Classwork Instead of Homework: A Novel Accelerated Summer Hybrid Lecture/Problem-Based Classroom Model

In short-term summer courses, students are expected to learn at a much faster pace than in a regular semester. Therefore, the instructor has to use different teaching techniques so students can succeed in such accelerated learning environment. In this paper, a novel approach to replace homework with classwork assignments in a summer course is presented. The proposed approach uses a hybrid model combining traditional lecture-based and problem-based instructions designed to provide students with instant formative feedback. Using this model, a typical 5-week summer term was rearranged to include 2-hour of classwork in a studio environment without affecting the teaching format of the course. Twice a week quizzes were administered to check student readiness and provide timely feedback about the progress of the student learning process. This hybrid teaching model was implemented in a senior level communication systems course offered in summer 2015 with 10 students enrolled in it. The effectiveness of this model was verified using multiple statistical assessment methods and compared with students in regular summer semester offering of the same course. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted to assess the merit of the proposed teaching model. Assessment results obtained from the two groups showed that the students' performance in the accelerated summer course was significantly higher. This improvement was realized from the introduction of the 2-hour classwork which played a significant factor in increasing the overall students' success. Future work will investigate if this hybrid teaching approach can also be applied to other courses offered during regular academic terms.