Large Enrollment Course Redesign

1
Large Enrollment Course Redesign

• Essential Collaborations for Large Course
  Redesign
• Redesigning HLTH 1000
• Redesigning PSYC 1000
• East Carolina University 2003 -
  2007

2
Why Redesign?

• East Carolina University is facing a number of
  pressures (as are many of our sister
  institutions) which have made large enrollment
  courses not only more attractive but necessary.
• Growing student enrollment (and strong pressures
  to continue to grow)
• Growth in faculty has not been comparable to
  growth in enrolled students
• Limited space can not expand the number of
  classrooms and few large capacity classrooms
• Improved retention PSYC1000 has an unacceptably
  high D, F, Withdraw rate
• High demand courses as measured by student
  enrollment (HLTH1000 is the highest enrollment
  course and PSYC1000 is the fourth highest
  enrollment course)
• Both departments are stretched to meet
  undergraduate and graduate
• course needs

3
Institutional Readiness - http//www.center.rpi.ed
u/PlanRes/Readiness.htm

• Does the institution want to control or reduce
  costs and increase academic productivity?
• Is there a demonstrated commitment on the part of
  institutional leaders to use technology to
  achieve strategic academic goals, a commitment
  that moves beyond using technology to provide
  general support for all faculty and for all
  courses?
• Is computing firmly integrated into the campus
  culture?
• Has the institution substituted capital for
  labori.e., used technology for functions
  previously performed by institutional personnel?
  In administrative functions? In academic
  functions?
• Does the institution have a mature information
  technology (IT) organization(s) to support
  faculty integration of technology into courses?
  Or does it contract with external providers to
  provide such support?
• Does the institution have a demonstrated
  commitment to learner-centered education?
• Has the institution made a commitment to learner
  readiness to
• engage in IT-based courses?
• Is the institution committed to providing needed
  support for the redesign project?

4
Course Readiness http//www.center.rpi.edu/PlanRes
/Readiness.htm

• Will changes in the course have a high impact on
  the curriculum?
• Are decisions about curriculum in the department,
  program, or school made collectively--in other
  words, beyond the individual faculty member
  level?
• Are the faculty able and willing to incorporate
  existing curricular materials in order to focus
  work on redesign issues rather than materials
  creation?
• Do the faculty members have an understanding of
  and some experience with integrating elements of
  computer-based instruction into existing courses?
  
• Have the courses expected learning outcomes and
  a system for measuring their achievement been
  identified?
• Do the project participants have the requisite
  skills to conduct a large-scale project?
• Do the faculty members involved have an
  understanding of learning theory?
• Is the campus committed to a partnership among
  faculty, IT
• staff and administrators in both planning
  and execution of the redesign?

5
The Importance of a Team Approach

• Academic Affairs
• College Administration
• Department Administration
• Faculty
• College Instructional Technology Consultant
• ITCS
• Academic Outreach
• Facilities
• Registrar

6
HLTH1000Health in Modern Society

• Contributor to ECU Foundations Curriculum
• Enrolls approximately 2000 per semester
• Predominately Freshmen
• Taught by master faculty and graduate teaching
  assistants. Master Faculty serve as mentors for
  GTAs.

HLTH 1000
7
Redesign of HLTH 1000 Health in Modern Society

• A required 2 semester hour course
• Two pilot terms variation in delivery of master
  class lectures
• Fully implemented Fall 2006.
• DESIGN
• All 2000 students enrolled each semester
  participate in a master class/lecture via
  Blackboard one day per week and a face-to-face
  break out session one day per week. The design
  increases master classes by 44 with the
  corresponding reduction in space and instructors
  needed.

HLTH 1000
8
Online Video Segments and Blackboard
HLTH 1000
9
Virtual Classmates
HLTH 1000
10
Multi-Purpose Integrated Media Module Interface
(MIMM) all online lessons use
http//core.ecu.edu/hhp/vailsmithk/MIMM/sleep/slee
p.asp)
HLTH 1000
11
Keys to Successful Redesign

• Administrative support
• Faculty expertise in online instructional
  delivery
• Faculty support for more standardized course
  delivery
• Need to better utilize classroom space
• Need to better utilize instructional resources

HLTH 1000
12
Expected Benefits of Redesign

• More efficient use of classroom space
• Standardized course content
• More efficient use of funding for instructional
  personnel
• Reduced the amount of course content that GTAs
  were expected to deliver
• Provided more training for first year GTAs
• Allowed for smaller face-to-face class size which
  enhanced instructor-student relationships and
  promoted trust important for discussing sensitive
  personal health topics

HLTH 1000
13
Comparison of student perceptions of HLTH1000
before after implementation of Large Enrollment
Sections
HLTH 1000
14
HLTH1000 Student Demographics Spring, 2005 (n73)
HLTH 1000
15
Unexpected Benefits of Redesign

• Reduced problems with course policy
  interpretations, such as attendance
• Assured that students would never have a
  cancelled class due to instructor absence

HLTH 1000
16
Redesigning PSYC 1000

• PSYCHOLOGY
• The Scientific Study
• Of
• HUMAN BEHAVIOR
• AND
• MENTAL PROCESSES

PSYC 1000
17
SURVEY COURSE

• Look at all major divisions of Psychology
• Each chapter in text whole course in upper
  level classes

PSYC 1000
18
TWO TIERED APPROACH

• TEXTBOOK
• CLASSES

PSYC 1000
19
TEXTBOOK

• Essentials of Understanding Psychology
• Robert S Feldman
• Seventh Edition

PSYC 1000
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TEXTBOOK (cont.)

• Mastery Quizzes on material in text
• Take quiz before we do material in class
• Schedule listed in Blackboard course information
• Quizzes taken through Bb 24/7 availability
• Approximately one week to do each set of quizzes
• Each set has 10 quizzeskeep highest grade
• Must get at least an 80 or take all 10 quizzes
  before stopping
• End of semester if you have taken all 12 sets,
  you can drop two lowest quiz grades.
• Average grade of quizzes 20 of final grade

PSYC 1000
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CLASSES

• Master Classes
• Monday, Wednesday, 200 250 PM
• Here SZ C207
• Elaborate
• Explain
• Emphasize
• Add

PSYC 1000
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CLASSES (cont.)

• Break-out Sessions
• -- Fridays, Selected time
• -- Supplemental Instructors
• -- Nine groups of 25 students each (on Bb)
• Review MC Material
• Teach additional material
• Test on class material
• SIS ARE YOUR ADVOCATES

PSYC 1000
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Break-Out class tests

• Ten tests one each Friday on material from
  prior three classes. Listed on Bb.
• Each worth 10 points total 100
• Will be fill in blank, matching column, short
  essay T/F. multiple choice
• If take all 10 can raise lowest test score to10.
  (Fixed Ratio Re-enforcer)
• Worth 25 of final grade

PSYC 1000
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OTHER GRADES

• Mid-term Exam Text and Class work of first
  seven chapters. Friday, February 23. 25 of
  grade.
• Final Exam Semi-comprehensive. Friday, April 27
  11 AM. 25 of grade
• Participate in Experimentrak 5 of grade

PSYC 1000
25
CLASS ATTENDANCE

• Expected at ALL master classes and break out
  sessions.
• MC attendance will be taken an unannounced number
  of time on unannounced days. (Variable Interval
  Re-enforcer)
• BO sessions attendance will be taken weekly.
• Legitimate excuses give to Group instructor for
  Fridays to Crystal for Master Classes
• Maintain Perfect Attendance (i.e. no unexcused
  absences) and gain
• FIVE BONUS POINTS ADDED TO FINAL GRADE
• EACH UNEXCUSED ABSENCE SUBTRACT ONE POINT FROM
  FINAL GRADE

PSYC 1000
26
Student Evaluations of Psych 1000

• Students submitted evaluations of the course
  structure
• Students expressed a desire for more break out
  classes
• Responses to strengths of the course
• Break-out sessions, mastery quizzes
• The strengths are that we take the quizzes and
  tests to keep us learning
• The mastery quizzes, they make us read the
  textbook
• Dr. Handrons lectures are very interesting.
  They keep me awake and intrigued throughout the
  class.

PSYC 1000
27
Student Evaluations of Psych 1000

• Students also had the opportunity to comment on
  their individual break-out leader
• Well prepared, efficient and organized when
  teaching materials and administering tests
• I am in group 2, and my break out instructor was
  awesome. He was nice and very helpful.
• Roger taught very well and had a really good
  understanding of how he should teach an intro
  level.
• Ashley was a great TA, and I would love to have
  her again for another class!
• I think my break-out instructor covered the
  material well, and did a good job answering our
  questions.
• I really liked my break-out instructor, she was
  always willing to help out.
• s to get as good of grades as possible. Thanks!

PSYC 1000
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Table 1 Pre and Posttest Score Means and
Standard Deviations by All Sections

PSYC 1000
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Table 2 Distribution by classification of
students completing the pre- and posttesting
PSYC 1000
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Table 3 Student distribution based on ethnicity
PSYC 1000
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Table 5 Distribution of pre- and posttest scores
for total group (pretest 1229 freq post 995 freq)
PSYC 1000
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Table 5 cont Distribution of pre- and posttest
scores for total group (pretest 1229 freq 995
post freq)
PSYC 1000
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Table 6 Means and SD for pre- and posttest
scores by course section
PSYC 1000
34
Table 7 SAT verbal and math for each section
PSYC 1000
35
Table 8 Grade Distribution by Section and Total
PSYC 1000
36
Technology Issues Lessons Learned

• Hardware
• Finding technology-enhanced large classroom space
• Acquisition of laptops and projectors for
  breakout sessions training Sis on practical and
  pedagogical use Training for instructor smart
  classroom and Blackboard
• Overwhelming students instructor with new
  technology
• Software
• Coordinating two versions of Bb, publishers web
  site
• Creating mastery quizzes (inability to identify
  highest quiz score automatically in Bb, enlarge
  quiz pools), managing gradebook
• Introducing students to Blackboard and mastery
  quizzes (reducing confusion emails)

PSYC 1000
37
Instruction Issues Lessons Learned

• Obtaining departmental support for project and
  agreement on basic course topics
• Importance of the instructors
• How to count large enrollment course in
  instructors course load for annual review
• Team environment of project vs. traditional
  autonomous instructors role
• Teaching to different learning styles (reading,
  interactive visual activities, auditory,
  discussion)
• Adjusting reduced lectures to cover content in
  dense, fast-paced, non-repetitious introductory
  course setting
• Ensuring adequate student/instructor contact and
  social presence
• Importance of active engagement with course
  material mastery quizzes for psychology and
  quality of video teaching moments
• Assuring consistency in breakout sessions

PSYC 1000
38
Infrastructure Issues Lessons Learned

• Access to large, technology-equipped classroom
  remains problematic scheduling review is
  underway to try and handle this
• Scheduling sufficient rooms for breakout sessions
• Funding for SIs, technology hardware and software
  -- assistance has been provided by Academic
  Affairs and ITCS
• Psychology no common syllabus or textbook, but
  consensus on course topics Health Education
  common course materials
• Implementation of pre/post-test in all psychology
  course sections new chair has provided great
  support
• Students inexperience with technology need to
  be prepared to handle students help requests
• Opportunity to field test technology and
  strategies, but sometimesa challenge to
  implement

PSYC 1000
39
Major Accomplishments of Redesign Project for
East Carolina University

• Opportunity to share Best Practices with the
  campus community
• Opportunity for various parts of campus to work
  togetheras a team for improved instruction with
  a course redesign goal
• More efficient use of classroom space with
  standardized course content
• Improved learning of students in Psychology 1000
  as measured by pre-post-test and reduced D, F,
  Withdraw rates
• Offers departments coverage of important
  introductory courses with minimal faculty members
  (important becauseof need to staff undergraduate
  and graduate programs)

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ECU R2R Team

• Dorothy Muller, Special Assistant to the Provost
  and Co-Director, Center for Faculty Excellence
• Dorothy Clayton, Co-Director, Center for Faculty
  Excellence
• David White, Chair, and Faculty, Department of
  Health Education and Promotion
• Larry Bolen, Assoc. Dean of Arts and Sciences and
  Professor of Psychology, Department of
  Psychology
• Dr. Clem Handron, Visiting Professor, Department
  of Psychology
• Katie Weegar, Graduate Teaching Assistant,
  Department of Psychology
• Joyce Joines Newman, Instructional Technology
  Consultant for Harriot College of Arts and
  Sciences
• Jennifer Raby, Wendy Creasey, Tom Irons Jr.,
  Kevin Johnson, Information Technology Computing
  Systems