REDESIGNING GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY USING UNDERGRADUATE LEARNING ASSISTANTS AS PEER MENTORS

Increasing Student Success in Social Sciences ConferenceApril 18, 2011 at Buffalo State CollegePresented by Dr. Megan E. Bradleymbradley@frostburg.edu

Psyc150: General Psychology Frostburg State University in Frostburg, Maryland Annual enrollment: About 900 Mostly traditional students and 1st year students Required course for Psychology Majors and 5

other majors

ACADEMIC PROBLEMS Course drift & inefficiency

18 sections/year Each instructor created own syllabus, objectives,

assignments, textbook, etc. Financial difficulties at University level

Unable to retrieve lost FT faculty positions Fewer FT faculty available to teach upper-level

courses requiring greater expertise

WHAT WE DID

Invited publishers to present products Team-approach with departmental support Created online instructor’s manual Chose Replacement Model Pilot semester

2 traditional sections (N=42) 2 redesign sections (N=99)

Tripled capacity during Full Implementation (N = 150)

WHAT WE DID

Pilot Semester for Redesign Sections In-class meeting

1x/week; doubled capacity Active learning

Weekly online assignments with ULA help Pre-lecture & Mastery Quizzes Discussions Prejudice Activity Academic Games & Self-Assessments

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)

PILOT RESULTS

Redesign sections significantly better than traditional sections*

Final exam scores positively correlated with average scores on MQs r =.523, p = .000

*A one-way ANOVA of section (6 total: 2 traditional and 4 redesign) on final exam percentage grades was significant, F = 4.710, p = .000, η2 = .090.

50 Question Common Comprehensive Final Exam:

PILOT RESULTS: 50 QUESTION COMMON COMPREHENSIVE FINAL EXAM

Section Admit GPA FSU GPA Mean % on Final Exam

Section 1Traditional

3.02 2.72 67.5%

Section 2Traditional

3.21 2.81 69%

Section 3Redesign

2.95 2.46 75.3%

Section 4 Redesign

2.89 2.08 75%

ACADEMIC PROBLEMS RESOLVED Course drift & inefficiency

18 sections/year to 5 or 6 sections/year Common objectives, syllabus, text, prep time,

etc. Financial difficulties at University level

Reallocation of FT faculty to upper-level courses Fewer adjuncts needed ULAs

PILOT REDESIGN ISSUES & IMPLEMENTATION SOLUTIONS Comprehensive final exam too much

3 unit exams Reduced overall coverage

“Deadline Disorder” Reduced to: MQs, Discussions, Prejudice Activity 2 weeks to complete

Students not ready for blended design Required computer lab 1x/wk

PILOT REDESIGN ISSUES & IMPLEMENTATION SOLUTIONS Students needed more in-class assistance

Updated instructor’s manual to include brief direct instruction

Need for more campus-wide support Held 3 workshops on redesign Implemented student support services programs

Tutoring, Supplemental Instruction Wellness initiative

FULL IMPLEMENTATION RESULTS

Full Implementation Redesign significantly better than Pilot Redesign & Traditional sections*

Improvements worked

*A one-way ANOVA of section (3 total) on common question percentage was significant, F = 25.852, p = .000, η2 = .825.

43 Common Questions

OVERALL RESULTS Financial Savings

$90/student to $25/student 1 FT position

DWF rate Previous average: 13%

18% prior to pilot Pilot Semester

Traditional sections: 4% Redesign sections: 22%

Full Implementation 13%

REASONS FOR SUCCESS Assessed everything and figured out what

worked and what didn’t Computer lab Use of ULAs

ULA RESPONSIBILITIES Assigned 2 small groups (N = 12) of Psyc150

students for all online work Grade Psyc150 student assignments based

on rubrics Online discussions: Moderate & grade using

rubric Answer student emails

ULA COURSE & RECRUITMENT Learning Mentor in Psychology

Purpose Field experience - Training Review current research on peer learning &

leadership/mentorship Experience as peer mentor

By recruitment only Get list of Psychology majors with high GPAs Seek support from faculty members Contact students & host information meeting(s) prior

to registration

LEADERSHIP IN PSYCHOLOGY CERTIFICATE PROGRAM1. 6 crs: Pre-requisites2. 3 cr: Psychology “Leadership” Courses 3. 3 cr: Learning Mentor course – Must earn a

C4. 6 cr: Electives: Step 2 or 3

ULA INTERNSHIP & PAID POSITIONS Can work as intern for our department

ULA + research assistant

Become Supplemental Instructor Trained by another office Run 1-3 study sessions/week

Become Tutor Trained by tutoring office

IMPACT Most have been accepted into graduate

programs Many have earned assistantships

3 earned national summer internships 1 at Sloop Leadership Institute

In 2008, the May & December commencement speakers for College of Liberal Arts & Sciences were ULAs (& SI instructors)