Date of Award
2019
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
Abstract
This case study examined a graduate medical program in the Western United States that was redesigned to use adaptive learning with active and collaborative classroom learning in a flipped environment. Findings suggested student comprehension of material was as good or better than prior to the redesign, and students were able to complete coursework more efficiently, getting into the clinical environment sooner. Students improved abilities to apply knowledge was due in part to the capabilities of the adaptive system, the collaborative and active learning environment in the classroom, and the rapport and relationships built with the faculty. The multifaceted design of this curriculum stood to serve a wide variety of student needs in this complex system. Two overarching conclusions can be drawn from this study. First, the redesign of the curriculum, through unbundling and rebundling of content and integrating it across all aspects of dentistry, made for a much more effective curriculum. The redesigned curriculum was centered on patient care and scaffolded to meet the needs of the learner. This redesign filled gaps and eliminated redundancies in the content. The restructured content gave students a more meaningful introduction to the material and quicker access to hands-on dentistry work in the clinical experience, which helped affirm students aspirations to become dentists. Second, the combination of adaptive learning and active and collaborative learning delivered in a flipped model was an optimal learning environment for this program. Students benefitted by interacting and collaborating with other students in the classroom and receiving feedback from peer and faculty reviews of their work. Students found it motivating and supportive to discuss coursework and cases with other students and benefitted from the coaching given by the faculty members circulating among students in the classroom. The adaptive platform increased the efficiency of learning. Students learned in a shorter amount of time. The adaptive learning system provided the ability to deliver well-designed content effectively outside of class with efficient and personalized learning paths, frequent assessments, and analytics on student activity and achievement. Additional research on the outcomes of other programs that use adaptive learning and active, collaborative learning in a flipped environment are needed to understand the generalizeability of this Educational model.
Recommended Citation
Kerns, Barbra R., "A Case Study Of A Flipped Curriculum Using Collaborative And Active Learning With An Adaptive Learning System" (2019). All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1514.
https://scholars.indianastate.edu/etds/1514