Investigating Student Engagement in First-Year Biology Education - A Comparison of Major and Non-Major Perception of Engagement Across Different Active Learning Activities

Oct 15, 2026

Educational techniques that increase student engagement are known to improve class-level performance, yet engagement patterns within specific activities in large first-year cohorts remain limited. This study analyzes two large lecture-based introductory biology classes to test relationships between learning activities and engagement and achievement at both class and program levels. Student surveys quantify engagement across four active-learning activities, and engagement scores are compared with final grades to assess how major status shapes these relationships.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages25

Reading Time1 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Study focus and research question

Engagement measurement and activities

Comparison method and major-status findings

Implications for instructional techniques

The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning | Volume 10 | Issue 1 | Article 8 | | --- | --- | Spring 5-31-2019 Investigating Student Engagement in FirstYear Biology Education: A Comparison of Major and Non-Major Perception of Engagement Across Different Active Learning Activities Devin Hymers University of Guelph, [dhymers@uoguelph.ca](dhymers@uoguelph.ca)[ ](dhymers@uoguelph.ca)Genevieve Newton University of Guelph, [newton@uoguelph.ca](newton@uoguelph.ca) Follow this and additional works at: [https://www.cjsotl-rcacea.ca](https://www.cjsotl-rcacea.ca) [https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2019.1.7993](https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2019.1.7993) Recommended Citation Hymers, D., & Newton, G. (2019) . Investigating student engagement in first-year biology education: A comparison of major and non-major perception of engagement across different active learning activities. The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 10(1). [https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2019.1.7993](https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2019.1.7993) Investigating Student Engagement in First-Year Biology Education: A Comparison of Major and Non-Major Perception of Engagement Across Different Active Learning Activities Abstract Educational techniques that improve student engagement have repeatedly been shown to improve performance at the class level at many institutions and in multiple disciplines. However, knowledge of engagement in individual activities in large first-year classes, where there may be several subpopulations of students in different programs reflecting varied interests, is limited. In this study, we examined two large, lecture-based, introductory first-year biology classes to determine whether there were any relationships between specific learning activities and student engagement and performance, both at the class level and as broken down by program of study. Surveys were used to quantify the level of student engagement through four activities: (a) student response systems (clickers), (b) in-class discussions and activities, (c) lab and seminar activities, and (d) interdisciplinary learning. Engagement scores were then compared to students’ final grades. Students in all majors who reported higher levels of participation in most activities studied also reported feeling more engaged overall and achieved higher grades than their less-engaged peers; however, students in non-biology majors demonstrated notably weaker relationships between their engagement and performance in biology courses, where such relationships existed at all. In this paper, we discuss the learning activities which are associated with the greatest performance increases in both biology and non-biology majors and suggest how these results may be used to inform instructional techniques to benefit all students, regardless of major, in future course offerings. Il a été maintes fois prouvé que les techniques éducationnelles qui favorisent la participation des étudiants améliorent également les résultats au niveau de la classe, dans de nombreux établissementset dans diverses disciplines. Toutefois, nous savons que la participation est en fait limitée dans les activités individuelles menées dans les très grandes classes de première année, où il peut y avoir plusieurs sous-populations d’étudiants inscrits dans divers programmes qui reflètent des intérêtsvariés. Dans cette étude, nous examinons deux grandes classes de première année d’introduction à la biologie enseignées par le biais de cours magistraux afin de déterminer s’il existe des rapports entre des activités d’apprentissage spécifiques et la participation et les résultats des étudiants, tant au niveau de la classe qu’au niveau ventilé du programme d’études. Des sondages ont été employés pour quantifier le degré de participation des étudiants par le biais de quatre activités : (a) des systèmes deréponses des étudiants (clickers), (b) des discussio

FAQs

How did the study measure student engagement?

Engagement was quantified using surveys covering four activities: student response systems (clickers), in-class discussions and activities, lab and seminar activities, and interdisciplinary learning.

What relationship did majors report between engagement and performance?

Students across majors who reported higher participation in most activities also reported feeling more engaged overall and earned higher final grades than less-engaged peers.

How did non-biology majors differ from biology majors in engagement-performance links?

Non-biology majors showed notably weaker relationships between engagement and performance in biology courses, with such relationships appearing only when they existed at all.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Anna Hans