REDESIGN OF GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY
Getting Started on Course Redesign
NOVA, 10/21/11
Dr. Megan E. Bradley,
Professor of Psychology @ Frostburg State University
Psyc150: General Psychology Course characteristics
Annual enrollment: About 900 Mostly traditional students and 1st year students Required course for Psychology Majors and 5 other
majors
Academic Issues Course drift & inefficiency Financial difficulties at University level
FROSTBURG STATE UNIVERSITY
Primary Team (who were also tech savvy): Coordinator
FT Faculty member who did not teach PSYC 150 at FSU 1 FT faculty member
Regularly taught PSYC 150 1 Adjunct instructor
Instructional Designer & regularly taught PSYC 150
Administration: Dean Associate Provost
Publisher: Worth
COURSE REDESIGN TEAM
Chose Replacement Model Pilot semester
Comparison: 2 traditional sections (N=42) 2 redesign sections (N=99)
ULAs worked with Redesign Instructors via Independent Study
Full Implementation Tripled capacity (N = 150) Began ULA course 2nd semester: Began Netbook Lab
WHAT WE DID
PILOT COMPARISONS
N compared to prior #
ADMIT GPA* FSU GPA*
Traditional 16% smaller 3.11 2.76
Redesign 100% larger 2.92 2.17
*Significantly different; p = .005 (eta2 = .027), p = .000 (eta2 = .075)
Course drift eliminated Standard course, syllabus, schedule, grading,
etc.
RESULTS
IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING
Success in the course
PILOT RESULTS: 50 QUESTION COMMON COMPREHENSIVE FINAL EXAM*
68%
75%
62%
64%
66%
68%
70%
72%
74%
76%
78%
Course Type
Traditional
Redesign
Mean Test Scores
*A one-way ANOVA of section on final exam percentage grades was significant, F = 23.251, p = .000, eta2 = .090. Also significant with GPA as covariate: F = 29.192, p = .000, eta2 = .11.
*Instructors blind to exam content
PILOT RESULTS: 50 QUESTION COMMON COMPREHENSIVE FINAL EXAM
Section Admit GPA FSU GPA Mean % on Final Exam
Section 1
Traditional
3.02 2.72 67.5%
Section 2
Traditional
3.21 2.81 69%
Section 3
Redesign
2.95 2.46 75.3%
Section 4 Redesign
2.89 2.08 75%
PILOT RESULTS: 50 QUESTION COMMON COMPREHENSIVE FINAL EXAM
Final exam scores positively correlated with average scores on Mastery Quizzes r =.523, p = .000
Comprehensive final exam too much 3 unit exams Reduced overall coverage
“Deadline Disorder” 5 different activities reduced to the 3 types that
helped students 2 weeks to complete
Students not ready for blended design Required computer lab 1x/wk
PILOT REDESIGN ISSUES & IMPLEMENTATION SOLUTIONS
FULL IMPLEMENTATION RESULTS: 43 COMMON QUESTIONS (3 EXAMS)*
65%
70%
77%
58%60%62%64%66%68%70%72%74%76%78%
Course Type
Traditional
Pilot Redesign
Full Redesign
*A one-way ANOVA of section (3 total) on common question percentage was significant, F = 25.852, p = .000, eta2 = .825.
Mean Test Scores
*Instructors blind to exam content
FULL IMPLEMENTATION RESULTS: PRE VS. POST PREJUDICE ESSAY
Mode Pre-Essay = 0 or 1 Post-Essay = 0,1, 2,
3, 4
0.310
2.28
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
Section Type
Pre-Essay
Post-Essay
*A one-way repeated measures ANOVA on essay grades was significant, F = 230.71, p = .000, eta2 = .420.
Mean Test Scores
IMPACT ON RETENTION
DWF rate
Previous average: 12.5% 18% prior to pilot
Pilot Semester Traditional sections: 4% Redesign sections: 22%
Full Implementation - Fall 12.8%
DWF RATE
OTHER IMPACT ON STUDENTS
ULAs
“Field Experience” course for top students
Leadership in Psychology Certificate Program
Supplemental Instructor (SI) Receive additional training based on national SI program
Interning as a ULA Research experience included
ULA BENEFITS
Future opportunities Commencement Speaker
Spring 2010 & Fall 2010 speakers were ULAs
Graduate School Teaching or Research Assistantship
Prestigious Internships Most recent: Sloop Institute for Excellence in Leadership
ULA BENEFITS
IMPACT ON COST SAVINGS
Formula rating Departmental implication
NCAT formula: $89 to $26 Departmental implication:
1 FT faculty position
Biggest cost effectiveness: Tripling capacity in class Staffing
COST SAVINGS
Use of savings Realized:
Communication Response System Implementation (“clickers”)
Netbook lab Yearly support for Tamarin Colony Support for Coordinator Payment to lab assistants, SI, intern
COST SAVINGS