Techniques for Improving Student Learning Outcomes Lynn M. Forsythe Ida M. Jones Deborah J. Kemp...

Techniques for Improving Student Learning Outcomes

Lynn M. Forsythe Ida M. JonesDeborah J. Kemp

Craig School of BusinessCalifornia State University, Fresno

Twitter account? Comments and Questions to #CSUFTIP13

Introduction: Central Issues• Student performance in the

introductory, required business law class was affected by student’s lack of preparation

• Surveys: students failure to read textbook• Diagnostic test: many students cannot

read well enough to understand the textbook.

• Critical thinking skills needed work


Course Redesign• Title V funded• High failure rate course• Implemented Fall 2011Present

Our focusImproved student learning

(not on just passing students through)


Course Redesign: Format• National Center for Academic

Transformation (http://www.thencat.org/)

• 6 types of course redesign– Range from Supplemental to Linked

Workshop • We selected supplemental

“supplement[s] lectures and textbooks with technology-based, out-of-class activities, or b) also changes what goes on in the class by creating an active learning environment…” (NCAT http://www.thencat.org/PlanRes/R2R_ModCrsRed.htm)


Course Redesign: Organization• Outline of the plan for BA 18

– Common syllabus– Pre-tests and post-tests– Low stakes chapter quizzes– Critical thinking test– Pearson’s My Skills Lab (reading,

writing & study skills) • Faculty Updates

– Faculty Learning Community format for meetings among all course instructors

– Blackboard organization


General Reflections

• We tried to do too much

• Concern about the death of academic freedom


Question to Audience

• How many teach course with common syllabus, common tests, common finals?

• What are your goals?– Rewarding improvement; – Rewarding changes; – Moving from less knowledge to more

but not necessarily most– Satisfying accreditation standards– Maintaining rigor & consistency


Overview of 5 Topics • Common syllabus

– Purpose: to improve student performance across all sections and to make the student experience more consistent

• Pre-tests and post-tests– Purpose: to find out how much students know

when they enter the class and when they complete the class

• Low stakes chapter quizzes on student reading– Purpose: to encourage students to read text

chapters and to read them prior to class discussion of the topics


Overview of 5 Topics continued

• Critical thinking test– Purpose: to measure the ability of

students to think critically and improve their critical thinking skills

• My Skills Lab by Pearson– Purpose: to improve student skills

in reading, writing, and studying


Common Syllabus: Goals

• To present consistent information across sections

• To reduce professor-shopping• To promote learning in the same

topic areas– Content– Weight


Common Syllabus• What worked:

– Good idea and works well– University template used as a base– Includes statement about study expectations– Helpful for lecturers and new faculty– Developed by group with substantial buy in by

faculty– Maintains flexibility for faculty

• Challenges– Encouraging students to read and use syllabus as a

resource– Reaching agreement on some elements (e.g., weight

of items)


Pre-tests and Post-tests

• To measure how much students know at the beginning of the course and be able to compare that with how much they know at the end of the course.

• To discover whether course instruction is effective.


Pre-tests and Post-tests continued

Challenges•Content of the tests

– Choosing appropriate topics– Finding and creating test questions– Determining validity and reliability of questions– Determining the optimal length of the test

• Weighing pre-test and post-test in overall course grades– Most faculty count the pre-test as 2-4% of the

course grade.– The pre-test should count enough for students to

take it seriously.


Pre-tests and Post-tests continued

• Administering the pre-test– Online or not– During class time or not

• Should we inform students that the pre-test questions will be on the final?

• Discouraging teaching to the test: a delicate balancing act.


Pre-tests and post-tests continued

• Is this a movement towards a common final?

• What needs improvement?– The current pre-test is not evenly

distributed across the material.– It does not include many application

questions. It tests terminology. – Different business law texts use

various terms for the same concepts.


Low Stakes Chapter Quizzes• To encourage students to

read the assigned chapters before class discussion.

• To provide students with feedback on their reading and comprehension.


Low Stakes Chapter Quizzes-Structure

• Each quiz: 5 randomly selected questions from a question pool, 10 minutes to answer

• Students could retake the quizzes; initially unlimited times, then reduced to 5 times

• The highest score was counted towards their course grade.

• Students completed the quizzes on Blackboard outside of class.

• Source: test banks from textbook publishers• Student and faculty handouts are available

on the conference web site.


Low Stakes Chapter Quizzes: Successes

• What Worked– Results are immediate.– Students believed the quiz

encouraged them to read the material


Low Stakes Chapter Quizzes: Challenges

• Challenges– Weight of quizzes– Blackboard glitches that required

some manual grading – Security of quiz questions– Small size of quiz pool– Nature and type of questions (e.g.,

need more application questions)


Low Stakes Chapter Quizzes: Reassessment• What needs improvement?

– Assisting students to read and write effectively

– Consistency among faculty as to how long quizzes are available (e.g., 3 days, one week)

– Consistency in administration by faculty (e.g., determining as a group whether students could see quiz answers)


Critical Thinking Test

• To improve students’ ability to read and analyze text material

• To improve students’ ability to apply legal theories to other situations

• To improve students’ ability to solve problems


Critical Thinking Test

• Challenges– Finding an appropriate test of critical

thinking– Determining what elements of

critical thinking to assess• Worked/Didn’t work

– Test selected was inappropriate• Tested critical thinking vocabulary,• Did not clearly test critical thinking skills• Students did not find it to be useful


My Skills Lab (Pearson)-Goals

• To help improve student reading skills

• To help improve student writing skills

• To help improve student study skills


My Skills Lab (Pearson)-Challenges

• My Skills Lab—reading/writing diagnostic test scores – Get an accurate diagnostic (student resistance if

haven’t had problem in class)– Difficult to correlate grades and reading ability on

scale and difficult to do easily– Pearson should coordinate with professors and the

University– University should do more to coordinate efforts to

develop an effective system to help students become better prepared

• What Worked– Student perceptions of value– Diagnostics demonstrated need


Course Redesign: What now?• SIMPLIFY• Join FLCs for critical thinking & My Skills Lab• My Skills Lab

– Look at diagnostic test scores– Grading– Assess how well/whether it accomplished the related

goals• Assess the impact of the quizzes

– Improved reading skills?– What’s the appropriate value to encourage taking quizzes

• Revise the pre-/post-test• No critical thinking test-more research needed• New effort to improve learning: Develop in class

active learning activity and quick assessment of it


Where to go next

• Update common syllabus; add syllabus quiz

• Common final• Common assignment• Continue to make adjustments to

the pre-test and post-test structure and the low stakes chapter quizzes


Images: license from dreamstime.com & classroomclipart.comPowerPoint template (free) http://www.smiletemplates.com/last-added/powerpoint-templates/0.html

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