University of Maryland Baltimore County Department of Psychology Psyc100: Introductory Psychology Eileen O’Brien, Ph.D.

Traditional Introductory Psychology Course General foundation requirement course 180+ students 7 sections per year 4 credit course 3 ½ clock hours each week for instruction 15 weeks of class Large lecture halls 4 major multiple choice exams

Traditional Introductory Psychology Course Failure rate peaked at 15% 60% attendance rate Lack of preparation for class –limited discussion Overwhelming amount of course content Faculty are less interested in teaching this course

Advisory Group for Course Redesign Faculty teaching the course* Lecturers and Adjuncts Provost Dean of Arts and Sciences Department Chair* Faculty Development Director* Student Learning Resource Center Director* Blackboard Administrator* Evaluator* Graduate TAs* Undergraduate Student* *Review team for timeline tasks

Redesign Introductory Psychology Course Goals: Improve student outcomes in the course Make psychology exciting and relevant to students’ lives Increase number of psychology majors Promote active adult learning Share faculty expertise and experience Realize cost savings

Redesign Introductory Psychology Course Replacement Model Reduced class meeting time (decrease of one hour/week) Mandatory individual online simulation labs and mastery assessments Supplemental discussion groups for students needing extra support Pedagogy to include online interactive activities, classroom group exercises, and the classroom performance system (clickers)

Redesign Team Activities Introductory Psychology Course Review of existing online activities and textbooks Presentation from publishers April/May 2007 Pearson McGraw-Hill Cengage Wiley Houghton Mifflin Two hour presentation and hands-on use of all online interactivities and quizzes Complete listing of all resources and cross-reference to critical concept areas Redesign Group evaluated each presentation and discussed strengths and weaknesses of each product

Redesign Team Activities Introductory Psychology Course Decision and design of interactive labs for Blackboard - June 2007 McGraw-Hill customized interactive labs for Blackboard at UMBC in August 2007 Essentials textbook chosen Key to the decision: Amount of interactivity related to foundational concepts, interface with Blackboard, accuracy of online test bank, ease of immediate tech support, cost to student

Redesign Challenges Faculty development and negotiation Agreeing to commonalities Technology Roles of Graduate TA and Undergraduate Peer Mentors Role and Training Pedagogy change and classroom technology Small Group Activities Classroom Performance System (CPS) Freshman student preparedness Accuracy of online quizzes and technology glitches Evaluation Focus group attendance Progress on key student outcomes

Potential Benefits of the Redesign Improved pedagogy should increase success rates in the course Students should be engaged in the course and able to apply psychology to their lives Encourages interactive learning and independent accountability Reduces the number of sections of Intro Psych from 7 to 5 each year while maintaining a stable enrollment Reduces faculty time on administrative tasks for the course Reduces the use of classroom space on campus Labor saving strategies should draw tenured faculty to the course

Status of Redesign Pilot Spring 2008 Two sections of the redesign One section of the traditional model Common exams across all three sections Redesign sections are using the same small group activities, CPS questions, and labs All sections are early morning classes with similar enrollment numbers