Supplemental Practice day with group worked-example worksheets in a large lecture course¶

Design · All designs
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 1 study (1 causal), q3 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

A weekly extra class day added to a two-lecture-plus-lab large course structure, in which students form ad hoc groups and complete worksheets presenting an expert's solution followed by a similar problem to work out. Each worksheet contained "approximately 8 to 10 worked examples and problems," reviewing the previous week's lecture content with no new material, while two to three undergraduate assistants and a graduate student circulated to answer questions. The design was modeled after worked-example research and implemented in 13 SP days per semester.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

A course coordinator ensuring structure, labs, quizzes, and exams are the same across sections
class assistants ready to help students during SP days
worksheets presenting a worked solution followed by a problem for students to work

Constraints¶

Due to time constraints, not all topics from the previous week's lecture were covered on the worksheets
it was not plausible to prevent students from referencing the worked example while completing the paired problem, unlike prior laboratory studies
problems varied in similarity to the worked examples

Target Learners¶

college students in large lecture introductory mathematics courses, including freshmen and sophomores

Learning Goals¶

college algebra problem solving
course success rates
prior knowledge growth

Claims¶

Examples¶

-

Key Sources¶

David Miller and Matthew Schraeder. (2015). Research on Group Learning and Cognitive Science: A Study of Motivation, Knowledge, and Self-Regulation in a Large Lecture College Algebra Class. The Mathematics Educator, Vol. 24, No. 2, 27-55. https://tme.coe.uga.edu/

Page metadata

Field	Value
`type`	`design`
`id`	`supplemental-practice-worked-example-day`
`title`	`Supplemental Practice day with group worked-example worksheets in a large lecture course`
`description`	`A weekly extra class day added to a two-lecture-plus-lab large course structure, in which students form ad hoc groups and complete worksheets presenting an expert's solution followed by a similar problem to work out.`
`status`	`review`
`generated`	by `process:settle-candidates` on `2026-11-02`
`trust`	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
`sources`	1 — `david-miller-and-matthew-schraeder-2015`

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