The Effectiveness of Additional Class Contact Time on Student Performance in Statics

Abstract

The effect of additional class contact time on student performance in statics is investigated. Comparisons are made between the final exam grades and final course grades of at-risk students placed on two versions of the same statics course. A standard version of the statics course meets for three hours per week over the course of a 15-week semester, while a second version meets for four hours per week. During the 11-year timeframe covered by this study, the four-hour statics course has been populated by students identified as ‘at risk’ using an informal screening procedure. For comparison purposes, using the same enrollment data, a second group of at-risk students was identified from within the standard three-hour course using a more formal screening procedure based on logistic regression. A comparison between the two groups shows that the extra contact hour had a minor, statistically insignificant effect on final exam and final course grades.