Clustering from Grouping: A Key to Enhance Students' Classroom Active Engagement

Bankole Kolawole Fasanya; Masoud Fathizadeh

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Conference: 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Tampa, Florida
Publication Date: June 15, 2019
Start Date: June 15, 2019
End Date: June 19, 2019
Conference Session: ERM Technical Session 3: Working in Teams
Tagged Division: Educational Research and Methods
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 15
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--32511
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/32511
Download Count: 1118

Paper Authors

biography

Bankole Kolawole Fasanya Purdue University Northwest

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Dr. Fasanya is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Construction Science and Organizational Leadership, Environmental Health and Safety Concentration at Purdue University Northwest. In this position, he teaches safety and health related courses, as well as improving Environmental Health and Safety curriculum through Industrial Advisory Committees. Prior to his current position, he had worked in different capacities with different institutions: He worked as Senior Research Associate (Auditory Protection and Prevention - US Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory, Fort Rucker Alabama), Joint Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Engineering Technology and Built Environment at North Caroline Agricultural and Technical State University, as a visiting professor at University of Ibadan, Nigeria, Industrial and Production Engineering Department, as a research assistant with Dr. Denise Tucker at University of North Carolina Greensboro in the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, School of Health and Human Science, as a Facilities Engineer at Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration Glenn Burnie. Dr. Fasanya holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering and both his MSE and PhD in Industrial and systems engineering with specialization in Ergonomics and Human Factors. He minor in Auditory Protection and Noise Assessment. His research interests include Human Performance in extreme environment, environmental/occupational noise assessment, ergonomics and human factors, lean manufacturing, auditory protection and prevention, human health and safety. Dr. Fasanya has published several articles on noise effects on human ear and human safety. Has presented findings from his studies in several conferences. Dr. Fasanya is a certified hearing conservationist and OSHA Authorized Trainer.

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biography

Masoud Fathizadeh P.E. Purdue University Northwest

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Masoud Fathizadeh – PhD, PE Professor Fathizadeh has been with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology Purdue University Calumet since 2001. He has worked over 15 years both for private industries and national research laboratories such as NASA, Argonne and Fermi National Laboratories. Dr. Fathizadeh has established his own consulting and engineering company in 1995 specializing in power system, energy management and automation systems. During last twenty years the company performed many private and government projects. Dr. Fathizadeh has published numerous journal, conference and technical articles. He has been instrumental figure in establishing mechatronic engineering technology at Purdue University Calumet. His areas of interests are, control systems, power systems, power electronics, energy, and system integration.
Dr. Fathizadeh is a registered professional engineer in the State of Illinois.

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Abstract

Despite the increased application of technology in the classrooms, students’ active participation and classroom engagements are still at the low level as noticed by professors. Students are becoming passive audience in the classroom discussions and participation is growing colder and quieter daily in the academic arenas. Classrooms teaching has turned into one way communication and students continually accepting the idea of keeping to oneself in the classroom. The importance of students’ participation in our colleges classrooms cannot be underemphasized, as a result, every professor included in his/her grading policy a certain percentage for student participation. As much as students understood the significant of classroom participation on final semester grade, many still refused to be unshelled.

Professors have implemented several motivating strategies to improve student classroom engagement such as punishment, rewards, hands-on, research etc. However, studies have shown that motivating through punishment is the least effective method to motivate an individual. Therefore, this study outlined ways in which a technique called “clustering from grouping” had improved students’ classroom engagement. This technique was implemented in three different classes and in two semesters. Participants included, graduate and undergraduate students with ages ranged from 19 to 46 years old. The first undergraduate class enrolled 16 students, the second class enrolled 20 students and the graduate class enrolled 24 students. Twenty-two students completed the survey that assessed the techniques effectiveness on three forms of student classroom engagement. Findings on the students’ cognitive, behavioral and affirmative engagement revealed that 95%, 97% and 85% of the students respectively were actively engaged in the classroom activities. Only one student affirmed that learning through the technique was boring. Fifty-five percent of the students affirmed that the technique encouraged them to use the professors office hours more often than they would have for another professors classes. Of the 18-students who responded to the open-ended question, 94% affirmed that the technique was the best they had ever experienced to actively engaged students in the classroom activities. Findings further revealed 15% improvement in students participation in the classroom where the technique was implemented compared to another classes taught by the professor. The professor experienced a 10% increase in undergraduate students and 5% increase in graduate students who utilized his office hours. Professor affirmed that an appreciative email was also received from a parent who acknowledged the effectiveness of the technique on his son’s skill to communicate and to engage in an effective discussion. This paper assessed, compared and documented the impacts of clustering from grouping teaching technique on students’ classroom engagement.

Citation
Format

Fasanya, B. K., & Fathizadeh, M. (2019, June), Clustering from Grouping: A Key to Enhance Students' Classroom Active Engagement Paper presented at 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Tampa, Florida. 10.18260/1-2--32511

TY - CPAPER
AB - Despite the increased application of technology in the classrooms, students’ active participation and classroom engagements are still at the low level as noticed by professors. Students are becoming passive audience in the classroom discussions and participation is growing colder and quieter daily in the academic arenas. Classrooms teaching has turned into one way communication and students continually accepting the idea of keeping to oneself in the classroom. The importance of students’ participation in our colleges classrooms cannot be underemphasized, as a result, every professor included in his/her grading policy a certain percentage for student participation. As much as students understood the significant of classroom participation on final semester grade, many still refused to be unshelled.

Professors have implemented several motivating strategies to improve student classroom engagement such as punishment, rewards, hands-on, research etc. However, studies have shown that motivating through punishment is the least effective method to motivate an individual. Therefore, this study outlined ways in which a technique called “clustering from grouping” had improved students’ classroom engagement. This technique was implemented in three different classes and in two semesters. Participants included, graduate and undergraduate students with ages ranged from 19 to 46 years old. The first undergraduate class enrolled 16 students, the second class enrolled 20 students and the graduate class enrolled 24 students. Twenty-two students completed the survey that assessed the techniques effectiveness on three forms of student classroom engagement. Findings on the students’ cognitive, behavioral and affirmative engagement revealed that 95%, 97% and 85% of the students respectively were actively engaged in the classroom activities. Only one student affirmed that learning through the technique was boring. Fifty-five percent of the students affirmed that the technique encouraged them to use the professors office hours more often than they would have for another professors classes. Of the 18-students who responded to the open-ended question, 94% affirmed that the technique was the best they had ever experienced to actively engaged students in the classroom activities. Findings further revealed 15% improvement in students participation in the classroom where the technique was implemented compared to another classes taught by the professor. The professor experienced a 10% increase in undergraduate students and 5% increase in graduate students who utilized his office hours. Professor affirmed that an appreciative email was also received from a parent who acknowledged the effectiveness of the technique on his son’s skill to communicate and to engage in an effective discussion. This paper assessed, compared and documented the impacts of clustering from grouping teaching technique on students’ classroom engagement.

AU - Bankole Kolawole Fasanya
AU - Masoud Fathizadeh P.E.
CY - Tampa, Florida
DA - 2019/06/15
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Clustering from Grouping: A Key to Enhance Students' Classroom Active Engagement
UR - https://peer.asee.org/32511
DO - 10.18260/1-2--32511
ER -