Beckman, J., Ferru, I., & Beckmann, E. A. (2013). Softly, softly: Introducing research-led education into a successful first year course #2

Short summary of the scope and focus in the article

The article is a description of introduction of research-led education/ components in an undergraduate Human Biology course. Introduction of research led components in the mentioned course are drawn on the key concepts of Research-teaching nexus, Inquiry based learning, threshold concepts and scaffolding. Based on student evaluation of the course, the authors report enhanced awareness of opportunities of feedback and engagement with peers.

Quote a statement that summarizes what the author claims they contribute to the field.

“We hypothesize that, by introducing IBL that encouraged much more peer and demonstrator engagement and feedback, we were creating richer peer relationships, and that our students acknowledged that this peer support provided them with effective feedback on their learning.”

In your own words, compare the results/arguments presented in the article with the authors’ claim(s) you identified in question 1.

The authors claim about that the positive outcome through introduction of IBL is supported by the results on evaluation that students learning was supported by the feedback received during the course. However, the scores on other aspects/statements on evaluation of the course have not changed with the introduction of IBL.

Is the argument that the authors provide solid enough based on the evidence and/or theoretical considerations to convince you of their claim(s)?

Though the changes introduced by the authors are based on well-established concepts which enhance student learning, the results apply only to the mentioned course, and only on the feedback aspect. It would be interesting to know if the change (of introduction of IBL) would yield similar positive results in other courses.

What is missing in the article?

The present article is a report on the change introduced in one course during one semester. It would be relevant to evaluate several courses with IBL over years to substantiate the results.

What was most interesting for you?

This article encourages to bring about changes and modifications in the existing “well-functioning” courses to enhance student learning experiences.

How does this article relate to your own teaching?

It can be challenging to create a balance between fundamental knowledge which is typically taught using traditional methods and IBL for the first-year courses.

What can you learn from it?

The shift of focus from teaching to learning. Application of concepts mentioned in the article in my teaching to enhance learning.