R EDESIGNING G ENERAL P SYCHOLOGY Redesign Alliance 4 th Annual Conference; March, 2010 Presented by Dr. Megan E. Bradley

G ENERAL P SYCHOLOGY Frostburg State University (Frostburg, MD) Course enrollment: Prior: 900 seats offered; many unfilled Now: 900 seats & near capacity Comparison of structure: Prior: traditional lectures; N = 50 Now: active learning; N = 150 Status of project Pilot: Spring 2008 Full implementation: Fall present

A CADEMIC P ROBLEMS Course drift & inefficiency 18 sections/year Each instructor created own syllabus, objectives, assignments + all different textbooks Financial difficulties at University level Unable to retrieve lost FT faculty positions Fewer FT faculty available to teach upper-level courses requiring greater expertise Rural area difficult to find adjuncts

P LANNING Invited publishers to present products Team-approach with departmental support Created online instructor’s manual Chose Replacement Model N compared to prior # ADMIT GPA* FSU GPA* Traditional16% smaller Redesign100% larger *Significantly different; p =.005 (eta 2 =.027), p =.000 (eta 2 =.075)

P LANNING Pilot Semester for Redesign Sections In-class meetings 1x/week; active learning Weekly online assignments with ULA help Pre-lecture quizzes Mastery Quizzes (MQ) Prejudice Activity Academic Games Self-Assessments

P ILOT RESULTS 50 question common comprehensive final exam: Redesign sections significantly better than traditional sections* Final exam scores positively correlated with average scores on MQs r =.523, p =.000 *A one-way ANOVA of section (6 total: 2 traditional and 4 redesign) on final exam percentage grades was significant, F = 4.710, p =.000, Effect size =.90.

P ILOT R ESULTS SectionSizeAdmit GPA FSU GPAMean % on Final Exam Section 1 Traditiona l % Section 2 Traditiona l % Section 3 Redesign % Section 4 Redesign %

A CADEMIC I SSUES Resolved: No more Course Drift & Inefficiency 18 sections to 6 sections Common objectives, syllabus, text, prep time, etc. No longer feeling impact of continued financial difficulties Reallocated FT faculty to upper-level courses Require fewer adjuncts

P ILOT R EDESIGN I SSUES & I MPLEMENTATION S OLUTIONS Comprehensive final exam too much 3 unit exams Reduced overall coverage “Deadline Disorder” Reduced to: MQs, Discussions, Prejudice Activity 2 weeks to complete Students not ready for blended design Required computer lab 1x/wk

P ILOT R EDESIGN I SSUES & I MPLEMENTATION S OLUTIONS Students needed more in-class assistance Updated instructor’s manual to include brief direct instruction & clicker questions Needed more campus-wide support Held 3 workshops on redesign Implemented student support services programs Tutoring, Supplemental Instruction Wellness Initiative Learning Communities

F ULL I MPLEMENTATION R ESULTS Pilot: 30.33% rate Full: 7.97% 43 Common Questions“Deadline Disorder” *A one-way ANOVA of section (3 total) on common question percentage was significant, F = , p =.000, Effect size =.825.

C OST S AVINGS Course cost per student Prior: $89/student Now: $26/student 71% decrease 1 FT position Catching the redesign spirit Redesigned full major Saved 5-7 additional adjunct positions Real savings to students Reduced textbook costs Please me with any questions: Dr. Megan E. Bradley~