New Perspectives in Science Education

The method of teach-back (initially applied in health care to probe patient understanding of explanations provided about their treatment [1]) has recently been applied in higher education as well, for self-assessment [2], and to enhance student engagement [3]. These applications, however, have been limited to the field of humanities (particularly the subject of second language acquisition). In our work we extended the concept to the teaching of one of our STEM courses (Introduction to Artificial Intelligence). Furthermore, we coupled the teach-back method with the use of study groups. Our goal with this exercise was many-fold. For one, we wanted to increase student engagement and student activation in the course. Moreover, we wanted to increase student understanding of key concepts through peer discussion [4]. And lastly, we wanted to attain this elevated student understanding with an efficient use of teacher hours. Partially, as a response to results showing the limits of instructor explanations regarding conceptual understanding [5], but also to adhere to the requirements of the university. In this paper we will describe how we implemented the teach-back method in our course. We will also discuss how we integrated this practice to the lectures (to increase student activation), as well as the group work of students. Furthermore, we will evaluate the outcomes of this practice by examining the course outcomes, as well as the results of the mandatory course evaluation, where we introduced six new questions specific to the teach-back method. These questions are intended to gauge the view of students regarding the teach-back method in four areas, namely, student engagement, understanding of key concepts, retention of key concepts, and the effect of the exercise on confidence. We also examine how students view the exercise through individual discussions. We will use this evaluation to provide suggestions regarding how the use of the teach-back method can be improved in our course.

Keywords Teach-back, student engagement, teaching AI, peer discussion

References [1] Sharples, M. (2019). Practical pedagogy: 40 new ways to teach and learn. Routledge.
[2] Borja Manzano-Vázquez (2021). Implementing teach-back strategy as a tool for self-assessment in higher education. 6th Virtual International Conference on Education, Innovation and ICT, EDUNOVATIC 2021
[3] Borja Manzano-Vázquez (2022). Enhancing student engagement in their learning process through teach-back method
[4] Mazur, E., & Hilborn, R. C. (1997). Peer instruction: A user's manual. Physics Today, 50(4), 68.
[5] D. Hestenes, Phys. Teach.30, 141 (1992).