1. TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN

2. TODAYS DISCUSSION The National Center for Academic Transformation Overview of the Methodology and Findings of the Program in Course Redesign Proven Models for Successful Redesign How to get the most out of this conference…

3. Established in 1999 as a university Center at RPI funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts Became an independent non-profit organization in 2003 Mission: help colleges and universities learn how to use technology to improve student learning outcomes and reduce their instructional costs

4. NCAT PROGRAMS Program in Course Redesign (PCR) – 30 institutions Roadmap to Redesign (R2R) – 20 institutions Colleagues Committed to Redesign (C2R) – 60 institutions State and System-based Programs – 50+ institutions Redesign Scholars Corporate Associates Redesign Alliance

5. TRADITIONAL INSTRUCTION Seminars Lectures

6. BOLT-ON INSTRUCTION

7. WHATS WRONG WITH THE LECTURE? Treats all students as if they are the same Ineffective in engaging students Inadequate individual assistance Poor attendance and success rates Students fail to retain learning

8. WHATS WRONG WITH MULTIPLE SECTIONS? In theory: greater interaction In practice: large class size In practice: dominated by the same presentation techniques Lack of coordination Inconsistent outcomes

9. ASSUMPTIONS THAT GET IN THE WAY Improving quality means increasing cost Adding IT increases cost Using IT may even threaten quality

10. THE ONE PERCENT SOLUTION Maricopa Community College District 200,000 students 2,000 course titles 25 courses = 44% enrollment All CCs = 51% All four-year = 35%

11. PROGRAM IN COURSE REDESIGN To encourage colleges and universities to redesign their approaches to instruction using technology to achieve cost savings as well as quality enhancements. 30 projects 50,000 students

12. WHAT DOES NCAT MEAN BY COURSE REDESIGN? Course redesign is the process of redesigning whole courses (rather than individual classes or sections) to achieve better learning outcomes at a lower cost by taking advantage of the capabilities of information technology. Course redesign is not just about putting courses online. It is about rethinking the way we deliver instruction in light of the possibilities that new technology offers.

13. WHY REDESIGN? Look for courses where redesign will have a high impact: High withdrawal/failure rates Students on waiting lists Students turned away – graduation bottleneck Over enrollment of courses leading to multiple majors Inconsistency of preparation Difficulty getting qualified adjuncts Difficulty in subsequent courses

14. QUANTITATIVE (13) Mathematics – Iowa State University – Northern Arizona University – Rio Salado College – Riverside CC – University of Alabama – University of Idaho – Virginia Tech Statistics – Carnegie Mellon University – Ohio State University – Penn State – U of Illinois-Urbana Champaign Computer Programming – Drexel University – University at Buffalo

15. SCIENCE (5) SOCIAL SCIENCE (6) Biology – Fairfield University – University of Massachusetts Chemistry – University of Iowa – U of Wisconsin- Madison Astronomy – U of Colorado- Boulder Psychology – Cal Poly Pomona – University of Dayton – University of New Mexico – U of Southern Maine Sociology – IUPUI American Government – U of Central Florida

16. HUMANITIES (6) English Composition – Brigham Young University – Tallahassee CC Spanish – Portland State University – University of Tennessee Fine Arts – Florida Gulf Coast University World Literature – University of Southern Mississippi

17. TEAM EFFORT IS KEY Each team included – Administrator – Faculty experts – Technology expertise – Assessment assistance

18. IT IS POSSIBLE TO INCREASE LEARNING WHILE REDUCING COST 25 of 30 PCR projects improved learning; the other 5 showed equal learning. 24 measured course completion rates; 18 showed improvement. All 30 reduced costs by 37% on average, with a range of 15% to 77%. Program in Course Redesign

19. WHAT HAPPENS TO THE SAVINGS? Stay in department for continuous course improvement and/or redesign of others Provide a greater range of offerings at upper division or graduate level Accommodate greater numbers of students with same resources Stay in department to reduce teaching load and provide more time for research Redesign similar courses Miscellaneous – Offer distance sections – Reduce rental expenditures – Improve training of part-time faculty

20. WHAT DO THE FACULTY SAY? Its the best experience Ive ever had in a classroom. The quality of my worklife has changed immeasurably for the better. Its a lot of work during the transition--but its worth it.

21. WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT WE HAVE LEARNED ABOUT QUALITY AND COST? The factors that lead to increased student learning and increased student retention are the same as those that lead to reduced instructional costs!

22. FIVE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESSFUL COURSE REDESIGN #1: Redesign the whole course – Quality: Eliminate course drift; greater course coherence and quality control – Cost: Eliminate duplicate effort; create opportunities for alternate staffing

23. FIVE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESSFUL COURSE REDESIGN #2: Encourage active learning – Quality: Learning is not a spectator sport. – Cost: Reduce faculty preparation and presentation time; reduce grading time (e.g., interactive software, peer learning teams)

24. FIVE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESSFUL COURSE REDESIGN #3: Provide students with individualized assistance – Quality: Students get help when they are stuck and stay on task rather than giving up: software tutorials, F2F in labs or help rooms, beep a tutor, SMARTHINKING – Cost: Apply the right level of human intervention: peer tutors, course assistants

25. FIVE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESSFUL COURSE REDESIGN #4: Build in ongoing assessment and prompt (automated) feedback – Quality: Enables practice, diagnostic feedback, focused time on task – Cost: Good pedagogy with large numbers of students; individual and group assessment; faculty spend time on what students dont understand

26. FIVE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESSFUL COURSE REDESIGN #5: Ensure sufficient time on task and monitor student progress – Quality: Self-pacing vs. milestones for completion; points for engagement – Cost: Course management systems can reduce costs while increasing oversight

27. REDESIGN MODELS Supplemental – Add to the current structure and/or change the content Replacement – Blend face-to-face with online activities Emporium – Move all classes to a lab setting Fully online – Conduct all (most) learning activities online Buffet – Mix and match according to student preferences Linked Workshop – JIT workshops linked to a college level course

28. REDESIGN CHARACTERISTICS Redesign the whole coursenot just a single class Emphasize active learninggreater student engagement with the material and with one another Rely heavily on readily available interactive softwareused independently and in teams Mastery learningnot self-paced Increase on-demand, individualized assistance Automate only those course components that can benefit from automatione.g., homework, quizzes, exams Replace single mode instruction with differentiated personnel strategies Technology enables good pedagogy with large #s of students.

29. SUPPLEMENTAL MODEL Maintain the basic current structure Change the content so that more is available on line Change interaction so that students are interacting more with the material Change the use of the time to reduce or eliminate lecturing and increase student interaction

30. GENERAL BIOLOGY Fairfield University Inconsistent student academic preparation Inadequate student interaction with learning materials and complex topics Inadequate use of modern technology Inability of students to retain what they have learned (amnesia) Inability of students to apply biological principles to other disciplines (inertia) Memorization vs. Application of Scientific Concepts

31. ACADEMIC GOALS Enhance quality by individualizing instruction Focus on higher-level cognitive skills Create both team-based and independent investigations Use interactive learning environments in lectures and labs – to illustrate difficult concepts – to allow students to practice certain skills or test certain hypotheses – to work with other students to enhance the learning and discussion of complex topics

32. Traditional 7 sections (~35) 7 faculty 100% wet labs $131,610 $506 cost-per-student Redesign 2 sections (~140) 4 faculty 50% wet, 50% virtual $98,033 $350 cost-per-student Content mastery: significantly better performance Content retention: significantly better (88% vs. 79%) Course drops declined from 8% to 3% Next course enrollment increased from 75% to 85% Declared majors increased by 4%

33. REPLACEMENT MODEL Blend face-to-face with online activities Determine exactly what activities required face-to-face and reduce the amount of time to focus only on those activities in class Provide 24/7 online interactive learning materials and resources Include online self-assessment activities with immediate feedback

34. SPANISH University of Tennessee CHALLENGES Inconsistent student preparation Inability to accommodate all who would like to take this course – bottleneck to graduation Inability to accommodate different learning styles Limited number of qualified instructors Time in class devoted to grammar and vocabulary – not expressive speaking and writing

35. Traditional 57 sections (~27) Adjuncts + 6 TAs 100% in class $167,074 ($2931/section) $109 cost-per-student Redesign 38 sections (~54) Instructor-TA pairs 50% in class, 50% online $56,838 ($1496/section) $28 cost-per-student Oral skills: significantly better performance Language proficiency & language achievement: no significant difference A second Spanish project: final exam scores in speaking, reading and listening were higher

36. ENGLISH COMPOSITION Tallahassee Community College Primary goals – Increase writing skills – Improve student success (<60%) – Increase consistency (100 sections) Replace classroom time with lab time and online activities Integrate reading and writing, provide immediate feedback and support collaborative learning Success rates Increased to 68.4% Final essay scores increased (8.35 in redesign vs. 7.32 in traditional) Cost-per-student declined by 43%

37. EMPORIUM MODEL Move all classes to a lab setting Permit the use of multiple kinds of personnel Allow students to work as long as they need to master the content Can be adapted for the kinds of students at a particular institution Allow multiple courses the same time Include multiple examples in math

38. THE MATH EMPORIUM at Virginia Tech Traditional 38 sections (~40) 10 tenured faculty, 13 instructors, 15 GTAs 2 hours per week $91 cost-per-student Redesign 1 section (~1520) 1 instructor, grad & undergrad TAs + 2 tech support staff 24*7 in open lab $21 cost-per-student Replicated at U of Alabama, U of Idaho, LSU, Wayne State, U Missouri-St. Louis, Seton Hall

39. THE EMPORIUM MODEL 77% Cost Reduction (V1) 30% Cost Reduction (V2)

40. FULLY ONLINE MODEL Moves all or most of the learning environment online Provides access to anyone, anywhere, anytime – on demand Allows international groups of students to interact easily and learn from each other

41. FULLY ONLINE MODEL Fine Arts, Literature, Math, Psychology Traditional Redesign one class Emphasize instructor-to- student interaction Instructor does all grading and provides all student feedback Single personnel strategy Redesign Redesign whole course Emphasize student-to- student interaction and teaming Automate grading and student feedback Differentiated personnel strategy

42. U. OF S. MISSISSIPPI World Literature Traditional 16 – 20 sections (~65) Taught by 8 faculty and 8 adjuncts Faculty do all grading $70 cost-per-student Redesign Single online section Team-taught by 4 faculty and 4 TAs 50% automated grading via WebCT; 50% TAs $31 cost-per-student Redesign triples course capacity.

43. BUFFET MODEL Assess each students knowledge/skill level and preferred learning style Provide an array of high-quality, interactive learning materials and activities Develop individualized study plans Built in continuous assessment to provide instantaneous feedback Offer appropriate, varied human interaction when needed

44. LINKED WORKSHOP MODEL Retain basic structure of the college-level course, particularly the number of class meetings Replace remedial/developmental course with just-in-time (JIT) workshops Design workshops to remove deficiencies in core course competencies Workshops consist of computer-based instruction, small- group activities and test reviews to provide additional instruction on key concepts Students individually assigned software modules based on results of diagnostic assessments Workshops facilitated by students who have previously excelled in core course; students trained and supervised by core course faculty JIT workshop activities designed so students use concepts during next core course class session, which in turn helps them see the value of the workshops and motivates them to do workshop activities

45. DEVELOPMENTAL MATH Austin Peay State University Student Success Rates College CourseBeforeSLA Fund of Math32.4% 69.9% Elem Statistics22.4% 52.5%* * Higher than the success rate for students with 19-22 ACT subscores

46. A STREAMLINED REDESIGN METHODOLOGY A Menu of Redesign Options Six Models for Course Redesign Five Principles of Successful Course Redesign Cost Reduction Strategies Course Planning Tool Course Structure Form Five Models for Assessing Student Learning Five Critical Implementation Issues Planning Checklist

47. FACULTY BENEFITS Increased opportunity to work directly with students who need help Reduced grading Technology does the tracking and monitoring More practice and interaction for students without faculty effort Ability to try different approaches to meet different student needs Opportunity for continuous improvement of materials and approaches

48. THE NCAT WEB SITE www.theNCAT.org Course redesign planning resources Project descriptions Monographs: Lessons Learned Project contacts

49. THE REDESIGN ALLIANCE Third Annual Conference How to get the most out of your conference experience...

50. THE REDESIGN ALLIANCE Mission: to advance the concept of course redesign throughout higher education to increase student success and access while containing or reducing instructional costs. Create a community of higher education institutions and others who are committed to and experienced with large-scale course redesign.

51. THE REDESIGN ALLIANCE Program in Course Redesign Roadmap to Redesign (R2R) State- and System-based Programs Corporate Community Colleagues Committed to Redesign (C2R) Individual Institutions

52. SUNDAY Orientation Corporate Exhibits Opening Reception Corporate Hospitality Suites Birds of a Feather (Lunches)

53. MONDAY MORNING Opening Keynote: Philip Parsons Disciplinary Showcases Developmental Mathematics – Humanities – Developmental Mathematics – College-Level Mathematics (2) – Social Science – Natural Science – Statistics and Computing

54. MONDAY AFTERNOON Roundtable Discussion Sessions – College-Level Math – Developmental English – Humanities – Social Sciences – Natural Sciences – Social Sciences – Administrators Panel: Learning Space Design Poster Sessions Poolside Reception

55. TUESDAY MORNING Hot Topics in Course Redesign – Engaging Students in New Ways of Learning – Working with Commercial Software – Developing a Valid Assessment Plan – Effective Use of Undergraduate Learning Assistants – Its Not Your Fathers Online Course – Applying the Five Models in New Ways – Redesigning Developmental English Panel: The Power of Quizzing

56. TRANSFORMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH COURSE REDESIGN Carolyn Jarmon, Ph.D. cjarmon@theNCAT.org www.theNCAT.org