online options for enhancing teaching dr. diane finley prince george’s community college dr....
TRANSCRIPT
Online Options for Enhancing Teaching Dr. Diane FinleyPrince George’s Community CollegeDr. Kenneth GrayCollege of DuPage
American Psychological Society Annual Meeting Chicago IL May 27-30, 2004
What Computer Mediated Education Is
• Any education in which the computer is used for part of the learning process
• CME can be completely online at a distance or it can be a traditional classroom in which the computer enhances what is done face-to-face.
Online Psychology Courses
• Online learning is not a correspondence course delivered via the internet
• Online learning is an active learning environment in which the majority of the instruction occurs over the internet
Web Enhanced Classes
• Web content and exercises supplement traditionally delivered course.
• Hybrid course has reduced seat time– 1 hour per week– Half-time being piloted next fall
The Seven Principles
• Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education
• American Association for Higher Education
• Chickering and Gamson, 1987
• Guiding principles for undergraduate education
Principle One
Good Practice Encourages Contact between Students and Faculty
Principle One - Online
• Contact is the most important factor in student motivation and involvement in the discipline and school
• Online courses promote interaction through easier access, discussions, space for interaction to occur, attenuation of perceived barriers
Principle One - Enhanced
• Electronic availability helps “break the ice” for quieter students.
• In one class, 80% of students were AIM users.
Principle Two
Good Practice Develops Reciprocity and Cooperation Among Students
Principle Two - Online
• Learning is enhanced when there is a team effort and it is collaborative.
• Online courses facilitate student to student contact through a ready space for communication and the reduction of time and space obstacles
Principle Two - Enhanced
• Facilitates out-of-class group work– Online study groups– Virtual group meetings– Easy notification– Face-to-face time makes social
pressure more effective
• Online discussion board– Mixed results
Principle Three
Good Practice Uses Active Learning Techniques
Principle Three - Online
• In online courses that require active learning, students fare better than in passive courses.
• Active learning promotes thinking skills and touches on multiple learning styles.
• Online courses are tailored for active learning
Principle Three - Enhanced
• Example: comparison of popular and scholarly psychological information.– Find a claim and compare to peer-
reviewed research.
Men and women need to talk abouttheir feelings often, but for
different reasons.
Remember, 90% of what you are feeling at any given moment is
likely reflective of your past experience. Only 10% is purely new.
Typical activities
• Coming up with operational definitions
• Effective searching of PsycInfo
• Reading and comparing
• Consulting with me and librarian
Principle Four
Good Practice Gives Prompt Feedback
Principle Four - Online
• The online environment enables the instructor to give almost immediate feedback. There is no need to wait for the next class.
• Most CMS (course management systems) have gradebooks that enable the student to see grades without any Buckley worries.
Principle Four - Enhanced
• Ditto
Principle Five
Good Practice Encourages Time on Task
Principle Five - Online
• Online courses can make time on task more efficient.
• Online courses makes it easier for the instructor to track student time on task and to remediate when necessary.
• Online courses record all participation so students can see what they are doing.
Principle Five - Enhanced
• I do not use course management software or “real” online courseware, so I cannot track time on task.
Principle Six
Good Practice Communicates High Expectations
Principle Six - Online
• Online courses can more easily post expectations in terms of objectives, etc.
• Online courses make it easier for an instructor to highlight good work, thus giving other students examples of work that meets expectations.
• The same high expectations held for face-to-face students must be maintained for online students.
Principle Six - Enhanced
• Online objectives and materials
• Shift of responsibility to students
• Earlier principles– Rapid feedback on drafts– Electronic availability
Principle Seven
Good practice respects diverse talents and ways of learning.
Principle Seven - Online
• Different students have different learning styles and talents.
• The online environment allows the instructor to tap into all of these. While it is primarily a visual element, it is possible to gear some aspects to auditory or kinesthetic learners.
• Assignments can be somewhat customized to tap into various strengths.
Principle Seven - Enhanced
• I give choices-- 8 hour assignment– Political Psychology links– Important to use and demonstrate
in class
Online Resources • MERLOT – http://www.merlot.com
a free and open resource
• Hawaii Community College faculty site – http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebook/teachtip/teachtip.htm
A terrific site with innumerable resources
References
• Benjamin, L. T. (1991). Personalization and active learning in the large introductory psychology class. Teaching of Psychology, 18 (2), 68-72
• Berge, Z.L. (2002). Active, interactive and reflective elearning. The Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 3 (2), 181-190
Chickering A. W. & Gamson, J. (1987) Seven principles for good practice. AAHE Bulletin, 39. 3-7
• Clements, A. D. (1995). Experiential-learning activities in undergraduate developmental psychology. Teaching of Psychology, 22 (2) 115-118
• Gamson, Z. & Chickering, A. W. (1992) Applying the Seven Principles of Good Practice for Undergraduate Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
References, cont.
• Lesgold, A.M. (2001). The nature and methods of learning by doing. American Psychologist, 56 (11), 964-973.
• McKeachie, W.J. & Hofer, B. (2001). McKeachie’s Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research and Theory for College and University Teachers, 11th ed.. Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath & Co.
• Rubin, L. & Hebert, C. (1998). Model for active learning. College Teaching, 46(1) 26-31
Contact Information
• Dr. Diane FinleyDepartment of PsychologyPrince George’s Community College301 Largo RoadLargo MD [email protected]
• Ken GrayCollege of DuPage425 Fawell Blvd.Glen Ellyn, IL [email protected]://www.cod.edu/grayke