Course Transformation Project:Making Large Classes Small

2013 Midwest First-Year ConferenceJulia Spears, Michaela Holtz, and Sheela Vemu

Overview

• Share why NIU chose CTP as its approach to undergraduate instruction (Julia Spears)

• Describe how CTP works at NIU (Michaela Holtz)

• Demonstrate parts of CTP courses (Sheela Vemu)

• Discussion & Questions

Perfect Storm - National Context

Perfect Storm

• High DFWI rates• Financial factors - tuition cannot keep

exceeding inflation (CPI)• Faculty Accountability• Students Today

• Demographics - higher and more diverse enrollments• Multi-taskers• Higher and more diverse enrollment• A reliance on the web - danger of plagiarism• Tech-savvy

Perfect Storm – Knowledge of Learning Today

With active learning experience – students:• engage with course content, each

other, and instructor• think critically• develop cognitively.

Technology Emergence - • radical impact on higher education• delivering the foundational content

effectively in large classes• different thought process

Students Today

Why Course Transformation?

• Passive classes lead to passive students.

• Students “lost” in large lecture classes.

• Students experience disconnect; they don’t see the relevancy of the classroom experience to their own lives.

Goals of the NIU’s CTP

• Improve SLOs in large enrollment undergraduate

courses and link them to the Baccalaureate Goals

• Have a university-wide impact through the

establishment of a Community of Practice (20

faculty members)

• Create a redesign process that is sustainable and

replicable

Course Transformation Project @ NIU

• Faculty teams redesign 5 - 7 courses per year– Two - year commitment– Occurs within an

interdisciplinary community of practice

– Senior Faculty Fellows• Retreats and monthly meetings

with faculty and staff• Institution - wide forums/

workshops• End – of - pilot and project

meetings

• Based on UNT’s NextGen model Teaching and Learning at

NIU

Other courses in the

department

Multiple sections of each

redesigned course

Redesign 5-7 courses

per year

Steps In The CTP Redesign Process

(Nextgen, 2011)

CTP – Blended Course

(Guidelines based on Nextgen, 2011)

CTP Large Lectures

• Present the critical lower level concepts to provide building blocks for higher level, more complex concepts

• Synthesize, clarify and expand upon (rather than deliver) content

• Create interest and motivation

• Provide assurance that what they are studying is relevant

• Model means of interpreting and analyzing content

CTP Large Lectures @ NIU

• OMIS 259 (30%, 1 hour a week) - Audience response system(10 times per lecture)

• ANTH 102 (30%) – assert themes from the readings and materials; cover tricky issues

• PHYS 180 – lectures with 2-3 in- class performance demonstrations

• HIST 171 – follow up after online quiz prior each lecture and readings assigned

CTP online

• Acquire lower level learning

• Limit content to overcome working memory limits

• Implement low-stakes assessments (quizzes) to boost students’ confidence

• Practical and participatory ways to engage student with reading material

CTP online @ NIU

• Before class quizzes• Online crossword puzzles -

Learning definitions and concepts• Readings – assigned pages with

built in questions• Online musical performance

analysis• Lascaux Cave online treasure

hunt; interactive maps• Group videos – interactive

training exercise

CTP Experiential Learning

• Introduce emotional component; Brain-based learning

• Analyze and evaluate information

• Present and defend newly-acquired hypotheses

• The Cemetery Project – ANTH 102: examine changing mortuary practices in DeKalb County – results in written report

• Create Website - WOMS 230: Students choose a current issue relating to women and/or gender, research it, collaborate with a relevant campus or community partner, take action to address that issue, and create an original and engaging website communicating the results of the project.

•

• Make and analyzing the sound of simple instruments (8-10 groups)

• Debates; research and teach the class

• Research ethics training – COMS 252: Students study and get trained on a research protocol, conducting a research interview using that protocol, transcribing the interview, work with their own and other students’ data to enact coding procedures, theorize from the results, and advocate a position based on their findings.

CTP Experiential Learning @ NIU

Transformation Goals

• Students think, work hard, like what they are doing, get good grades

that mean something, and graduate

• Doesn’t cost more and uses less space

• Faculty enjoy and believe in the process

FACULTY PERSPECTIVE

Dr. Sheela Vemu

SAIL Cycle

The Science Assessment, Instruction, and Learning (SAIL) Cycle

Five E Model - Engagement

1. Engagement

Are we encouraging their interest?

What is their prior experience of the topic?

Have you peaked their interest?

Personal reflection

Five E Model - Exploration

2. Exploration Metacognition Identify gaps Close the gaps with

explanations

Five E Model – Exploration cont.

Purpose <- -> Learning Report

Five E Model - Explain

3. Explain Experiential learning POGIL method

In class…BIOS 109

Five E Model – Elaboration & Evaluation

4. Elaboration Assignments in the new context

5. Evaluation Quizzes & grading/ Midterm/

Final

CTP 2012-2014

1. Chuck Downing - OMIS 259

2. Yasuo Ito - PHYS 180

3. Eric Jones - HIST 170

4. Sibel Kusimba - ANTH 102

5. Sheela Vemu - BIOS 109

6. Douglas Wallace - PSYC 102

CTP - Lite 2013

• Winifred Creamer - ANTH 491• Jason Hanna - PHIL 231• Amanda Littauer - WOMS 230• Anders Linner - MATH 210

• Jimmie Manning - COMS 252• Lyle Marschand - PHYS 150/ 150A• William McCoy – LEEA 490/590• Wendel Johnson & Meredith Ayers - UNIV 105

NIU’s Community of Practice

CTP 2013-2015

1. Laura Steele – FCCL 271

2. Joseph Scudder – COMS 302

3. Matthew Wittrup – PHHE 295

4. Cathy Carlson – NURS 318

5. Jeremy Groves – ECON 260

6. Courtney Gallaher – GEOG 101

Questions?

Thank you!