Strategies for Promoting Interactive and Collaborative Learning in Large Undergraduate Lectures

 According to clinical theories of motivation, the therapist helps increase the patient’s “motivation to change” (Miller & Rollnick, 2002)  Thus, motivation is an interaction between patient and therapist, not simply a trait that is present or lacking in a patient.  This theory can easily be adapted to the professor- student relationship, as we interact with students to motivate, educate and inspire them to challenge and expand their ways of thinking.  Enhancing the “will” as well as the “skill”

 Enhance students’ motivation to learn  Actively engage students in learning course material  Facilitate critical thinking  Highlight relevance and importance of subject  Want students to enjoy course

 Physical room challenges (stationary seats don’t promote student interaction)  Students may expect more passive learning  Academically diverse students  Differences in motivation for taking the course  Hard to be creative with assignments with hundred(s) of students

 To present several concrete strategies for promoting interactive and collaborative learning in large undergraduate lectures  To describe how to develop and utilize a course “YouTube” channel so that selected digital media clips can enhance students’ learning  To introduce specific examples of how course content can be transformed into engaging experiential class exercises

 How can we enhance students’ engagement?  Using multimedia tools  Making teaching “relevant” to students’ lives  Using creative, active learning approaches  Having an approachable and relaxed teaching style (Price, 2009; Howe & Strauss, 2007)

 Start interaction on Day 1  Why are you taking this course? Favorite course at BU thus far  Plan small group discussion activity to launch into course concepts  Groups of 2-4, assign “spokesperson” in fun way  Interactive exercises before going over syllabus  Strategies for dividing up class into discussion groups  By “rows”: every 4 rows gets same task  Students orient toward one another to discuss  By “sections” of the auditorium/lecture hall  By “twos” (talk to neighbor to briefly discuss )

 Instructional Aims :  To begin to build definition of “psychological dysfunction/abnormality”  To engage students in applying the definition of abnormality to real case examples across lifespan ▪ (enhancing relevance of material)  To teach students how age, development and culture can impact how we classify behaviors as normal or abnormal  To teach students to begin to generate and test clinical hypotheses

 Tools/Procedure:  1) 6 case vignettes put on PowerPoint  2) Divide class by rows or sections and provide them with cases  3) Provide SPECIFIC instructions; engage students right away in solving a problem collaboratively

 “A patient comes to you for help. What additional information would you need to know to determine whether your patient is displaying normal or abnormal behavior?”  CASE EXAMPLES: ▪ “Mr. Davis”, age 42, scrubs his driveway daily ▪ “Jan” is afraid of pigeons, this fear prevents her from walking to parks or traveling ▪ “Cameron” has vague physical complaints and sees 2-3 doctors per week

 5 minutes to discuss in breakout group  Return to plenary group, several students from each small group have chance to share their perspectives  Can build in positive reinforcement for being first to speak  Facilitate interaction between groups; Moderate discussion  Who agrees? Did any group have a differing opinion or complementary idea?  “Bring it home”; tie together main points  (Distress, level of impairment, frequency, dysfunction, cultural lens)

“Doing” rather than “telling” Example: Experience clinical technique rather than hearing about it.  Cognitive Restructuring  Interoceptive exposure Process students’ experience

 BU Abnormal Psychology YouTube Channel  Different psychological disorder “Playlists”  Created by team of 4 undergraduates  Incorporating in class to engage students  Upload new videos as discussion assignment  Movie clips, clinical demonstrations  Vote on most accurate depictions of disorder  Discussion of videos that are inaccurate portrayals or ways media promotes stigma of mental illness

Special thanks to my undergraduate team for creating YouTube Channel: Weilynn Chang Lauren Eng Brandon Matsumiya Harrison Strom

 Discussion groups  Which video did you choose to discuss?  How does this video portrayal compare or contrast with what you’ve learned in class so far?  How would this video clip influence the way people view this disorder?  What are some pros or cons of this type of media representation?  Feedback on activity

 “We liked this assignment because it was a good way to learn through something other than a lecture, and also to compare what we’ve learned to what the media portrays”  “More memorable using popular TV shows/movies, group discussions made us think more critically about the disorder, the guiding questions were helpful”

 “We really liked this assignment. Interactive way to solidify what we’re learning in class, this activity is a good way to analyze our culture’s views of biases/preconceptions about the disorders”

 How might you adapt one of these strategies for use in your course?  A small breakout group activity?  “Doing” rather than “telling”: Is there an experiential activity you could develop?  How could a course “YouTube” channel be useful in your class?

 How engaged is the class?  Read the class: how much “fuel” is left?  Class pacing  No pre-set “controls”  Responsive, interactive process

Donna Pincus, Ph.D. (617)