"Is This Class Hard?" Defining and Analyzing Academic Rigor from a Learner's Perspective

Area of Science:

• Biology Education
• Higher Education Pedagogy

Background:

• Academic rigor is a complex concept in higher education, difficult for both instructors and students to define.
• Understanding student perceptions of rigor is crucial for effective course design and instruction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how undergraduate biology students perceive academic rigor in their coursework.
• To identify factors contributing to students' perceptions of courses as either "easy" or "hard."

Main Methods:

• Qualitative surveys were administered to undergraduate biology students.
• Students were asked to identify easy/hard courses and the contributing aspects of their learning experiences.

Main Results:

• Lower-level students (100-level) defined rigor primarily through affective factors like pacing, workload, relevance, and faculty support.
• Upper-level students (300-level) linked rigor to cognitive complexity, but noted course design elements (alignment, support, active pedagogy) eased the learning process.
• All students agreed that high faculty support, learner-centered design, prior knowledge, and active, scaffolded pedagogy make courses feel easy.
• Active-learning courses were perceived as both easy and hard due to their dual capacity to challenge and support learning.

Conclusions:

• Student perceptions of academic rigor evolve with their academic progression.
• Effective course design in biology integrates cognitive challenge with robust support structures.
• Active-learning strategies can foster rigor when thoughtfully implemented to balance challenge and support.