos were coded for tasks such as looking at instructor or fellow classmates, observing notes, discussion of material with classmates, and non-course relevant discussion. Electronic pen data was coded for tasks such as writing content relevant or logistics notes, drawing graphics related to lecture, nonrelevent writing, and nonwriting time. All data were synced using the audio track of the lecture. It is the hope that at the conclusion of our work, we will be able to answer questions such as �How does a faculty member asking a rhetorical question during lecture impact students' attention?� and �How much time do students need to process new information, before additional material is presented?� Initial results suggest that student attention cycles between on-task and off-task behavior frequently, but shifts significantly towards off-task behavior after 25 minutes. Additionally, there is evidence that after longer lecture segments (greater than five straight minutes) students need significant time to catch up in order to stay on task.

Pedagogical techniques in lecture and their effects on student engagement

246th National Meeting (2013)

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