UMBC

Developmental Psychology (prenatal through 12 years of age)

Annual enrollment 540 students across 8 sections Required course for 4 majors; General Education

Course Transfer and traditional students Lecture 2 ½ hrs a week; two sessions each week Four multiple choice exams One writing assignment Blackboard for posting No concern about DFW rates

Course drift Staffing issues Poor SCEQ ratings Lack of instructional

technology use Plagiarism concerns Unequal enrollment

across sections (60-100 students)

Student requests for more application of concepts

Requests for summer and winter sections

Students from Shady Grove campus requesting the course (40 miles from main campus)

Replacement Model Face to face sessions four times during the

semester; audio lectures for each chapter Online quizzes, chapter tests, videos, and

interactivities with MyDevelopmentLab Eight essays across four Units Weekly blog reflecting on topics in text Virtual child activity

1 traditional section (n=90) 1 redesign section (n=54) Same faculty assigned to both Assessment Plan

◦ Class GPA◦ Common pretest (first 25 questions of the Final)◦ Common final (questions agreed upon by three faculty)◦ Student focus group at midterm◦ Pass/fail online essays versus traditional unit essays

due in class◦ Blog quality◦ SCEQs, item 9 re: instructor effectiveness◦ Faculty evaluation of model impact

Traditional Redesign Significance Test

GPA- Mean (SD) 2.83 (0.66), N=62

2.76 (0.64), N=31 t(91)=0.50, NS

Pretest scores- Mean (SD)

14.84 (3.16), N=90

13.02 (3.33), N=54

t(142)=3.29, p =.001

Pretest Questions on Final Exam- Mean (SD)

17.41 (3.05), N=90

16.13 (3.07), N=54

t(142)=2.44, p <.05

Full Exam Score- Mean (SD)

80.08 (10.26), N=90

75.13 (10.97), N=54

t(142)=2.73, p <.01

Mean Score (Standard Error)

TraditionalPretest 14.84 (0.34)

Final Exam 17.41 (0.32)

RedesignPretest 13.02 (0.44)

Final Exam 16.13 (0.42)

Protocol1.Students take a few minutes to answer the questions individually.2.Students are randomly put into groups and asked to share their responses. They are asked to record only those responses for which there is consensus.3.Debrief by having the groups report out and see how much consensus there is across groups.4.Data is summarized for the whole class, each group, and individually.

Conducted by Faculty Development Director

1. Do you usually understand what is expected of you in preparing for and participating in this class? If not, please explain why not. universal agreement-syllabus clear

2. What aspects of this course and your instructor's teaching help you learn best? media, web assignments, online tests, videos

1. What specific advice would you give to help your instructor improve your learning in this course? study guides, review sheets, more structured meetings

• What steps could you take to improve your own learning in this course? (Share ideas from group members—agreement with others is not necessary) do not procrastinate, use the online resources, time management, attend faculty sessions

GROUP QUESTIONS-GROUP QUESTIONS-TRADITIONALTRADITIONAL1. Do you usually understand what is expected of you in

preparing for and participating in this class? If not, please explain why not. universal agreement-syllabus clear

2. What aspects of this course and your instructor's teaching help you learn best? media, videos, applied examples

1. What specific advice would you give to help your instructor improve your learning in this course? study guides, less lecturing, more activities in class

• What steps could you take to improve your own learning in this course? (Share ideas from group members—agreement with others is not necessary) come to class, study groups

Too many emails about technology issues

Essay grading pass/fail took too long to review due to lack of writing skills

Frustration with online miskeyed questions

Students did not participate in face to face sessions

Students not keeping to due dates in syllabus

Enjoyed focusing on favorite content in face to face sessions

More interactivity with students; learned more names

Some very good comments in blogs that would not have been shared in class

More flexible hours and efficient use of time

Identify students needing assistance quickly

Students wanted more “real-time” interaction with the instructor

More structure to face to face meeting sessions

Too many writing assignments; students not experienced with essay assignments

Boring audio lectures; need more interaction

Blog entries tended to be less scholarly

Students want exam review sessions

Assignment deadlines not met; posted on syllabus

Faculty receiving many emails about technology glitches

Videos and questions were mismatched

Online tests keyed incorrectly

Confusion over link to “virtual child”

Student access codes incorrect; slow to register

Missing data:◦ GPA – not all available ◦ Transfer students not identified◦ Experience with hybrid courses (technology

savvy)◦ Years at UMBC –Fr, So, Jr, Sr◦ Reason for taking the course (major versus Gen

Ed)◦ Repeat enrollment not identified◦ Difference between night class students and

day class students?

Instructor had virtual office hours once a week; students signed up for sessions and identified topics.

Increased to six face to face meetings and pedagogy change to group assignments related to unit content. (2 ½ hr sessions)

Reduced writing assignments to four (pilot had six) with grading rubric embedded in the assignment.

Added online resource for writing assistance Moved to discussion board with required scholarly

postings; examples provided. Notification of due dates and times set on HOME

Bb page

Publishers completed all “fixes” by mid January. One link to the “virtual child” was embedded in

Bb. Student access codes were corrected Deleted audio lectures and provided study guides

with key concepts; added supplemental resources more interactivities

TA trained in technology and completed an orientation with students

Online orientation package was developed for use of virtual child and MyDevelopmentLab

Office of Institutional Research working on identifying missing data

Information sheet developed for missing OIR data

IMPLEMENTATION DATAIMPLEMENTATION DATA