Vad påverkar studenters närvaro? En intervjustudie med studenter
Aktivt lärandeJesper Samuelsson1, Stina Regnér1, Klara Bolander Laksov1
1 Lund University, LTH, Centre for Engineering Education
Sammanfattning av bidrag
In literature (e.g. Meulenbroek & van den Bogaard, 2013; Romer, 1993) a correlation between high class attendance and higher study results are historically shown for first-cycle engineering education. However, a tendency towards significantly lower student attendance at learning activities has been experienced by the teaching staff during the latest ten years and particularly among introductory mathematics course coordinators post-pandemic time. These new student behaviours can be seen as alarming. Indeed, a non-correlation between learning activity attendance and study results would be devastating for the university as an education institution since it would mean that the university has lost its function as a hub for teaching and learning.
The declining attendance level is seemingly unexplained. However, it comes during a time era where higher education experiencing strong influences by digitalisation, online-learning tools and post-pandemic behaviours. What if, the students' behaviours are a result of the changing time in relation to a traditional teaching style? This meaning that the student and teacher do not share a unified view of how learning is optimised. It is therefore reasonable to ask if the first-cycle engineering education in its fundament is and will be experiencing a paradigm shift.
The purpose of this study is to cast a light on what influences students' propensity to access teaching resources and attend campus teaching such as lectures and classroom exercises in first-cycle engineering education. Furthermore, the article should demonstrate examples of successful and less successful in-classroom learning activity approaches for calculation intensive fundamental courses.
Method
This is a mixed method study. We analysed the course experience questionnaires (CEQ) data at Lund engineering faculty from the period 2013-2023 for reported participation in different learning activities and identified a significant drop in participation from 2022.
Through student representatives as well as student course lists we emailed all first year students in three engineering programs, and second year students in programs, to ask for their willingness in participating in a study of student participation in different learning activities organised by the teachers. 12 students responded, distributed over the three programs and agreed to voluntarily being interviewed in a focus group interview.
Findings
As the focus group interviews are currently being carried out we are not able to reveal any qualitative findings yet.