University of Maryland Baltimore County

Department of PsychologyEileen O’Brien, PhD, Linda Baker,

PhD, Laura Stapleton, PhD, Adia Garrett,

PhD, Karen Freiberg, PhD

Final Report

Redesign of Psyc100University of Maryland System Course

Redesign

Redesign

Maintained up to 1000 students per year

Decreased from 7 to 5 course sections per year

Moved from 3 ½ clock hours to 2 ½ clock hours for weekly classroom instruction; added 1 hour each week for online labs (self-paced)

Redesign Changes

4 common exams across sections

Added small group activities to class sessions

Added CPS questions to class sessions

Grad TAs for database management; weekly student support sessions; online support

Added Peer Mentors for small group activities and tutoring through LRC

Student Learning

Redesign sections compared to the Traditional section shows significantlyproportionately fewer Cs, Ds and Fs and greater As and Bs, χ2(N=768,df=4) = 44.2, p<.001.

Student Learning

Grade Distribution by Course Type

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

A B C D F

Per

cen

tag

e o

f st

ud

ents

Historic Traditional Redesign Spr08 Redesign Fall08

Redesigned data differed from the historical data, with proportionately fewer Cs, Ds and Fs and a greater percentage of As and Bs (χ2(N=7,766,df=4) = 240.6, p<.001 )

Comparing Grading Rubrics

0

1020

3040

A B C D F

Redesign Rubric Traditional Rubric

Grading Rubric changed with the Redesign using a multi-method approach.

Using the Redesign four exam scores and weighting them 100%

Course Withdrawal Rates

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 Spring 2004

Fall 2004

Spring 2005

Spring 2005

Fall 2006

Spring 2006

Spring2008R

Spring2008T

Fall 2008R

Fall 2008 had the lowest withdraw rate (3.2%) documented since 2000. The range has been 4.1% to 10.3 %.

Course Failure Rates

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14Fall 2005

Spring2006Fall 2006

Spring2008R Spring2008 TFall 2008

Course Objectives

To increase the knowledge of major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings and historical trends in Psychology Covered more content than could be presented in

lecture Online resources for those needing further clarification

of concepts Peer mentors/TAs available to assist in comprehension

of concepts

Course Objectives

To understand social sciences research, including design and interpretation, and its implications Online activities using research process; small group

research activities that required dialogue with peers

To demonstrate information competence and the ability to use computers and technology in learning; to use technology in an ethical and responsible way. Students had to develop proficiency with Blackboard in order

to do labs; learned to download software and problem-solve connectivity issues with tech experts

Cost Savings

Decreased the number of sections of Psyc100 by two sections per academic year Two less faculty per academic year Reduced the need for one Lecture Hall each semester Decreases the need for 1 1/2 Grad TA lines to 1 each

semester

Leveraged existing resources (LRC) Peer Mentors trained and paid through an existing

tutoring project

Pedagogical Techniques

Online Labs More content than could be presented in class Self-paced; review opportunities; practice

exams Less Lecturing

Small Group Activities: Students could apply concepts dialogue with peers

Peer Mentors Small group support and individual tutoring

Redesign Challenges

Faculty development and negotiation Agreeing to section commonalities/limiting instructor autonomy

Same texts, labs, activities and exams Technology Training for Faculty Fear of technology; poor problem-solving

Roles of Graduate TA and Undergraduate Peer Mentors New Roles and Training

Grad TAs managing technology and databases; peer mentors providing in class support for small groups

Pedagogy change and classroom technology Small Group Activities for class N=200 Classroom Performance System (CPS)

inconsistent success rates with CPS clicker technology

Redesign Challenges

Freshman student preparedness Technology in classroom; forgetting to bring clickers;

lack of replacement batteries Use of online activities; software incompatibilities

Accuracy of online quizzes and technology glitches Only some browsers could be used Errors on publisher’s quizzes Publisher’s interface with Blackboard was

problematic

Adjustments to Implementation

Faculty development and negotiation Multiple choice exams shortened to 50 item exams (75 minute exam) Switched products and publishers; labs through UMBC Blackboard

Roles of Graduate TA and Undergraduate Peer Mentors TAs maintain the technology database and provide tech assistance

to students Current TAs mentoring other TAs in database management and

online assistance Peer Mentors trained through LRC and supervised by lead Faculty

Adjustments to Implementation

Pedagogy change and classroom technology Small Group Activities - limited to dyads with peer mentors

facilitating Classroom Performance System (CPS)- CPS was removed from

the course until updated technology is field tested. Student preparedness

Technology in classroom Prepared FAQ sheet for student Created a problem-solving tree that explains if students have

difficulty with technology, how to seek resolution of issue Use of online activities

Peer mentors available for orientation sessions and weekly to assist students one on one.

Weekly Grad TA sessions (2) to resolve online issues, review content and prepare for exams

Accuracy of online quizzes and technology interface issues The ongoing issue of mis-keyed questions and

misplaced content in various chapters is an ongoing dialogue with the publisher.

The course labs were changed due to interface issues with the publisher; Customized labs from the first publisher placed on Blackboard did not reliably function; new publisher tested and plans for BB interface this summer 2009.

Redesign will be implemented in AY 2009-2010

Adjustments to Implementation