Evaluating Discipline-based Goals and Educational Outcomes in Developmental Psychology Anne L. Law Department of Psychology Rider University

Developmental Psychology Sophomore level course Required for all Education & Special Education majors Chosen as a major requirement by most psychology majors Class size 35-40

Chronic Dilemmas Student performance and morale Student effort not matched by performance High level of student disengagement Amount of material to cover during one semester Seeming incoherence across topics Creating coherence between students’ future goals and course content

Challenge of translating knowledge as acquired by disciplinary practices into knowledge to be used by “consumers”

Experience with Assignment Design Based on Disciplinary Practice Examples of Earlier Efforts: Observational exercises or other types of data collection Reading and analyzing research articles Reading and critiquing popular articles Problems with these sorts of assignments: Frequent substitution of personal experience as evidence Narrow exposure to developmental phenomena Difficulty connecting observation (or other data) to existing research

Goals of Course Revision Introduce students to discipline-based methods of inquiry relevant to their future Introduce students to the range of research conducted by developmental psychologists Include specific mechanisms to improve critical thinking Include opportunities to “practice” informed decision making

Inquiry-based Pedagogy A pedagogical strategy that uses significant, real-world problems as devices for students to encounter and use foundational, disciplinary knowledge Typically involves: access to a broad range of resources, collaborative research teams, instruction through facilitation of problem solving

Inquiry-based Activities Students are randomly assigned to teams of 3-4 Each team is assigned to a problem Teams use web and print resources to assemble a source base Students create answers for their problems using relevant sources Problem solutions are organized into a powerpoint presentation Each group posts their presentation to Blackboard All students view all presentations and participate in a virtual discussion

Students working in project teams

Student Assessment & Course Goals Daily Log – each team evaluates their progress and identifies any needs Helps me monitor progress and act as facilitator Project Reviews – teams are partnered and conduct an evaluation of one other project Use growing understanding of content area to critically evaluate Blackboard Dialog – all students review and comment on every project Creates exposure to entire area of content

Creation of Problems Coherent division of content – several weeks of course coverage Identification of significant subtopics within one unit Creation of problems that could be solved using relevant content Entire set of problems accesses total content to be covered Specify meaningful audience for each problem

Cognitive Development Set of problems would include: Theories of Cognition Developmental change Integration with social and emotional development Individual Differences Cultural Practices Problem #10: By the end of elementary school children have developed distinct meta-memory skills. Their understanding of their own attention, memory, and problem-solving provides the necessary preparation for advancing to more complex and independent learning. You have been hired as a consultant to an after-school program for 5 th and 6 th graders. What advice would you give the staff to evaluate the meta-memory skills of these children? What activities would you propose that would strengthen both information processing and children’s understanding of their own cognition?

Sample of student presentation Illustrating key features of assignment Problem redefinition Organization of key concepts Use of information to solve problem Types of resources chosen

Student presentation illustrating: Creative problem definition & solution Breadth of problem areas and potential solutions Goal-directed nature of problem solving

Introduce students to discipline-based methods of inquiry relevant to their future Solutions reflect use of discipline-based discourse and value of empirically-derived conclusions Introduce students to the range of research conducted by developmental psychologists Use of internet resources makes available wide array of resources Review of Course Goals

Include specific mechanisms to improve critical thinking Peer evaluation, comparison of textbook account with problem solution, reduces reliance on personal experience Include opportunities to “practice” informed decision making Specification of audience, applied or practical nature of problem

Outcomes Risks inconsistent coverage of content Introduces new student dissatisfactions Increased student engagement with course content Increased student interaction with each other and with instructor Illustrates the value of scientific inquiry into human development Emphasizes future value of research on human development

For the Future Evaluate critical thinking outcomes Review and revise problems Create improved assessment that reflects learning of all content Improve balance of group and individual work