INCREASING STUDENT SUCCESS & REDUCING COST:

The Case for Course Redesign

TODAY’S DISCUSSION Overview of the Methodology and Findings

of the Successful Redesign Projects Examples from Successful Institutions Readiness for Course Redesign

• 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

TRADITIONAL INSTRUCTION

SeminarsLectures

“BOLT-ON” INSTRUCTION

WHAT’S 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

WHAT’S 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

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.

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.

50,000 students

30 projects

SUMMARY OF RESULTS• 25 of the original 30 showed

improvement; 5 showed equal learning

• 24 measured retention; 18 showed improvement

• All 30 showed cost reduction• Results in subsequent national and

state and system programs have continued to show comparable results

TAKING COURSE REDESIGN TO SCALE

• The Roadmap to Redesign (R2R)2003 – 2006 (20 institutions)

• Colleagues Committed to Redesign (C2R)2006 - 2009 (60 institutions)

• Programs with Systems and States2006 – present (~80 institutions)

• The Redesign Alliance2006 – present (70+ institutions)

• Changing the Equation2009 – 2012 (38 institutions)

QUANTITATIVE

• Mathematics– Developmental Math– Pre-calculus Math – College Algebra – Discrete Math – Introductory Algebra – Elementary Algebra – Beginning Algebra – Intermediate Algebra – Linear Algebra

• Statistics– Business Statistics– Introductory Statistics – Elementary Statistics – Economic Statistics

• Computing– Computer Programming– Information Technology

Concepts – Computer Literacy – Information Literacy – Tools for the Information

Age

• SCIENCE– Anatomy and

Physiology– Astronomy – Biology – Ethnobotany – Chemistry – Geology

• SOCIAL SCIENCE– American

Government – Macro and

Microeconomics – Psychology – Sociology – Urban Affairs

• HUMANITIES– Developmental Reading– Developmental Writing– English Composition– Communication Studies – Understanding the

Visual and Performing Arts

– History of Western Civilization

– Great Ideas in Western Music

– Spanish– World Literature – British Literature– Women and Gender

Studies

• PROFESSIONAL– Elementary Education– Education: The

Curriculum – Engineering– Organizational Behavior– Public Speaking– Accounting– Nursing– Nutrition

NCAT METHODOLOGY:Relevance and Utility

• Discipline: math & literature

• Age: traditional & working adults

• Institution: small & large• Location: on-campus &

at a distance • Redesign: current & new

courses• Level: introductory &

advanced

WHY REDESIGN?Have a high impact!

Consider• High drop-failure-withdrawal rates• Student performance in subsequent courses • Students on waiting lists• Student complaints• Other departmental complaints• Lack of consistency in multiple sections• Difficulty finding qualified adjuncts

WHAT DO THE FACULTY SAY?• “It’s the best experience

I’ve ever had in a classroom.”

• “The quality of my worklife has changed immeasurably for the better.”

• “It’s a lot of work during the transition--but it’s worth it.”

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

REDESIGN CHARACTERISTICS • Redesign the whole course—not just a

single class• Emphasize active learning—greater

student engagement with the material and with one another

• Rely heavily on readily available interactive software—used independently and in teams

• Mastery learning—not self-paced• Increase on-demand, individualized

assistance • Automate only those course

components that can benefit from automation—e.g., homework, quizzes, exams

• Replace single mode instruction with differentiated personnel strategies

Technology enables good pedagogy with large #s of students.

GENERAL PSYCHOLOGYChattanooga Community College

• Course Structure: – total enrollment ~1500 per year – 7 sections - main campus (~100 students/section) – 3 sections - satellite campuses (~40-50 students/section)– 5 online sections (30-40 students per section) – each section meets 2 hours/week w/2 1-hour help

session/week• Uniform learning objectives and student learning

outcomes across all sections • Student Buffet – students can attend class or use

online approach as they need – changing as often as they need to

• Improved student learning – pre and post test data

GENERAL PSYCHOLOGYChattanooga Community College– Buffet Model provides flexible scheduling

– Eliminate drop/add confusion - students can enroll in any open section and attend any section with a seat as many times as they wish

• “Now, I know. I need the lecture.” – can begin attending any or all lectures

• “Job change. Can’t come to class.” or “My baby is due next week.” - not a problem just complete everything online without benefit of lecture

• “Wow, if I’m sick one day or my car breaks down, I can take the exam on one of the other days it is offered.”

GENERAL PSYCHOLOGYChattanooga Community College

• Streamlined management - eliminating replication of work

– set of modularized course components that map to desired learning outcomes (one site – one syllabus – one set of materials developed collaboratively)

– mass emailing and replication of course calendar: most weeks students receive an informative email --“ How are you doing?”, Office Hours, Due Date Reminders, Study Tips, “Where are you?”, …

• Increased office time for other course development or research

• Attention to students’ diverse learning styles• Less dependence on adjunct faculty instructors• Decreased demand upon classroom space

WOMEN’S STUDIESArizona State University

• 2 courses – one lower division, one upper division• Enrollment ~2400 students annually• Issues: diverse student body, increasing

enrollment, no higher order thinking• Replace 1 lecture with online small discussion

groups monitored by UGAs and GTAs and use of low stakes quizzes

• Outcomes – higher grades on common finals, decreased # of course grades of D

• increased class size from 150-200 to 400 and reducing the number of sections from 9 to 4.

INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGYNorthern Arizona University

• Large (2,000/year) foundational, survey-style class, meeting 3x per week for lecture

• Redesign includes– Large team-taught F2F section with 400 students/section

(back to back for 800 student per semester) – SRS for required attendance, in-class assessment– Early intervention system; team approach for GTAs– Web assignments and required, repeatable online quizzes

• Learning: Mean performance in redesign went from 31.2% (pre-test) to 40.2% (post-test), or .72 of 1 SD.

• Cost savings: sections 11 to 8 in one year

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

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

How do these examples relate to

GETTING STARTED?

READINESS CRITERIA• What does it mean to be “ready”

to do a major course redesign?• Is your institution ready?• Which courses are “ready”—i.e., are

good candidates for a comprehensive redesign?

READINESS?

1. Institutional willingness to change2. Departmental willingness to change3. Availability of needed facilities and technology4. Faculty readiness to use technology-mediated

materials and pedagogies5. Student willingness and readiness to use

technology-mediated materials and pedagogies 6. Faculty willingness to implement the redesigned

course consistently and collaboratively

WHY INSTITUTIONAL TEAMS?

• Faculty experts• Administrators• Technology

professionals• Assessment

experts

INCREASING STUDENT SUCCESS & REDUCING COST:

The Case for Course Redesign

Carolyn Jarmon, Ph.D.cjarmon@theNCAT.org

www.theNCAT.org

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READINESS?

1. Institutional willingness to change2. Departmental willingness to change3. Availability of needed facilities and technology4. Faculty readiness to use technology-mediated

materials and pedagogies5. Student willingness and readiness to use

technology-mediated materials and pedagogies 6. Faculty willingness to implement the redesigned

course consistently and collaboratively

GROUP ASSIGNMENTS

• A – Criterion #1• B – Criterion #2• C – Criterion #3• D – Criterion #4• E – Criterion #5• F – Criterion #6

ASSIGNMENT• For the Readiness Criterion assigned

to your group: – What are the obstacles to meeting this

criteria?– What issues do you need to consider?– What evidence would help you overcome

the obstacles?– What information do you need to gather?– What process, if any, might help

overcome the obstacles?• Choose one person to report back.

QUESTIONS?