Students outperform faculty in recognizing the use of active learning methods.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Active learning methods present implementation challenges for educators and students.
• Misaligned self-perception of teaching methodology may hinder effective active learning integration.
• Emergency remote teaching during COVID-19 necessitated adaptations in educational delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the accuracy of instructor and student recognition of active learning methods.
• To identify factors influencing instructor and student satisfaction with classes employing active learning.
• To explore the relationship between perceived and actual use of active learning strategies.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional observational study of 58 medical school class sessions during emergency remote teaching.
• Utilized an adapted version of the PORTAAL tool for assessing active learning implementation.
• Administered post-class surveys to collect data from both instructors and students.

Main Results:

• Students accurately recognized active learning methods, whereas instructors did not.
• Both instructors and students reported higher class satisfaction when they perceived greater use of active learning.
• Satisfaction correlated with self-perceived active learning use, irrespective of perceptual accuracy.

Conclusions:

• Student perception of active learning was more accurate than instructor perception.
• Aligning self-perception with actual teaching practices is crucial for enhancing educational satisfaction and outcomes.
• Addressing instructors' potential misperceptions of active learning is vital for effective implementation.