Demonstration: Course Management and Learning Software: My Lab Products Sue C. Spaulding UNC Charlotte Department of Psychology Teaching and Learning with Technology Conference Raleigh, NC March 15 – 17, 2006

Student Comment Requiring My Psych Lab was much better than requiring students to purchase merely a textbook, as it facilitates learning, not just memorization. Even though I'm generally a crammer by nature, it still helped a lot, and I imagine it helped a lot of other students even more. (Spring 2005)

Overview  Challenge of teaching large classes  Why add technology  Effect of technology on performance  My Lab Product Information  Developing a My Lab course  How My Psych Lab is being used  Student Satisfaction and comments

Large Classroom Effects  A sea of faces  A large room  Distance from students  How do you connect?  How do you motivate?  How do you help with learning?

Teacher or Actor?  Must we entertain students in large classes?  How can we establish an environment for learning?  What resources can we bring to bare to improve learning in high failure courses?

Why Use Technology  gets students involved with the material.  improves performance on classroom exams.  provides additional venues to assess learning and understanding.  motivates students.  increases student – faculty interaction.  there is an implementation curve before it can be used effectively

Course Grade Comparisons Fall 2001 – Spring 2003 Fall 2003 – Spring 2004 Fall 2004 – Fall 2005 Percent of students NABCDF Term Range Fall ’03 & Spring ‘04 reflect product development terms.

Exam Performance Mean Exam Scores Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Didn’t complete All W/O Exempt Term MPL Activities students students Fall * 72.37* Spring * 73.77* Fall * 73.52* Spring * 73.08* Fall * 74.75* *Difference significant at the p<.001 level between Group 1 and 2/3 Group 2 and 3 completed MPL activities.

My Lab Products  a rich learning environment for students  multiple avenues for faculty to access learning  increase interaction with students  development has been student driven  use as is or easily modify to fit individual styles and needs

My Lab Components e-text Discussion Board Chat room Practice tests Study Plan Internal Research Navigator Audio Glossary Gradebook Internal Usage details Customized tests Message board Product Support Students Instructors

Developing a My Lab Course  Is the technology hard to learn?  Does the technology work?  Will students use the technology?  Is it worth my time to develop?

Introductory Psychology 3 projects - 1 per exam period (20 Pts) 1 pt Extra Credit for each Chapter exam completed with score of 90/125 and done before in-class exam (12 of 360 course pts) Use activities in class as demonstrations Eight of 50 questions per exam are from chapter exams and Psi-Q Game

MPL Projects

Accessing a Course

Course Home Page

Course Tools Address Book Announcements Calendar Chalk Title Management Collaboration Communications Area Content Area Discussion Board Drop Box Glossary Gradebook Groups Home Page Messages My Grades Observer Tools Roster Staff Information Tasks Electric Blackboard Tools Area

Assessment Tools Assessment Tool Manager Survey Manager Pool Manger Gradebook TestGen Manager Gradebook Views Course Statistics

Control Panel

Student Satisfaction Percent Responding Strongly Agree/Agree Overall MPL was a beneficial addition to this class 91.8% Using MPL helped me understand more of the material presented in this class 90.6% The variety of activities available in MPL made the material more interesting 82.3% The chapter Exams were beneficial 76.5%

Student Comment Overall, I thought that My Psych Lab was very helpful. It was the main tool that I used to study for our exams. When I did not do well on a certain area, it clearly showed me the things that I needed to work on. All of the practice tests really helped me to narrow down what I needed to study for the test. I am very glad that we were able to use My Psych Lab as a tool in this class. (Fall 2005)

Student Comment I really enjoyed using My Psych Lab. The program was very beneficial to me and it really helped me to learn the material for the test. It also helped with my understanding of each unit and presented information that I did not understand in a new way. I wish that every class had a program like this one, it was very helpful in many different ways. (Fall 2005)

Student Comment Each time I used My Psych Lab my grade improved. It was obvious what chapters I studied for using the program and which ones I did not. My Psych Lab was a very beneficial and key element to helping me to understand this class. (Fall 2005)