Online Options for Enhancing Teaching
Dr. Diane Finley
Prince George’s Community College
Dr. Kenneth Gray
College 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-toface.
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 peerreviewed research.
Remember, 90% of what you are
feeling at any given moment is
likely reflective of your past
experience. Only 10% is purely new.
Men and women need to talk about
their feelings often, but for
different reasons.
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 Finley
Department of Psychology
Prince George’s Community College
301 Largo Road
Largo MD 20774
301-322-0869
dfinley@pgcc.edu
•
Ken Gray
College of DuPage
425 Fawell Blvd.
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
grayke@cdnet.cod.edu
http://www.cod.edu/grayke