THE UPS AND DOWNS OF A COURSE REDESIGN AND WHY IT IS STILL WORTH IT.Jennifer A. Metzler, Ph.D.Ball State University
TODAY’S TALK Institution description Course Description Problems to address Implications Outcomes Implementation hurdles Next steps
BALL STATE UNIVERSITY A mid-size state university with 22,000
students Offers degrees ranging from associates
through Ph.D.s 180 undergrad degree programs 100 grad degree programs
Students attend from every county in Indiana, 48 states, two US territories, and 65 countries 13% are out of state 10% ethnic minorities 650 international
Faculty ratio is 18:1
BALL STATE STUDENTS About 11% of undergraduates are non-
traditional For 2010/11 freshman class
Average HS GPA was 3.33 97% had a composite ACT of 18 or higher 96% had a composite SAT of 1600 or higher 19% in top 10%, 50% in top 25%, and 89% in top
50% of HS class Strong freshman program Freshman retention rate is 79.7% 6 year graduation rate is 58%
THE MILLENIAL GENERATION Weaker K-12 education Technology and media savvy Impatient, demanding, and self-centered Do not want independence from parents and
look to them for help View education as a consumer good Anticipate college will be like high school Want to know we care Anxious and stressed
from the chapter, Understanding Your Students And How They Learn, in the book, Teaching at Its Best: A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors (Third Edition), by Linda B. Nelson.
ME B.S. in Biology 1996
Ph.D. Microbiology/Immunology 2002
Did research on immune response to a type 1 diabetes autoantigen
8th year at BSU, 10th year teaching
An animal lover with two dogs, two cats, and some goldfish
BIOLOGY 111: PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY I A majors course that introduces the basics of
cellular and molecular biology
Students range from freshman to seniors
A core curriculum course
Includes a required lab component
PRIOR CLASS SET-UP Lecture
4 100 point exams 50 point cumulative final 100 points of pop quizzes 100 points of homework
Lab 50 point lab practical 10 ten point homework assignments 10 ten point lab quizzes
PROBLEMS/ISSUES TO ADDRESS WITH RE-DESIGN Poor study habits
Retention of information was poor
Class sizes getting larger
Students just wanting to memorize information
New core curriculum focusing on the process of science – move away from cookbook lab activities
WHAT WAS DONE IN INITIAL STAGE Lecture
Added weekly homework assignments using MasteringBiology
Switched to computer exams Lab
Added two inquiry based labs which required the writing of lab reports
Added a literature based research project to expose students to scientific literature culminating in a short literature summary and a group presentation
Only kept two homework assignments that related to graphing
Changed to three 20 point quizzes Added a diversity project about biology and race Switched one lab activity to an online version
LECTURE CHANGES Weekly homework
Had an assignment every week not an exam Mostly over material had already covered in
lecture, sometimes had to work ahead Always due right before lecture so I could review
any material they had not understood based on diagnostics
Assignments involved a variety of activities, not just multiple choice questions
Computer exams Exams were administered using InQsit program
in dedicated, proctored computer labs on campus
DIAGNOSTICS
DIAGNOSTICS
LAB CHANGES Added two inquiry based labs which required the writing of lab
reports Purpose was to teach students how to design their own experiments,
analyze the data, and present the results as a scientist would Added a literature based research project to expose students
to scientific literature culminating in a short literature summary and a group presentation
Involved having the science librarian give a presentation on how to find relevant research articles, further exposure to how scientists find and disseminate information
Only kept two homework assignments that related to graphing Teaching a key skill of scientists
Changed to three 20 point quizzes Added a diversity project about biology and race
Shows students the implications science can have in cultural discussions
Switched one lab activity to an online version Exposes students to valuable resources on the internet
LECTURE OUTCOMES
Increases in passing exam scores
Increases in passing course grades
More in class time, which was used for review
COMPARISON OF EXAM 1 SCORES- FALL 2004 VS. SPRING 2011
A B C D F0
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COMPARISON OF EXAM 2 SCORES- FALL 2004 VS. SPRING 2011
A B C D F0
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Without MasteringWith MasteringColumn1
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COMPARISON OF EXAM 3 SCORES- FALL 2004 VS. SPRING 2011
A B C D F0
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Without MasteringWith MasteringColumn1
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LAB OUTCOMES Students getting a more well-rounded
exposure to what scientists do
Better prepared for work they will do in upper-level courses
Greater appreciation for how science impacts their life
OUTCOMES FOR ME No longer grading homework by hand
Getting instant feedback on student performance when there is still time to make changes
More class time for active learning activities
SAVINGS FROM THE REDESIGN More lecture time
Not spending money on copy costs, which is shifted to lab budget 5 cents per page, each exam cost ~$25, total of
$125 savings per section per semester Cost savings in lab
Has allowed us to shift money towards doing more exciting inquiry based labs
~ $150 per year
PROBLEMS Complaints about the time required to do Mastering
assignments Discuss how much it can help grade, and by the end of the
semester most of the feedback on Mastering is very positive
Complaints about how much Mastering can affect their grade Explain the proportion of their grade that Mastering is and how it
helps
Complaints about all the writing in lab Working on doing a better job of explaining all that scientists do
Plagiarism issues Using a book on How to Write in Biology, a video on plagiarism, a
plagiarism contract
WHAT I AM DOING NOW Increasing my use of MasteringBiology
Changing assignments to reflect all the new content added
Linking all assignment activities with Learning Outcomes
Adding reading questions to be done prior to lecture Adding reading questions to be done prior to lab
Getting rid of lecture quizzes and switching to clickers
Adding an assignment in lab on reading scientific articles
Using SafeAssign to help students avoid plagiarism while adapting to scientific writing
QUESTIONS??