Redesign of PSYC 1101 into a 50% Online (Hybrid) Course Sue Spaulding, UNC Charlotte Pearson Education March 9, 2012 Boston Office

Why We Did It More efficient use of resources (space) Serve more students Encourage student responsibility for learning Energize instructors

Hybrid Format (Replacement Model) Replaced one of two face-2-face meetings each week with online activities, media assignments, quizzes, & practice exams. Adopted My Psych Lab as the LMS system. Three undergraduate and 1 graduate teaching assistants assisted with the course.

What We Achieved 1.More efficient use of a large lecture hall 2.4 sections now meet each week instead of students now served per semester (previously about 1000) 3.Common curriculum, text, and exams. 4.Sharing of lecture responsibilities Instructor teaches to personal strengths. 5.Equivalent learning to traditional courses.

Cost/Resource Savings Eliminated need for two large lecture halls. Original projected costs per student (1300) Old $48.07 New $40.96 Fall 2011 reduced GTAs from 3 to 1 began using UG TAs. Additional savings of $16,000 per year.

Teaching Assistants Undergraduate Teaching Assistant – Course Credit 1 assigned to each section Held 4 office hours per week to assist students Attended all class meeting Assisted with posting grades Assisted with grading Group and Extra Credit Projects Graduate Teaching Assistant, additional duties - Paid Supervised Undergraduate TAs Graded Group and Extra Credit Projects Held 8 office hours per week

Student Outcomes Two hybrid sections and one traditional section were included in the Spring 2011 pilot. Three hybrid sections, 1 traditional section, and one online section were offered in Fall Comparisons were made in performance and course satisfaction across all formats

Grade Distribution ABCDFW Spring 2011 Fall 2011 Spring 2011 Fall 2011 Hybrid 69%/78%69%/74%31%/21%31%/23% Traditional 76%72%24%28% Online83%76%17%24% The Friday section of the Hybrid course in both Spring and Fall performed significantly below the traditional, other hybrid, or online sections. The students’ beginning GPA in the Friday sections was significantly below the other sections. DFW = earned grade of D or F or withdrew from course

Mean Exam Performance Performance differences Traditional/Hybrid & Online section p<.05 Hybrid & Traditional p =.19 66%68% 78% 76% 81%

Performance on Core Items in Common Final Exam – Fall 2011 O N L I N E 78% T R A D 68% H Y B R I D 65% F H Y B R I D 67% W H Y B R I D 69% M No significant differences, except with online section

Academic Integrity? Online students scored an average of 4% higher than hybrid on unit exams. Online students scored an average of 9% higher than hybrid on the final exam. Only online students took the final exam online; other sections took the final exam in a proctored setting. Extra 5% boost = a measure of online cheating?

Why the Online Advantage? Year in SchoolFRSOJRSROther Online 5%46%22%25%2% Hybrid50%34%10%5%1% Traditional35%49%10%5% 1% GPA byInstructional typeHybrid Sections Online 2.97 Mon2.74 Hybrid 2.66Wed2.68 Traditional 2.83Fri2.55

MPL Resources Media assignments (4) are due before 9:00 AM on class days. Class meets at 11:00 AM. Media Assignments were modified. Chapter exams Online exams (created question pools) Extra Credit (3 short writing assignments) E-Text/Audio Text Quick Quizzes Did use Study Plan, but discontinued

Student Satisfaction Surveys Spring 2011 Three surveys Beginning, Middle, End 6 pts Extra Credit – 2 each survey Fall 2011 One survey at end of term 4 pts Extra Credit All surveys anonymous except notice of completion to instructor.

Student Satisfaction HybridTraditionalOnline N = 492 N = 218N = 61 MPL contributed to my success in course? -Yes69%46%57% Recommend MPL to friends, other students?- Yes67%57%64% Wish other Psychology professors used MPL? - Yes53%45%53% MPL added value to this course? - Yes69%51%64% Compared to traditional format, like hybrid better49%NA NA

What did you like best about this class? I loved the assignments I had to do. They were fun and I definitely learned more from doing them. I actually enjoyed the Hybrid Course a lot. It was a new and refreshing way of learning material. I liked how a lot of it was online but there was one class a week to where you could ask questions if you had any. Multiple attempts helped me practice and master the material more instead of just comprehending it The fact it was one day a week and we had a lot of tools to help us prepare for the chapter exams. Student comments Fall 2011

What would you tell little brother or sister ? It's a good class to take if you have the self-discipline to do work on your own time without anyone being on your back about it. You need to sit down and take the time to study. just because you only go to class one day doesn't mean you should spend less time studying for it. To keep up with all of the web work and to read all of the required chapters in a timely manner. I would tell them to take it. The hands-on help given by MyPsychLab makes learning easier. Student comments Fall 2011

What We Learned About Students Not technologically sophisticated! Working on one’s own does not necessarily equate to taking increased responsibility for learning. Meeting a deadline is new to many students. They have great imaginations. Reading directions is a foreign concept. Students may chase points, not knowledge.

Experiences Faculty role now focused more by curriculum design and course management than sage on the stage. Hybrid is more work initially. Student/faculty interaction is more individual than class-based A lot of time spent helping students solve technical problems. Lack of trust in teaching assistants. (Campus Ambassador program will help.)

Final Suggestions This is a learning experience for students as well as faculty. Be open to new ways of thinking about learning. Be comfortable with change. Be prepared for some negative feelings, frustration, and in the end a real feeling of accomplishment. Create a team – 3 is a good number a student oriented one who likes the big picture one who is good on the details

Questions? Sue C. Spaulding