2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Course content is typically covered at the same pace for all students; however, some students take longer to grasp concepts than others. Mastery-based learning allows for learners to progress at a pace that is comfortable for them. Faculty at a mid-size, primarily undergraduate institution, investigated the effectiveness of a flipped classroom combined with a semi-mastery-based design for a Probability and Statistics course that met twice a week for 105 minutes per session.

Content was split into seven modules, where Modules 1-6 represents the typical content of the course. Module 7 is an add-on for further depth, whereas up through Module 5 is the basic minimum level of expected proficiency. A hierarchical grading scheme was employed such that students completing Modules 1-6 could earn the typical ‘A-F’ range of letter grades on a standard scoring scale. Students completing Modules 1-5 could only earn a maximum of a ‘B’ letter grade with scores in the 90s. However, students completing Modules 1-7 could earn an ‘A’ even with a numerical score in the 80s. Modules had to be completed in chronological order, with up to three weeks allotted for each of the required modules. The modules contained topic handouts with example problems, worksheets with additional practice problems, and were available on the Canvas learning management system. Each module contained 1-2 quizzes that were administered in class once the instructor was notified by the student, at least 24-hours in advance of the next class meeting, that they were ready to take a quiz.

Students had to cover material at a faster pace if they wanted or needed to complete more than the minimum number of modules. Class meetings were structured so that students could ask questions of the Learning Assistant (LA) or instructor, collaborate in small groups, work through problems provided in topic handouts, worksheets, and online homework, or take assessments. The online homework site WebWork was another venue where students could practice course content; however, the homework was optional. That is, students did not have to do the homework problems. If they attempted the homework and their average was poorer than their quiz average, then their final grade was purely based on their quiz average. On the other hand, if their homework grade was better than their quiz average, then their final grade was a weighted average of their homework (20%) and their quizzes (80%). Final letter grades were based on how many modules a student completed and their final numerical grade.

Preliminary data suggests that students appreciate the flexible learning schedule and are more likely to pass with this design compared to a traditional one. Learning analytics, data visualizations, and statistical analysis will be used to answer the following questions: (a) Do students primarily do the minimum number of modules? (b) Why do some students go beyond the minimum number of modules? (c) Is the passing rate superior to past sections conducted with a traditional lecture-based design? (d) How do students feel about this flexible design?