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Course Redesign Course Redesign PerspectivesPerspectives

University – Ron HenryUniversity – Ron Henry College - Jerry Hogle College - Jerry Hogle Department – Tristan DenleyDepartment – Tristan Denley

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Why Redesign?Why Redesign?

Improve student learning and retention of Improve student learning and retention of that knowledgethat knowledge

Improve instruction - active learning in Improve instruction - active learning in postsecondary classroomspostsecondary classrooms

Decrease DFW ratesDecrease DFW rates Minimize instructor impact and ensure Minimize instructor impact and ensure

consistencyconsistency– Common assessmentsCommon assessments– Coordinated lessonsCoordinated lessons– More uniform grading standardsMore uniform grading standards

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Factors to Consider when Factors to Consider when Thinking about High ImpactThinking about High Impact High drop-failure-withdrawal (DFW) ratesHigh drop-failure-withdrawal (DFW) rates Student performance in subsequent courses Student performance in subsequent courses Students on waiting listsStudents on waiting lists Student complaintsStudent complaints Other department complaintsOther department complaints Lack of consistency in multiple sectionsLack of consistency in multiple sections Difficulty finding qualified adjunctsDifficulty finding qualified adjuncts

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Range of D, F, WF %Range of D, F, WF %%D+F+WF

05101520253035

lower

upper

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Range of Withdrawals %Range of Withdrawals %

%W

05101520253035

lower

upper

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Georgia State Georgia State ExperienceExperience

NCAT workshop for department chairsNCAT workshop for department chairs Mathematics – R2R – College Algebra Mathematics – R2R – College Algebra

and Pre-Calculus using Supplemental and Pre-Calculus using Supplemental model and Replacement modelmodel and Replacement model

Political Science – pilot blended coursePolitical Science – pilot blended course Psychology – redesigned two Psychology – redesigned two

introductory statistics coursesintroductory statistics courses Biology – redesigned to theme-based Biology – redesigned to theme-based

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Process Model for Process Model for CenterCenter

Need for higher student

achievement in science & math

Vehicle for sharing what

works, for whom, and why

Many students ‘turned off’ science & math in college

introductory courses

Modify science & math courses to include effective

active learning strategies

Long Term Outcomes: Improved Student

Achievement in science & math

Intermediate Term Outcomes:

Decreased DFW ratesMore science & math majors

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Must Have for SuccessMust Have for Success

Department faculty recognition of the Department faculty recognition of the problem and willingness to do something problem and willingness to do something about itabout it

Upper Administration (Provost/Dean/ Upper Administration (Provost/Dean/ Department chair) recognition of the problemDepartment chair) recognition of the problem

Upper Administration supportUpper Administration support Dedicated Professors willing to work hardDedicated Professors willing to work hard Resources to produce a computer learning Resources to produce a computer learning

environmentenvironment Strong Director/Course coordinatorStrong Director/Course coordinator

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Five Principles of Five Principles of Successful Course Successful Course

Redesign Redesign Redesign the whole courseRedesign the whole course Encourage active learning Encourage active learning Provide students with individualized Provide students with individualized

assistance assistance Build in ongoing assessment and Build in ongoing assessment and

prompt (automated) feedback prompt (automated) feedback Ensure sufficient time on task and Ensure sufficient time on task and

monitor student progress monitor student progress

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Faculty consensusFaculty consensus

Leadership issuesLeadership issues– Department chairs who were reluctant to Department chairs who were reluctant to

press resisting facultypress resisting faculty– Need for strong leadership and administrative Need for strong leadership and administrative

support to overcome these challenges support to overcome these challenges – Some project leaders thought they had solved Some project leaders thought they had solved

the problem of faculty buy-in at the outset, the problem of faculty buy-in at the outset, but were surprised to find that they had not but were surprised to find that they had not communicated as effectively as they had communicated as effectively as they had thoughtthought

This underlines the importance of This underlines the importance of constant communication to check signals constant communication to check signals and maintain momentumand maintain momentum

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Course Redesign Course Redesign PerspectivesPerspectives

College - Jerry Hogle College - Jerry Hogle University of ArizonaUniversity of Arizona

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Course Redesign Course Redesign PerspectivesPerspectives

Department – Tristan DenleyDepartment – Tristan Denley University of MississippiUniversity of Mississippi

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Implementation IssuesImplementation Issues

Prepare students and the campus for Prepare students and the campus for changes in the coursechanges in the course

Train instructors, graduate teaching Train instructors, graduate teaching assistants, and undergraduate peer assistants, and undergraduate peer tutors tutors

Ensure an adequate technological Ensure an adequate technological infrastructure to support the redesign as infrastructure to support the redesign as plannedplanned

Achieve initial and ongoing faculty Achieve initial and ongoing faculty consensus about the redesignconsensus about the redesign

Avoid backsliding by building ongoing Avoid backsliding by building ongoing institutional commitment to the redesigninstitutional commitment to the redesign

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Cost reduction Cost reduction strategiesstrategies

Substitute coordinated development Substitute coordinated development and delivery of the whole course and and delivery of the whole course and shared instructional tasks for shared instructional tasks for individual development and delivery individual development and delivery of each individual course sectionof each individual course section

Substitute interactive tutorial Substitute interactive tutorial software for face-to-face class software for face-to-face class meetings meetings

Substitute automated grading of Substitute automated grading of homework, quizzes, exams for hand homework, quizzes, exams for hand grading grading

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Implementation IssuesImplementation Issues It just takes hard work and timeIt just takes hard work and time NCAT course redesign methodology is NCAT course redesign methodology is

not a silver bullet that can be quickly put not a silver bullet that can be quickly put in place on any campusin place on any campus

It is important to have top leadership It is important to have top leadership willingness to stand up publicly on many willingness to stand up publicly on many occasions to talk about the project and occasions to talk about the project and its benefits and backing up the project its benefits and backing up the project team when they ran into trouble by team when they ran into trouble by providing resources or fixing providing resources or fixing administrative problems. administrative problems.

Local leaders had to ensure that the Local leaders had to ensure that the team stuck to the basic redesign plan. team stuck to the basic redesign plan.

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Implementation IssuesImplementation Issues

Instructor/tutor trainingInstructor/tutor training– How to facilitate and engage students How to facilitate and engage students

in problem-solving, rather than in problem-solving, rather than resorting to lecturing or providing resorting to lecturing or providing answers to studentsanswers to students

– Pre-course workshopPre-course workshop– Weekly meetings of instructors of all Weekly meetings of instructors of all

sectionssections– Tutor training sessions on each weeks Tutor training sessions on each weeks

problem setsproblem sets

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Implementation IssuesImplementation Issues

Students need structureStudents need structure– Mandatory attendanceMandatory attendance– Required group meetingsRequired group meetings– Weekly task listsWeekly task lists

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Cost reduction Cost reduction strategiesstrategies

Substitute course management Substitute course management software for human monitoring of software for human monitoring of student performance and course student performance and course administration administration

Substitute peer interaction or Substitute peer interaction or interaction with other personnel for interaction with other personnel for one-to-one faculty/student interaction one-to-one faculty/student interaction

Substitute online training materials for Substitute online training materials for face-to-face training of tutors, adjuncts face-to-face training of tutors, adjuncts and other personnel and other personnel

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QUALITY AND COST QUALITY AND COST ARE INTER-RELATEDARE INTER-RELATED

Redesign the whole courseRedesign the whole course– QualityQuality: Eliminate “course drift”; greater : Eliminate “course drift”; greater

course coherence and quality controlcourse coherence and quality control– CostCost: Eliminate duplicate effort; create : Eliminate duplicate effort; create

opportunities for alternate staffing opportunities for alternate staffing Encourage active learningEncourage active learning

– QualityQuality: “Learning is not a spectator : “Learning is not a spectator sport.”sport.”

– CostCost: Reduce faculty preparation and : Reduce faculty preparation and presentation time; reduce grading timepresentation time; reduce grading time(e.g., interactive software, peer learning (e.g., interactive software, peer learning teams)teams)

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WHAT REALLY WHAT REALLY MATTERS?MATTERS?

Data Data – First, measure something . . .First, measure something . . .

A team approach A team approach – It takes a village . . .It takes a village . . .

Corporate partnersCorporate partners– Mutual self-interestMutual self-interest

LeadershipLeadership– Faculty, department chairs, deans, Faculty, department chairs, deans,

campus executives, system and state campus executives, system and state leadersleaders

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Assessing student Assessing student learning learning

Pilot phase Pilot phase – Parallel Sections (Traditional and Parallel Sections (Traditional and

Redesign) Redesign) – Baseline "Before" (Traditional) and Baseline "Before" (Traditional) and

"After" (Redesign) "After" (Redesign) ValidityValidity

– Use the same measures and procedures Use the same measures and procedures to collect data in both kinds of sectionsto collect data in both kinds of sections

– Ensure as fully as possible that any Ensure as fully as possible that any differences in the student populations differences in the student populations taking each section are minimized taking each section are minimized