99 - Connect Four: Use of 5-minute Meetings to Examine Student Engagement in an Undergraduate Physiology Course

Poster Board Number: 99
There are separate poster presentation times for odd and even posters.
Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Co-authors:

Frederick Bauer - Indiana University School of Medicine, Bloomington; JT Corneliius - Indiana University School of Medicine, Bloomington

Abstract Body : A challenge that exists in higher education is students being afraid to ask for help before, during, and/or after class. There are many reasons for this fear – students not wanting to “look stupid” in front of their peers or teachers, the lack of relatability with the teacher, and/or not knowing what question to ask.









This disconnect likely prevents students from asking for help before, during, and/or after class. One way to reduce this fear is by having students have an individual meeting with the teacher. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to see how holding a 5-minute, individual meeting during the first three weeks of the semester with students would increase engagement inside and outside of class compared to those who did not have an individual meeting. It was hypothesized that students who participated in these meetings would ask more questions inside and outside of class.









This study utilized a 200-level introductory physiology class with 424 students. 348 students met individually with the professor for 5 minutes. These conversations involved students answering four questions.




1. Where are you from?




2. What is your career goal?




3. What is something unique about yourself?




4. What was the highlight of your break?









9-weeks into the semester an anonymous survey was administered to the entire class. Of the 424 students in the class, 336 students (285 who completed the meeting) completed the survey where they self-reported their grade expectations at the start of the semester, their current grade, and how often they asked questions in-class, via e-mail, and during in-person meetings after class. While there was no difference in grade expectations prior to the start of the semester, the group of students who completed the meeting had better grades than the students who did not (p = 0.018). While there was no difference in the frequency that students would ask for questions during class or via email, students who completed this meeting were more likely to meet with the professor in-person (p < .0001). Finally, 74%, 53%, and 60% of students who completed the early-semester meeting stated they were more likely to ask questions in-person, during class, and via email, respectively.









The findings from this study suggest that an early, in-person meeting significantly increases the likelihood that students are willing to meet in-person with their professor, which might lead to improved student outcomes.