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Peer Instruction

Mazur (1997) presents an alternative approach to teaching science courses. The 'Peer Instruction' method proposes to divide class time into short presentations of key concepts. Then, the instructor assesses the learning using qualitative multiple-choice questions called ConcepTests along with a Think-Pair-Share discussion. Based on the ConcepTests results and the discussion, the instructor decides whether more emphasis is required or to go to the next topic. Mazur (1997) includes step-by-step guidance to implement the methodology. Starting Point provides additional resources to build the ConcepTests.

The science education literature identifies positive results for students, and that a majority of instructors consider the implementation successful (see Vickrey et al., 2015 for a review). Alcade and Nagel (2019) investigate the effectiveness of Peer Instruction in an Applied Algebra for Economics and Business course taught by an economics instructor. They show increased student satisfaction, but only a temporary positive effect on student achievements.

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