SUCCESSFUL COURSE REDESIGN

A CASE STUDY USING MYREADINGLAB

Supported by FIPSE Grant

Dr. Xiaoping WangN O RT H E A S T S TAT E C O M M U N I T Y

C O L L E G E

November 11, 2011

Course Redesign: Charting the Process

Make data driven decisions on course redesign and start with assessment of current course status to identify problems to solve

Develop clear attainable redesign goals Obtain faculty buy-in and build a campus-

wide team Determine course of action based on best

practice research and use of technology Secure adequate resources for redesign

implementation and sustainment

Course Redesign: Charting the Process

• Carry out pilots as necessary before full implementation

• Conduct on-going assessment for further improvement and to close the loop

• Be prepared for bumps and have a process and procedure in place to make necessary changes

• Provide strong leadership and support throughout the process of the redesign

A Case Study of Course Redesign

• Northeast State Community College• Course for redesign: Basic and

Developmental Reading• Course required as prerequisite for

majority of college level courses• Annual reading enrollment: 550-600• Redesign piloted starting spring 2008;

now fully implemented

Make Data-Driven Decisions

• Data at state level: TBR DSP redesign initiative and Complete College TN Act

• Data at institutional level: Low retention and graduate rates of developmental students

• Data at course level: Historical high course failure and

withdraw rates“One size fits all;” lack of

individualization Instructor centeredhindrance to students’ timely

progressionMultiple small class sections and high

costs

Build a Strong Redesign Team

• Take the bottom-up (vs. top-down) approach and create faculty-driven redesign

• Allow faculty to express doubt and concerns to be explored and addressed

• Introduce faculty to innovative redesign ideas/best practices/models and provide resources for professional development

• Develop a core group and build a campus wide team to carry out pilots

Develop Clear, Attainable Goals

• Create a student centered active learning environment with assistance of technology

• Create an assessment based flexible learning mode and allow individualization of the learning process

• Provide individual assistance• Improve student learning outcomes • Reduce program cost

Develop a Course of Action

Student centered learning environment:◦ Reading Emporium◦ Weekly Reading Group meetings◦ Mandatory weekly hours to allow hands-

on learning in Reading Center Individualization and individual

assistance by using technology:◦ Learning materials: MyReadingLab, web-

based, interactive, modularized with pre/post assessment; individualized study plan

◦ Web course enhancement through D2L and Tegrity lecture recordings

Reduce program cost

Secure Sufficient Resources

• Institutional Resources: Existing resources Reallocation of internal resources Other resources such as “Technology

Fees” Savings from the redesign

• External Resources Grants Fund raising Community support

Conduct On-Going Assessment

The course success rate in the redesigned reading course increase by up to 6%.

The common test results of the redesigned reading course indicated a 20-point gain vs. 8 points in traditional reading classes.

Redesigned reading students’ success rates in subsequent college level courses were up to 11% higher than those of traditional reading students.

Thirty-five percent students early exit the course

Per-student-cost was lowered from that of the traditional course for a savings of 48%

What We Have Learned Course redesign takes a paradigm change

in pedagogy of teaching and learning Course redesign will not be successful and

cannot be sustained ◦ unless faculty are fully behind it◦ unless administration fully support it

Course redesign is sustainable when there is a process in place for on-going assessment

A cross-campus team is a must: faculty, administration, staff of IT, admissions, and financial aid.

SUCCESSFUL COURSE REDESIGN

Questions and Comments

Contact: Xiaoping Wangxpwang@northeaststate.edu

Phone: 423.354.2552