We have created a real-time actionable measure of student engagement coupled with personalized Tips and research-based instruction strategies (RBIS) which allow educators to immediately improve learner engagement and educational practice in accordance with learning theory research on effective teaching practices. Research is embedded into our Student Engagement Survey (SES) and is the foundation of our RBIS.
SES was developed through a literature review, an expert panel, and pilot testing. SES reliability was tested using Cronbach’s alpha (Cronbach, 1951). This process yielded a valid and reliable overall student engagement scale and nine categories, to help assess student engagement weaknesses in time to revise an educator’s instructional approach within a semester.
We created a definition for each category, a best practice/instructional goal, and questions directly linked to the evidence base of educational research. For example, our cognitive category includes a question on student perception of the amount of active learning in a lesson (i.e., the process of learning through activities and/or discussion in class, as opposed to passively listening to an expert or reading).
Research demonstrates that active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics (Scott Freeman, et. al., 2014). The SES question on the cognitive category linked to active learning is shown below.
Question:
I learned through activities and/or discussion in class, as opposed to passively listening to my teacher during this class lesson.
Answer choices
Strongly Agree, Agree, Somewhat Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree
Research demonstrates that active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics (Scott Freeman, et. al., 2014). The SES question on the cognitive subscale linked to active learning is shown below.
Research-Based Instructional Strategies (RBIS)
RBIS are instructional practices where research has proven their effectiveness in improving learner outcomes. We have compiled a database of RBIS which will improve the score for each question on our Student Engagement Survey, such as the active learning strategy shown below:
Active Learning Strategy: Promote active student learning through class discussion.
Research Citations:
Our Tip Masters and Instructional Coaches have access on the LessonLoop platform to our RBIS database and incorporate relevant instructional strategies into their coaching Tips. We continuously review education research sites and journals to add new instructional strategies with a focus on these sources:
Our Research Luminaries
We gratefully applaud the work of John Hattie and Robert Marzano who have pioneered and made possible the increased incorporation of educational research into instructional practice by synthesizing and translating a tremendous amount of complex social science into easily understandable strategies.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (2015). Teachers know best: What educators want from digital instructional tools 2.0. http://k12education.gatesfoundation.org/resource/what-educators-want-from-digital-instructional-tools-2-0/
Brenner, L. (2015, October 27). 3 ways to increase student engagement in your classroom. ISTE. https://www.iste.org/explore/Innovator-solutions/3-ways-to-increase-student-engagement-in-your-classroom
Bryk, A. S., Gomez, L.M., ,Grunow, A. , LeMahieu, P.G. (2015). Learning to improve: How America’s schools can get better at getting better. Harvard Education Press.
Carini, R.M., Kuh, G.D., & Klein, S.P. (2006). Student engagement and student learning: Testing the linkages. Research in Higher Education, 47(1), 1-32. http://www.jstor.co/stable/40185882
CAST (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. http://udlguidelines.cast.org
Chen, P.D., Lambert, A.D., & Guidry, K.R. (2010). Engaging online learners: The impact of Web-based learning technology on college student engagement. Computers & Education, 54, 1222-1232. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131509003285?via%3Dihub
Chi, M. T.H., & Wylie, R, (2014). The ICAP framework: Linking cognitive engagement to active learning outcomes. Educational Psychologist, 49(4), 219–243, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2014.965823
Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2016). e-Learning and the Science of Instruction, Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning. Wiley Online Library. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781119239086
Davis, T. & Thomas F. V. (2020). The impact of multimedia in course design on students’ performance and online learning experience: A pilot study of an introductory educational computing course. Online Learning Journal, 24(3). https://olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/olj/article/view/2069
Digital Promise (2020). Suddenly online: A national survey of undergraduates during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://digitalpromise.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/ELE_CoBrand_DP_FINAL_3.pdf
Dixson, M. (2010, June). Creating effective student engagement in online courses: What do students find engaging? –– Vol. 10, No. 2, 1-13, Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Vol. 10, No. 2. ERIC. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ890707
Dixson, M. D. (2015). Measuring student engagement in the online course: The online student engagement scale (OSE). Online Learning, 19(4), 143-157. https://olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/olj/article/view/561
Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School Engagement: Potential of the Concept, State of the Evidence. SAGE Journals. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/00346543074001059
Fredericks, J. A., & McColskey, W. (2012). The measurement of student engagement: A comparative analysis of various methods and student self-report instruments. In S.L. Christenson et al. (eds.) Handbook of Research on Student Engagement (763-782t. Springer.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-2018-7_37
Follman, J. (1995). Elementary public school pupil rating of teacher effectiveness. Child Study Journal, 25(1), 57–78.
Gawande, A. (2010). The checklist manifesto: How to get things right. New York: Picador.
Goodenow, C. (1993). Classroom belonging among early adolescent students: Relationships to motivation and achievement. Journal of Early Adolescence, 13(1), 21-43.
Handelsman, M.M., Briggs, W.L., Sullivan, N. & Towler, A. (2005). A measure of college student course engagement. The Journal of Educational Research, 93(3), 184-191.
Hanover Research. (2013). Student perceptions surveys and teacher assessments. Washington, DC. Retrieved fromhttp://dese.mo.gov/sites/default/files/Hanover-Research-StudentSurveys.pdf.
Kyriakides, L. (2005). Drawing from teacher effectiveness research and research into teacher interpersonal behaviour to establish a teacher evaluation system: A study on the use of student ratings to evaluate teacher behavior. Journal of Classroom Interaction, 40(2), 44–66. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/EJ768695.pdf
Marzano, R.J. (2003). What works in schools: Translating research into action. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Marzano. R.J., Pickering, D.J., Pollock, J.E. (2000). Classroom instruction that works; Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA; Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
McLeod, S. (2019). The Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/Zone-of-Proximal-Development.html
MET Project. (2012). Asking students about teaching: Student perception surveys and their implementation (Policy & Practice Brief). Seattle, WA: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.metproject.org/downloads/Asking_Students_Practitioner_Brief.pdf.
NAIS Report on the 2017 High School Survey of Student Engagement. (2017). NAIS. https://www.nais.org/articles/pages/research/2017-high-school-survey-of-student-engagement-(hssse)/
National Association of Independent Schools. (2017), NAIS report on the 2017 high school survey of student engagement. https://www.nais.org/articles/pages/research/2017-high-school-survey-of-student-engagement-(hssse)/
Project Tomorrow. (2010). Unleashing the future: Educators “speak up” about the use of emerging technologies for learning. https://tomorrow.org/speakup/pdfs/SU09UnleashingTheFuture.pdf
Quality Matters. (2019). Course design rubric standards. (fifth Edition). https://www.qualitymatters.org/qa-resources/rubric-standards/k-12-secondary-rubric
Rajabalee, B., Rennie, F., & Santally, M. (2019). A study of the relationship between students’ engagement and their academic performances in an eLearning environment. E-Learning and Digital Media, 17(1), 1-20. https://eric.ed.gov/?q=rajabalee&id=EJ1187889
Reyes, M. R., Brackett, M. A., Rivers, S. E., White, M, & Salovey, P. (2012). Classroom Emotional Climate, Student Engagement, and Academic Achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology. https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2012-05721-001.pdf?auth_token=b98fe6dfa9f78edb1c367b779f352ce239fad8ff
Scott Freeman, Sarah L. Eddy, Miles McDonough, Michelle K. Smith, Nnadozie Okoroafor, Hannah Jordt, and Mary Pat Wenderoth, PNAS June 10, 2014 111 (23) 8410-8415; first published May 12, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1319030111
Soland, Jim, Kuhfeld, Megan, Tarasawa, Beth, Johson, Angela, Ruzek, Erik, and Liu, Jing (2020) The impact of Covid-19 on student achievement and what it may mean for educators, Brookings Institute. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2020/05/27/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-student-achievement-and-what-it-may-mean-for-educators/
Taylor, L., & Parsons, J. (2011). Improving student engagement. Current Issues in Education, 14(1). https://cie.asu.edu/ojs/index.php/cieatasu/article/view/745.
Teachers Know Best: What Educators Want From Digital Instructional Tools (2.0) — Report. (2015). Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. http://k12education.gatesfoundation.org/resource/what-educators-want-from-digital-instructional-tools-2-0/
Theobald, E. J., Hill M. J., Tran, E., Agrawal, S., Arroyo, E. N., Behling, S., Chambwe, N., Cintrón, D. L., Cooper, J. D., Dunster, G., Grummer, J. A., Hennessey, K., Hsiao, J., Iranon, N., Jones II, L., Jordt, H., Keller, M., Lacey, M. E., Littlefield, C. E., … Freeman, S. (2020, March). Active learning narrows achievement gaps for underrepresented students in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and math. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://www.pnas.org/content/117/12/6476
Toshalis, E. & Nakkula, M. J. (2012). Motivation, engagement and student voice. Students at the Center Hub. https://studentsatthecenterhub.org/resource/motivation-engagement-and-student-voice/
Trowler, V. & Trowler, , P. (2010). Student engagement evidence summary. The Higher Education Academy. https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/StudentEngagementEvidenceSummary_0.pdf
Wilkerson, D. J., Manatt, R. P., Rogers, M. A., & Maughan, R. (2000). Validation of student, principal, and self-ratings in 360 degree feedback for teacher evaluation. Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education, 149(2), 179–192.
Willingham, W.W., Pollack, J.M. & Lewis, C. (2002). Grades and test scores: Accounting for observed differences. Journal of Educational Measurement, 39(1). 1-37. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1435104?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
Zepke, N., & Leach, L. (2010). Improving student engagement: Ten proposals for action. Active Learning in Higher Education, 11(3), 167-177.https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/146978741037968
Icons from Flaticon; Stock images from Unsplash
support@lessonloop.org
(914)-238-1690
