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TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

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Page 1: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

Page 2: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

TODAY’S DISCUSSION The National Center for Academic

Transformation Overview of the Methodology and Findings

of the Program in Course Redesign Proven Models for Successful Redesign How to get the most out of this conference…

Page 3: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

• Established in 1999 as a university Center at RPI funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts

• Became an independent non-profit organization in 2003

• Mission: help colleges and universities learn how to use technology to improve student learning outcomes and reduce their instructional costs

Page 4: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

NCAT PROGRAMS• Program in Course Redesign (PCR)

– 30 institutions

• Roadmap to Redesign (R2R)– 20 institutions

• Colleagues Committed to Redesign (C2R)– 60 institutions

• State and System-based Programs– 50+ institutions

• Redesign Scholars• Corporate Associates• Redesign Alliance

Page 5: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

TRADITIONAL INSTRUCTION

SeminarsLectures

Page 6: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

“BOLT-ON” INSTRUCTION

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WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE LECTURE?

• Treats all students as if they are the same

• Ineffective in engaging students

• Inadequate individual assistance

• Poor attendance and success rates

• Students fail to retain learning

Page 8: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

WHAT’S WRONG WITH MULTIPLE SECTIONS?

• In theory: greater interaction• In practice: large class size• In practice: dominated by the

same presentation techniques• Lack of coordination• Inconsistent outcomes

Page 9: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

THE ONE PERCENT SOLUTION• Maricopa Community College District• 200,000 students• 2,000 course titles• 25 courses =

44% enrollment

All CCs = 51%

All four-year = 35%

Page 10: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

PROGRAM IN COURSE REDESIGN

To encourage colleges and universities to redesign their approaches to instruction using technology to achieve cost savings as well as quality enhancements.

30 projects50,000

students

Page 11: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

WHAT DOES NCAT MEAN BY COURSE REDESIGN?

• Course redesign is the process of redesigning whole courses (rather than individual classes or sections) to achieve better learning outcomes at a lower cost by taking advantage of the capabilities of information technology.

• Course redesign is not just about putting courses online.

• It is about rethinking the way we deliver instruction in light of the possibilities that new technology offers.

Page 12: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

WHY REDESIGN?

Look for courses where redesign will have a high impact:

• High withdrawal/failure rates• Students on waiting lists• Students turned away – graduation bottleneck• Over enrollment of courses leading to

multiple majors • Inconsistency of preparation • Difficulty getting qualified adjuncts• Difficulty in subsequent courses

Page 13: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

QUANTITATIVE (13)

• Mathematics– Iowa State University– Northern Arizona

University– Rio Salado College– Riverside CC– University of

Alabama– University of Idaho– Virginia Tech

• Statistics– Carnegie Mellon

University– Ohio State University– Penn State– U of Illinois-Urbana

Champaign• Computer

Programming– Drexel University– University at Buffalo

Page 14: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

SCIENCE (5) SOCIAL SCIENCE (6)

• Biology– Fairfield University– University of

Massachusetts

• Chemistry– University of Iowa– U of Wisconsin-

Madison

• Astronomy– U of Colorado-

Boulder

• Psychology– Cal Poly Pomona– University of Dayton– University of New

Mexico– U of Southern Maine

• Sociology– IUPUI

• American Government

– U of Central Florida

Page 15: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

HUMANITIES (6)

• English Composition– Brigham Young University– Tallahassee CC

• Spanish– Portland State University– University of Tennessee

• Fine Arts– Florida Gulf Coast University

• World Literature– University of Southern

Mississippi

Page 16: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

TEAM EFFORT IS KEY

Each team included– Administrator– Faculty experts– Technology expertise– Assessment assistance

Page 17: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

IT IS POSSIBLE TO INCREASE LEARNING WHILE REDUCING COST

• 25 of 30 PCR projects improved learning; the other 5 showed equal learning.

• 24 measured course completion rates; 18 showed improvement.

• All 30 reduced costs by 37% on average, with a range of 15% to 77%.

Program in Course Redesign

Page 18: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE SAVINGS?

• Stay in department for continuous course improvement and/or redesign of others

• Provide a greater range of offerings at upper division or graduate level

• Accommodate greater numbers of students with same resources

• Stay in department to reduce teaching load and provide more time for research

• Redesign similar courses• Miscellaneous

– Offer distance sections – Reduce rental expenditures– Improve training of part-time faculty

Page 19: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

WHAT DO THE FACULTY SAY?

• “It’s the best experience I’ve ever had in a classroom.”

• “The quality of my worklife has changed immeasurably for the better.”

• “It’s a lot of work during the transition--but it’s worth it.”

Page 20: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT WE HAVE LEARNED

ABOUT QUALITY AND COST?

The factors that lead to increased student learning and increased student retention are the same as those that lead to reduced instructional costs!

Page 21: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

FIVE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESSFUL COURSE REDESIGN

#1: Redesign the whole course– Quality: Eliminate “course drift”;

greater course coherence and quality control

– Cost: Eliminate duplicate effort; create opportunities for alternate staffing

Page 22: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

FIVE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESSFUL COURSE REDESIGN

#2: Encourage active learning– Quality: “Learning is not a

spectator sport.”– Cost: Reduce faculty preparation

and presentation time; reduce grading time(e.g., interactive software, peer learning teams)

Page 23: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

FIVE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESSFUL COURSE REDESIGN

#3: Provide students with individualized assistance

– Quality: Students get help when they are “stuck” and stay on task rather than giving up: software tutorials, F2F in labs or help rooms, “beep a tutor,” SMARTHINKING

– Cost: Apply the right level of human intervention: peer tutors, course assistants

Page 24: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

FIVE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESSFUL COURSE REDESIGN

#4: Build in ongoing assessment and prompt (automated) feedback

– Quality: Enables practice, diagnostic feedback, focused time on task

– Cost: Good pedagogy with large numbers of students; individual and group assessment; faculty spend time on what students don’t understand

Page 25: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

FIVE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESSFUL COURSE REDESIGN

#5: Ensure sufficient time on task and monitor student progress

– Quality: Self-pacing vs. milestones for completion; points for engagement

– Cost: Course management systems can reduce costs while increasing oversight

Page 26: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

REDESIGN MODELS• Supplemental – Add to the current structure and/or

change the content • Replacement – Blend face-to-face with online

activities• Emporium – Move all classes to a lab setting

Fully online – Conduct all (most)

learning activities online• Buffet – Mix and match according

to student preferences• Linked Workshop – JIT workshops

linked to a college level course

Page 27: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

REDESIGN CHARACTERISTICS • Redesign the whole course—not just a

single class• Emphasize active learning—greater

student engagement with the material and with one another

• Rely heavily on readily available interactive software—used independently and in teams

• Mastery learning—not self-paced• Increase on-demand, individualized

assistance • Automate only those course

components that can benefit from automation—e.g., homework, quizzes, exams

• Replace single mode instruction with differentiated personnel strategies

Technology enables good pedagogy with large #s of students.

Page 28: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

SUPPLEMENTAL MODEL

• Maintain the basic current structure• Change the content so that more is available

on line• Change interaction so that students are

interacting more with the material• Change the use of the time to reduce or

eliminate lecturing and increase student interaction

Page 29: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

GENERAL BIOLOGY Fairfield University

• Inconsistent student academic preparation• Inadequate student interaction with learning

materials and complex topics• Inadequate use of modern technology• Inability of students to retain what they have

learned (amnesia)• Inability of students to apply biological

principles to other disciplines (inertia)

Memorization vs. Application of Scientific Concepts

Page 30: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

ACADEMIC GOALS

• Enhance quality by individualizing instruction• Focus on higher-level cognitive skills• Create both team-based and independent

investigations• Use interactive learning environments in lectures

and labs – to illustrate difficult concepts– to allow students to practice certain skills or

test certain hypotheses– to work with other students to enhance the

learning and discussion of complex topics

Page 31: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

Traditional• 7 sections (~35)• 7 faculty• 100% wet labs• $131,610• $506 cost-per-student

Redesign• 2 sections (~140)• 4 faculty• 50% wet, 50% virtual• $98,033• $350 cost-per-student

Content mastery: significantly better performanceContent retention: significantly better (88% vs. 79%)Course drops declined from 8% to 3%Next course enrollment increased from 75% to 85%Declared majors increased by 4%

Page 32: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

REPLACEMENT MODEL• Blend face-to-face with online activities• Determine exactly what activities

required face-to-face and reduce the amount of time to focus only on those activities in class

• Provide 24/7 online interactive learning materials and resources

• Include online self-assessment activities with immediate feedback

Page 33: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

SPANISHUniversity of Tennessee

CHALLENGES• Inconsistent student preparation• Inability to accommodate all who would like to take

this course – bottleneck to graduation• Inability to accommodate different learning styles• Limited number of qualified

instructors• Time in class devoted to

grammar and vocabulary –

not expressive speaking

and writing

Page 34: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

Traditional• 57 sections (~27)• Adjuncts + 6 TAs• 100% in class• $167,074 ($2931/section)• $109 cost-per-student

Redesign• 38 sections (~54)• Instructor-TA pairs• 50% in class, 50% online• $56,838 ($1496/section)• $28 cost-per-student

Oral skills: significantly better performanceLanguage proficiency & language achievement: no significant differenceA second Spanish project: final exam scores in speaking, reading and listening were higher

Page 35: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

ENGLISH COMPOSITION Tallahassee Community College

• Primary goals– Increase writing skills– Improve student success (<60%)– Increase consistency (100

sections)• Replace classroom time with lab time

and online activities • Integrate reading and writing, provide

immediate feedback and support collaborative learning

• Success rates Increased to 68.4%• Final essay scores increased (8.35 in

redesign vs. 7.32 in traditional)• Cost-per-student declined by 43%

Page 36: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

EMPORIUM MODEL• Move all classes to a lab setting• Permit the use of multiple kinds of

personnel• Allow students to work as long as they

need to master the content• Can be adapted for the kinds of students at

a particular institution• Allow multiple courses the same time• Include multiple examples in math

Page 37: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

THE MATH EMPORIUMat Virginia Tech

Traditional• 38 sections (~40)• 10 tenured faculty,

13 instructors, 15 GTAs

• 2 hours per week• $91 cost-per-student

Redesign• 1 section (~1520)• 1 instructor, grad &

undergrad TAs + 2 tech support staff

• 24*7 in open lab• $21 cost-per-student

Replicated at U of Alabama, U of Idaho, LSU, Wayne State, U Missouri-St. Louis, Seton Hall

Page 38: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

THE EMPORIUM MODEL77% Cost Reduction (V1)30% Cost Reduction (V2)

Page 39: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

FULLY ONLINE MODEL

• Moves all or most of the learning environment online

• Provides access to anyone, anywhere, anytime – on demand

• Allows international groups of students to interact easily and learn from each other

Page 40: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

FULLY ONLINE MODELFine Arts, Literature, Math, Psychology

Traditional• Redesign one class• Emphasize instructor-to-

student interaction• Instructor does all

grading and provides all student feedback

• Single personnel strategy

Redesign• Redesign whole course • Emphasize student-to-

student interaction and teaming

• Automate grading and student feedback

• Differentiated personnel strategy

Page 41: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

U. OF S. MISSISSIPPIWorld Literature

Traditional• 16 – 20 sections (~65)• Taught by 8 faculty

and 8 adjuncts• Faculty do all grading• $70 cost-per-student

Redesign• Single online section• Team-taught by 4

faculty and 4 TAs• 50% automated grading

via WebCT; 50% TAs• $31 cost-per-student

Redesign triples course capacity.

Page 42: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

BUFFET MODEL• Assess each student’s knowledge/skill level

and preferred learning style• Provide an array of high-quality, interactive

learning materials and activities• Develop individualized study plans• Built in continuous assessment to provide

instantaneous feedback • Offer appropriate, varied

human interaction

when needed

Page 43: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

LINKED WORKSHOP MODEL• Retain basic structure of the college-level course, particularly

the number of class meetings• Replace remedial/developmental course with just-in-time

(JIT) workshops• Design workshops to remove deficiencies in core course

competencies• Workshops consist of computer-based instruction, small-

group activities and test reviews to provide additional instruction on key concepts

• Students individually assigned software modules based on results of diagnostic assessments

• Workshops facilitated by students who have previously excelled in core course; students trained and supervised by core course faculty

• JIT workshop activities designed so students use concepts during next core course class session, which in turn helps them see the value of the workshops and motivates them to do workshop activities

Page 44: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

DEVELOPMENTAL MATHAustin Peay State University

Student Success Rates

College Course Before SLA

Fund of Math 32.4% 69.9%

Elem Statistics 22.4% 52.5%*

* Higher than the success rate for students with 19-22 ACT subscores

Page 45: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

A STREAMLINED REDESIGN METHODOLOGY

“A Menu of Redesign Options”

• Six Models for Course Redesign

• Five Principles of Successful Course Redesign

• Cost Reduction Strategies• Course Planning Tool• Course Structure Form• Five Models for Assessing

Student Learning• Five Critical Implementation

Issues• Planning Checklist

Page 46: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

FACULTY BENEFITS• Increased opportunity to work directly with

students who need help• Reduced grading • Technology does the tracking and monitoring• More practice and interaction for students

without faculty effort• Ability to try different approaches to meet

different student needs• Opportunity for continuous improvement of

materials and approaches

Page 47: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

THE NCAT WEB SITEwww.theNCAT.org

• Course redesign planning resources• Project descriptions• Monographs: Lessons Learned• Project contacts

Page 48: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

THE REDESIGN ALLIANCEThird Annual Conference

How to get the most out of your conference

experience . . .

Page 49: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

THE REDESIGN ALLIANCE

• Mission: to advance the concept of course redesign throughout higher education to increase student success and access while containing or reducing instructional costs.

• Create a community of higher education institutions and others who are committed to and experienced with large-scale course redesign.

Page 50: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

THE REDESIGN ALLIANCE

• Program in Course Redesign• Roadmap to Redesign (R2R)• State- and System-based Programs• Corporate Community• Colleagues Committed to Redesign

(C2R)• Individual Institutions

Page 51: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

SUNDAY

• Orientation • Corporate

Exhibits• Opening

Reception

Corporate Hospitality SuitesBirds of a Feather (Lunches)

Page 52: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

MONDAY MORNING

• Opening Keynote: Philip Parsons• Disciplinary Showcases

Developmental Mathematics

– Humanities– Developmental Mathematics– College-Level Mathematics (2)– Social Science– Natural Science– Statistics and Computing

Page 53: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

MONDAY AFTERNOON

• Roundtable Discussion Sessions– College-Level Math – Developmental English – Humanities– Social Sciences– Natural Sciences– Social Sciences– Administrators

• Panel: Learning Space Design• Poster Sessions• Poolside Reception

Page 54: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

TUESDAY MORNING

• Hot Topics in Course Redesign– Engaging Students in New Ways of Learning– Working with Commercial Software– Developing a Valid Assessment Plan– Effective Use of Undergraduate Learning

Assistants– It’s Not Your Father’s Online Course– Applying the Five Models in New Ways– Redesigning Developmental English

• Panel: The Power of Quizzing

Page 55: TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

Carolyn Jarmon, Ph.D.

[email protected]

www.theNCAT.org