Raising attainment for low-scoring students through quectures: an analysis of achievement and engagement with personalised learning in lectures

Abstract

Background: Quectures are flipped lectures with embedded ‘quecture questions’, which employ metacognitive reflection as an active learning intervention. Quecture questions are students’ own questions, identified and constructed by students around learning objectives during lectures. The quecture question intervention aims to support each student to engage better with their learning and to work at an individually appropriate level, and is accessible to all students irrespective of learning background. This research explores engagement and performance of students using the intervention, with a focus on those who traditionally receive low scores, to measure the effectiveness of quecture questions. Results: Accumulated data demonstrate that student engagement with quecture questions is associated with improved learning on wider topics than those on which the intervention was used, as evidenced by improved overall course scores. Students who participate minimally within other elements of the course but who do submit their own quecture questions gain disproportionate benefit. The improved performance benefits of engagement with quecture questions are most marked for students with low prior scores. Students originating from the same country as our university and those whose parents did not attend university represent typically low-scoring demographic groups with low participation levels who might potentially benefit from the quecture strategy. However, lack of engagement with the intervention is also prevalent in these student groups precluding unengaged students from benefitting. Conclusions: Quecture questions represent a simple yet effective intervention for improving learning in lectures. Broad learning benefits suggest improved learning habits, and support the notion that the intervention leads to students assuming increased responsibility for their own learning. The use of quecture questions generated most benefit to low-scoring students, validating the intervention as a useful tool with which to address learning inequities. The quecture question intervention readily adapts to suit online learning and represents an ideal first step for busy instructors wishing to adapt their lectures towards a more student-centred approach to learning.