A Study and Comparison of Students' Opinions toward Active Learning Instruction in the Information Technology for Digital Life Course

Abstract

The objectives of this research were 1) to study students’ opinions towards active learning-based teaching and learning management in the course ‘Information Technology for Digital Life’ and 2) to compare the popularity of active learning-based teaching models classified by gender and faculty. The samples were 280 students studying in the undergraduate levels at Ubon Ratchathani University. The sample size was determined by Taro Yamane’s Table. The samples were randomized from 935 students from 7 faculties. The research instrument was a questionnaire divided into 4 parts with the overall reliability of Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.909. The findings showed that (1) the level of the satisfaction towards the active learning activities was at the highest level (M = 4.39, SD = 0.57), with the use of appropriate instructional media and critical-thinking activities receiving the highest scores, (2) the students’ most preferred were formative assessment and class participation (23.27 %, followed by game-based learning (12.90 %), and (3) regarding opinions on the popularity of active teaching methods, the analysis found that genders and faculty group did not significantly affect the popularity of active teaching methods. In conclusion, active learning-based teaching and learning management enhances students’ satisfaction and engagement. Institutions should enhance the use of the activities that responds to the diverse needs of various faculties and increase? the use of the digital tools proven to be effective such as Formative Assessment, in order to improve academic achievement.