Assessing the impact of visualization media on engagement in an active learning environment

The growing adoption of active learning pedagogical methods has shown significant positive effects in higher education as they promote students' engagement and meeting of learning outcomes. Similarly, problem-based learning and media-based learning allow instructors to model educational experiences that prepare students with knowledge and skills necessary for the real world. In this study, the authors wanted to investigate the impact of a group problem-based learning activity using visualization media on students' learning motivation in a mathematics course. In this activity, students were grouped and asked to solve volumes of revolution calculus problems while being either in a traditional classroom or in a classroom equipped with a large-scale visualization display system. The authors assessed the students' self-efficacy, effort regulation, perceived usefulness, task attraction, and user experience after participating in the activity. The authors found a significant difference in students' self-efficacy and task attraction based on the results' analysis. The authors did not find a significant difference in students' effort regulation and perceived usefulness. The students did report a significantly positive experience while using the large-scale visualization display system. The analysis illustrated a medium to large effect size of the results' statistical significance. This study supports future instructors and researchers in designing and developing impactful pedagogical active learning experiences.