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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
president
d Student
relations
authored
resolution
or Sam
other Kansas
Hannah Barling
2013 P.M.
Online lectures make learning more accessible
EDUCATION
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
MARSHALL SCHMIDT mschmidt@kansan.com
Susan Stagg-Williams works out a problem with her students in her mass balanced equations class. Her students are now required to watch an online lecture before class to better understand the material.
Students bored with their class lecture can now pause, stop or fast-forward their professor. That is, if their class is flipped, a teaching approach trending in University classrooms, according to Julie Boats, director of the Center for Online and Distance Learning. In a "flipped classroom," students are required to watch a video recording of the lecture material before class. Class time is then used for students to work problems with the guidance of the instructor, said Susan Stagg-Williams, associate professor of chemical engineering.
"In a science or math based class, you absolutely need that time to work problems because that is going to be a bulk of the test," said Katie Schmidt, a sophomore from Atchison who took Williams' flipped entry-level chemical engineering class this past fall. "It worked so much better for an active learning style than the normal
passive PowerPoint lecture."
Williams changed her class' format two years ago after seeing 40 percent of her class receive a D, fail.
or drop by the end of the semester.
"Most of those students had trouble keeping up with the pace of the class," Williams said. Since flipping her class, Williams has seen that number fall to around 25
"You can think about the material more, which helps you retain and understand what's going on."
percent as well as improvements in overall test scores.
Aleandra Rocha, a junior from Cochabamba, Bolivia, found Williams' recorded lectures saved her preparation time overall. Rocha found watching the lectures at her own pace allowed her to focus on the material she was struggling with.
"My understanding of the mate
rial was much improved in having the possibility to start, stop, rewind, and forward the lectures to my convenience," Rocha said.
MICHAEL AHRENS
St. Joseph freshman
This semester, Mark Mort, associate professor of biology, is including flipped class techniques into his lecture style for his organismal biology class. While Mort still delivers part of the lesson during
class time, he gives them an outline of how the lecture will proceed.
"Students do not receive copies of our PowerPoint slides, which in my opinion is detrimental to learning because it encourages memorization," Mort said.
Michael Ahrens, a freshman from St. Joseph, finds Mort's format requires more effort on his own to learn the coursework compared to
his other classes, which he prefers. By using the provided lecture outline, Ahrens said he has more time to listen instead of constantly writing down notes.
"You can think about the material more, which helps you retain and understand what's going on," Ahrens said.
While Qi Chen, a junior from Overland Park, appreciates the flexibility of a flipped class, he acknowledges the method is no substitute for effective teaching.
"Many instructors may be tempted to simply add the video lectures on top of their existing course demands," Chen said. "My sanity would not survive."
— Edited by Hayley Jozwiak
Alfred C Afford became the first KU atom killed in a war 1.14 years ago during the Spanish American War Some say it is afford who is depicted in the "Juncie Jimmy Green" statue in
front of Lippincott Hall.
POLICE REPORTS
- A 25-year-old female was arrested yesterday on the 2200 block of Hartford on suspicion of not having car insurance and operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, second offense. A $1,100 bond was paid.
STATE
- A 21-year-old male was arrested yesterday on the 200 block of McDonald Drive on suspicion of not having proof of liability insurance and driving while intoxicated. A $500 bond was paid.
Emily Donovan
Kansas school funding declared 'unconstitutionally low'
edonovan@kansan.com
EMILY DONOVAN
Last month, Kansas courts ruled that state funding for public education is "unconstitutionally low." The judges called for base aid to be raised to $4,492 annually for each of the state's approximately 600,000 K-12 students, up from 2013s previously approved budget of $3,838 per student. Kansas senators have since challenged the ruling by proposing a constitutional amendment that would diminish the court's ability to devote funds.
Rury.
"The government seems to be wanting to shift away towards more local funding and less from the state," said Education Leadership and Policy Studies Professor John
Sometimes, the inequality between schools is more complicated than just being in a wealthier or poorer district. Because funds are distributed on a per-student basis, larger districts from more populated areas are able to spend their funds more efficiently than districts in rural areas. Every district has overhead costs of maintaining buildings, employing a superintendent and district staff. On top of that, each school needs at least one teacher for each subject regardless of how large or small the school's graduating class is.
Rury believes that allowing school districts to raise more of their funds through local taxes would create inequality between wealthy districts and poorer districts. As Kansas law stands, school districts can raise up to 25 percent of their total budgets through local taxes. Poorer districts like in Kansas City, Kan. don't have the tax base to support that option.
"That would be politically unpopular, to say the least," Rury said. "But the state could probably save several hundred million dollars."
One obvious way to make education funding more efficient, Rury says, is to consolidate the districts. Schools in rural areas would be joined together, meaning that students would have to drive even further for school, although that school would be arguably better funded.
Many University students from rural districts have seen the effect of funding on their schools. Freshman Aaron Ginkel, a marketing major, is from a Spearville, a city with a population of less than 800.
"It's now just hit me that I haven't had much exposure to some of those courses," Gunkel said. "I've just had to adapt. I had to teach myself calculus—other people have had pre-calc or whatever and I just
With a graduating class of only 20 students, Gunkel's high school couldn't offer Advanced Placement or other college-level classes. To receive college credit, Gunkel would drive 20 minutes to a community college in nearby Dodge City, with a population of nearly 28,000.
kind of had to jump into it."
Gunkel describes the courses offered at his high school as very basic—he didn't have the option to take a course like economics that would have been more specialized to his academic and career interests. Because his school didn't have enough student athletes to offer cross-country, tennis, soccer or other sports; his only extra-curricular choice was between playing baseball and running track in the spring.
Funding education on a per-student basis is the national standard. How to most effectively collect and distribute funding for Kansas students is still up for debate.
"Spending has to be done right," Rury said.
Rury points out that most studies show that the most effective indicator for academic success is the student's family history—especially their parents' level of education. He believes that school districts need to focus most on attracting good, dedicated teachers and making class sizes smaller.
"We're seeing history in the making with this lawsuit and what the legislature is talking about," Rury said. "They seem to be wanting to find a way around this. The current administration has a view of autonomy, the way taxes work and the government's responsibility that doesn't see additional spending on education as a desirable goal."
Edited by Elise Reuter