0. Getting Started with Course Redesign
Danae L. Hudson, Ph.D.
Brooke L. Whisenhunt, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology

1. History of our Redesign
Redesigned Introductory Psychology (PSY 121) at Missouri State University
Part of statewide initiative in academic collaboration and course redesign
Partnered with National Center for Academic Transformation (NCAT) and serve as a participating institution in the Next Generation Learning Challenges grant (State of Missouri)
Collaborative team effort including 5 full-time faculty, administrators, instructional designers, and graduate assistants

2. Recommendations for Starting the Redesign Process
STEP 1: Identify the need(s) for course redesign

3. Some Reasons to Consider a Redesign….
Poor Learning Outcomes
Retention Problems
High DFW Rates
High Resource Demand
Course Drift
Primarily, faculty will be responsible for designing the new course; hence, faculty should be leaders in identifying challenges and developing the goals for redesigning.

4. Our Traditional PSY 121 General education course Lecture only model
153 students
1 faculty instructor
65% full time faculty (tenure-track or instructor)
35% per course
Instructor: Student Ratio = 1:153
Assessments primarily multiple choice exams
4 or 5 per semester

5. PSY 121: Why Redesign? Improve Learning Outcomes Reduce DFW Rates
Reduce/Eliminate Course Drift
Increase Instructor: Student Ratio to Allow for Creative Pedagogy

6. STEP 2: Determine the scope of the redesign
One-section approach
All-section approach
Decide if you need to partner with any course redesign specialists
Two early decisions to be made involve: 1) the scope of the redesign and 2) if your institution will partner with any course redesign specialists (e.g., National Center for Academic Transformation, Next Generation Course Redesign). Determining the scope of the redesign may, in part, help determine if outside consultation and/or collaboration is needed. Regarding scope, the question involves whether the redesign will target only one section of a course or involve all sections of a course. One-section redesign requires fewer people and resources at the beginning, but can be more challenging in terms of dissemination of results and implementation in other sections. Upper division and/or small enrollment courses typically taught by a single individual or small number of individuals may be candidates for this redesign approach. Large enrollment, multiple section (typically general education) courses may be better suited to a redesign that encompasses all sections of the course. This all-section method requires significantly more people and time in the planning phases. However, the dissemination and implementation may be less challenging because there is more buy-in and ownership from a planning team to use a standardized content and framework. It is important to recognize that these recommendations are not rigid rules and the choice of a redesign plan should be made in the context of the course goals, faculty interests, and philosophy of the department and academic institution.

7. PSY 121: Scope and Partnership
All-sections approach
Redesigned 10 traditional sections of 153 students in the fall to 5 redesigned sections of 300
Partnered with NCAT and numerous departments on campus
Part of a statewide initiative:
Every state institution in Missouri redesigned at least one course that can ultimately be disseminated to other institutions, if they are interested

8. STEP 3: Assemble a Team
Include faculty with experience teaching the course
Include administrators and support staff
Clearly identify a team leader
Understands the course challenges in the larger political/economic context
Genuinely believes in the potential of course redesign
Effective at building relationships between faculty and administrators
Once a target course is identified, the redesign team should be assembled. The key players in the redesign team should be a core group of faculty who has a history of teaching the course and an interest in course transformation. The exact number of faculty involved will depend on the current faculty assignment and method of course redesign chosen (e.g., one- section versus all-sections). It is also imperative that the transformation team include administrators and support staff. Additionally, regardless of the number of faculty involved, there needs to be a clearly identified leader who serves as a liaison between the faculty, administration and support personnel (Turner & Carriveau, 2010). The faculty leader should be an individual who understands the specific course challenges and how they fit into the larger political and economic context. The leader must be someone who genuinely believes in the potential of course redesign and is able to bring enthusiasm to the team. In order to serve as an effective liaison, the team leader should have good relationships with both faculty and administrators, and have regular access to administrators throughout the project.

9. PSY 121: Our Team Psychology Faculty Redesign Team Members
Team Leader: Danae Hudson
Rachel Happel, Ann Rost, Carol Shoptaugh, Brooke Whisenhunt
Instructional Design/Classroom Technology
JoAnn Matson, Bruce Richards, Nancy Gordon, David Caravella, Michael Fisher, Michael Frizell
Graduate Assistants
Brittany Combs, Gail Williams, Emily Stefano
MSU Administration
Clif Smart, Frank Einhellig, John Catau, Rachelle Darabi, Chris Craig, Helen Reid, Tim Daugherty

10. STEP 4: Identify Goals to Establish Necessary Resources
Short-term goals (i.e., this semester)
Long-term goals (e.g., the life of the project)
Team leader works to garner support from administration and commitment of adequate resources
identify short-term (e.g., this semester) and long-term (e.g., the life of the project) project plans. Brainstorming objectives and specific tasks associated with meeting each objective will allow the team leader to identify the resources needed for successful redesign. The team leader must obtain the necessary support from administration prior to the completion of significant work. Support from administration will demonstrate commitment to the faculty team, which will serve to contribute to the team’s motivation throughout the life of the project.
The costs associated with a course redesign vary depending on the discipline and specific course within the discipline. For example, math courses that require new computer emporiums to be built will require significantly more financial commitment than courses like Introductory Psychology, which are less equipment-intensive. It should be noted that the number of faculty involved in the redesign does impact the cost of redesign. Faculty costs associated with course redesign will likely include summer salaries and reassigned time or overload pay. Clearly, the number of redesign participants affects the bottom line. While being more expensive in the short-term, the buy-in achieved by more inclusive groups will likely be more efficient in the long-term. Additionally, if the redesign plan includes graduate assistants or other learning assistants, there will be additional operating expenses. Examining costs associated with the course prior to redesign and those associated with start-up and delivery of the redesigned course allows designers and administrators to calculate cost-benefit analyses before the design and implementation of the course. A detailed comparison of the cost of the traditional course and the projected cost of the redesigned course can be useful when negotiating with administration regarding project resources and support. Finally, it is important to keep in mind that many redesigned courses are more efficient and result in financial savings for the institution on an annual basis.

11. The Importance of Learning Objectives: Developing GLOs and sLOs
Used NextGen framework to establish GLOs and SLOs for every chapter/concept for the course; then we could identify different ways to achieve each learning objective (e.g., through the use of technology, class demonstrations, etc)

12. STEP 5: Develop an Assessment Process
Assessment helps facilitate the following:
Operationally defining course goals
Identification of strategies to obtain goals
Empirical evaluation of outcomes
A preliminary assessment plan should be created before content redesign begins. While it might seem intuitive to discuss the details of the actual course redesign prior to developing an assessment plan, establishing a global assessment plan orients the team to the importance of the empirical evaluation of the redesign. Team members should become accustomed to operationally defining goals, identifying a strategy for obtaining goals, and empirically evaluating outcomes. This relentless focus on assessment will provide information essential to continued course improvement and sustained administrative support (Turner & Carriveau, 2010).

13. PSY 121: Assessment
Combination of assessment plans during pilot phase and full implementation
Pre-Post
Allows control for initial group differences
Parallel
One pilot section compared to two sections of a traditional course
Collected in Spring 2012
Historical Data
Compared to data collected over past years

14. PSY 121: Assessment Tools Learning Outcomes
30-item comprehensive learning outcomes exam
Historical value
50-item comprehensive learning outcomes exam
Developed by the redesign team
1. Which of the following correlation coefficients represents the strongest relationship?
a. +.07
b. +.62
c. -.56
d. -.81
2. In an experiment to determine the effects of tutoring on psychology exam scores, tutoring is the ____.
a. Control condition
b. Intervening variable
c. Independent variable
d. Dependent variable
3. Angelo has just completed a 100-mile bicycle ride, but feels little pain or discomfort. His lack of pain is probably caused by the release of _____.
a. Endorphins
b. Dopamine
c. Acetylcholine
d. Curare

15. PSY 121: Assessment Tools DFW Rates Attendance Student Evaluations
Final Course Grades/Course Completion
Attendance
Using clicker participation points and sign-in sheets
Student Evaluations
Standard evaluations
Course component evaluations
Designed by redesign team specifically for this course

16. STEP 6: Develop the Structure and Content of the Course Redesign
Identification of publisher materials that will meet the course goals
How will you incorporate technology?
Finding appropriate space
Scheduling/timing of classes
A number of activities related to the structure and content of the redesigned course must occur simultaneously. For example, it is essential to identify a publisher who can provide a text and online resources to meet the course goals. However, the ability to evaluate publisher products requires the team to have a set of mutually agreed-upon goals. Many disciplines will find assistance with overarching goals from their professional organization’s educational directorate. As the focus of redesign becomes more specific and course content method decisions are made, the team must take countless logistics into consideration. These include: finding appropriate space for the class/lab, scheduling/timing of classes (which may be different than the standard at the institution), the availability of the appropriate technology (inside and outside the classroom), and development of materials for the redesigned course. In some cases, the logistical constraints of an institution will limit the scope of the redesign. For example, the redesign team may want to incorporate break out lab sessions with a small number of students led by undergraduate teaching assistants. However, if the space for such break-out groups is not available alternatives will have to be considered. Engaging support personnel (i.e., registrar, administrative assistants, classroom technology experts, instructional designers) during this stage can save the redesign team effort, time, and frustration later in the process.

17. PSY 121: Comprehensive Review of All Publisher Materials
Criteria Used to Evaluate Publisher Material
Quality of the textbook/e-book
Ease of website use for instructors and students
Quality and quantity of instructor resources
Instructor/student editing options within the e-book (add notes, video clips, etc.)
Mastery quizzes with automatic grading and feedback
Clicker content
Experiential learning/simulation activities and video demonstrations/tutorials
Quality of the test bank with proctoring/administration options
Personalized student feedback/activities (based on performance on quizzes)
Interactive PowerPoint presentations
Instructional design/technical support

18. PSY 121: A Blended Course Design
Lecture
1x/wk
Online Group Communication and Experiential Learning
Individual Online
(MyPsychLab)

19. PSY 121: Access to Course Staff
Faculty
Senior Learning Assistant
Undergraduate Learning Assistant
(20 students)
Learning Lab

20. PSY 121: Weekly Expectations and Activities
Read Chapter
Take Pre-test in MPL
Complete Study Plan
Take Post-test in MPL
Complete Media Assignment
Attend Lecture
Complete Chapter Exam

21. PSY 121: Engaged with the Material in Class
Clickers
Peer Instruction
Interactive Class Demonstrations
Short Video Clips
Engaged with the Material Out of Class:
Weekly MyPsychLab Activities
Study Plan Completion
Media Assignment
Chapter Exam
Discussion Boards – group experiential activity

22. PSY 121: Feedback for Students
MyPsychLab Feedback
Exam Feedback
s to students concerning performance (all levels)
Congrats to those who performed well
Information on how to improve and resources to those who need to improve
Performance Interventions
Level 1 (followed Exam 1)
Level 2 (followed midterm grades)

23. PSY 121: Provide Students With Individualized Assistance
Individualized study plan through MyPsychLab
BearCLAW tutoring services available 25 hours per week with ULAs
Interventions for struggling students

24. PSY 121: Learning Outcomes
Comparison of Redesign Means to Historical Departmental Means
30-Item Comprehensive Exam
All Sections
Fall 2012
Pilot
Spring 2012
Fall
2011
2010
2009
Spring 2004
2004
Pretest
35%
10.50
(3.36)
36%
10.73
(3.65)
39%
11.79
(3.10)
11.56
(3.44)
11.66
(3.32)
41%
12.32
(2.87)
38%
11.31
(2.74)
Posttest
65%
19.50
(4.27)
66%
19.84
(4.70)
60%
18.11
(4.46)
52%
15.62
(3.74)
49%
14.83
(4.12)
55%
16.49
(4.24)
58%
17.46
(4.95)
% Improvement
86%
85%
54%
27%
34% n
1340
102
302
415
509 87 98

25. PSY 121: Course Completion/DFW Rates
Traditional (Fall sections)
A, B, C, or D = 87%
DFW = 24%
Redesign (Fall sections)
A, B, C, or D = 83%
Attendance up 8% (looking at 1 section traditional vs redesign)

26. STEP 7: Educating Your Academic Community about the Redesign
Change is uncomfortable
Public relations work can be critical
Seek opportunities to educate faculty, students, parents, and community members
Finally, while public perceptions of the redesign and its purpose are important during the entire redesign process, they become critical as implementation approaches. The team should be aware of the public perceptions regarding course changes. The status quo, even when ineffective, can be comfortable for many constituency groups; conversely, change can be seen as threatening. Consequently, the design team must use appropriate opportunities to educate faculty, students, parents, and members of the community of the potential benefits of the course redesign and methods.
Also need to disseminate your results

27. PSY 121: Efforts to Educate Our Campus About the Redesign
Developed a presentation about the course for new student orientation (SOAR) targeting students and parents
Invited key administrators to attend a redesigned class (Department Head, Associate Provost, and Provost have all attended a redesigned course)
Regular presentations about the redesign process and outcomes to the full psychology faculty
Multiple presentations across campus and statewide

28. Contact Information
Danae L. Hudson, Ph.D. Department of Psychology Missouri State University (417)