2021
Video
Using PhET Sims in Perusall
Ted Clark, The Ohio State University, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Columbus, OH United States: PhET sims have been an essential part of my in-person general chemistry class for years. When forced to transition to online learning, I made sure to take PhET sims with me by including them in videos delivered with Perusall. I will discuss how Perusall provided me with insights into how students interact with instructor-led demonstrations and share suggestions for using PhET sims asynchronously.
2021
Video
Virtual Team-Based Learning in Pharmacotherapy During the Pandemic
Vanessa E. Millisor Wayne State University and Henry Ford Hospital, Pharmacy Practice Detroit, MI, United States Team-based learning (TBL) is an interactive learning strategy which improves critical thinking and collaboration skills. Utilizing an innovative approach, we applied three online platforms to transform our TBL into a virtual experience: Perusall, Canvas, and Zoom. Perusall allowed students and instructors to collaboratively markup patient cases. It facilitated the achievement of different components of TBL including the application of in-class activities, simultaneous reporting on case questions, and immediate feedback on application of learning material.
2021
Video
When Skimming is More Important than Reading
Alan Cheville, Matt Lamparter Bucknell University, Electrical and Computer Engineering Lewsiburg, PA, United States In a second-year design course for engineers, Perusall enables us to better use class time to focus on tacit knowledge. To address tacit knowledge the course is heavily scaffolded, taking students on a week-by-week journey that leads from idea to instantiation. We want to start a conversation about how Perusall can be used to: find particular information within rather than read the whole document, organize and archive sources, and how to archive comments so Perusall can be used as a Wiki or FAQ.
Video
Perusall is an Effective Social Learning Tool to Improve Student Engagement and Academic Performance in Undergraduate Medical Education
Despite the call for change, passive teaching methods are common in medical education. Active learning can decrease cognitive load and positively impact long-term retention. Perusall was selected to support active learning activities and deliver preparatory materials to first-year medical students (n=125) in a basic science course. This strategy was compared to providing students with a pre-recorded lecture. The findings demonstrated that Perusall was effective in increasing engagement, motivating reading through social annotation and shared understanding, and ultimately enhancing academic performance in midterm and final exams.
