Changes Toward a
Learner-Centered
Classroom
March 14, 2011
Five Principles to Learner-Centered
Approach (Weimer 2002)
1. Balance of Power
– Give students power in making decisions and
contributions to the course
2. The Function of Content
– Don’t feel obligated to cover everything and
remember..covering content and promoting
learning are mutually reinforcing!!
Five Principles Continued
3. The Role of Teacher
– Teachers whould be “guides, gardners, helpers”
not just deliverers or organizers of information
4. The Responsibility for Learning…
– Is the student’s responsibility. Read quote.
5. The Purpose and Processes of Evaluation
– Should be more about how much they are
learning than what grade they received.
Stephanie Afful
PSY 293: Positive Psychology
•
•
•
•
New course prep
Seminar style, weekly discussions
Revised syllabus after students chose topics
Assessed them mid-semester and end of term
End of term evals
With the learner-centered perspective in
mind, how much do you think each of
the following policies contributed to your
retention of knowledge?
M (SD)
Choosing topics for lecture
4.39 (1.03)
Student-led discussions
4.67 (0.49)
Free late pass
3.94 (1.47)
Choice of final paper topic
4.78 (0.43)
Multiple weekly paper options
4.44 (0.78)
Generating exam questions
4.56 (1.15)
Student Presentations
3.89 (1.08)
Movie Clips
4.67 (0.77)
Rated on a 5-pt scale where 1 is ‘not at all’ and 5 is ‘very much’
Qualitative Comments
Strengths of LC perspective?
Weaknesses of LC perspective?
•Room for questions to be answered
•Really liked being able to have a say in
what we studied
•Weekly papers assisted me in keeping up
with classroom material
•We pick material we are interested in so
we are more apt to be engaged in the
class
•Added zest to normal, boring routine of
class
•Generated comfort among students as
we had discussion every class
•Late pass got used in an emergency
situations…that came in handy
•The fact that we are in control and we
focus on what we are learning
•Student involvement enabled us to learn
from each other
•Liked the flexibility
•Some people shy to share
•Large paper and presentation should not
be 1 week before final exam
•Very repetitive
•Student presentations are not very
helpful
•Don’t get to study all sections
Evaluation from Instructor's
Perspective
• Initially it is difficult to shift balance of power
• Much more prep work at the onset
• Weekly discussions proved to be both
rewarding and challenging
– Encouraging students to answer each other's
questions while managing the ‘focus’ of the
discussion
• I have integrated other LC features in my other
courses (e.g., choice of assignments)
Fall 2010 – Deborah Phelps
Usefulness Scale Averages (0-5)
SOC100.01
SOC100.02
SOC115.10
SOC345.01
3x5 card
4.8
4.6
4.1
3.9
Date Selection
4.9
4.2
*
3.3
Extra Credit
3.8
4.9
*
*
Late Pass
*
*
4.1
3.9
*Not applicable
Erin McNary:
Learner-Centered Changes
Selected BUS 354: Sports and Entertainment Marketing
-comfort level
-class size
Complete overhaul of course outcomes
-arranged in categories such as foundational knowledge, application,
integration, human dimension, caring, and learning how to learn
-attached more meaning to outcomes and practicality
-ex. Human Dimension: Come to see themselves as
professionals in the field of sports marketing in order to
engage in leadership roles and engage in ethical and legal
behaviors
Other changes
Choice of assignments
-student’s choice individual project (select from a case study,
sporting event analysis, and interviewing a sports marketing
professional)
-marketing plan (select from creating a wordpress page or
website presentation, podcast, poster presentation, or powerpoint
with professional graphics and visuals
-student led project with the Fontbonne Athletics Department
Choice of deadlines on certain projects and exams
Implementation
• Slow and steady
• Re-defining our roles as instructors and
students
• Certain level of discomfort
• Thorough explanation of changes
Qualitative Feedback
• Comments included liking the options for
assignments and deadlines
• Students found the Fontbonne marketing
project useful but more oversight was needed
• Overall, students were uncomfortable at first
but then enjoyed having options and
responsibility for their learning
Future Directions
• Implement ideas in my other courses
• Continue introducing center-learned concepts and
eventually have one course that is solely studentcentered
• Educate the students on the philosophy
• Continue my pedagogical research and understand
how this strategy impacts authority in the classroom
HES 326 Quantity
Food Service Purchasing & Operations
Mary Beth Ohlms, M.Ed., R.D., L.D.
Why HES 326?
• First HES management course in dietetics
curriculum
• Historically, dietetic students consider
management courses to be:
– Boring
– Unnecessary
– Dreaded
Why HES 326?
• Essentially, there was nowhere to go but UP
What Changed? Course Outcomes
•
Fall 09
– Plan and write a two
week cycle menu.
• Fall 10
– Develop an appreciation
for the aesthetic, artistic,
and social implications
of a menu and its role in
the health and wellbeing of customers.
What Changed? Course Outcomes
• Fall 09
– Analyze and create written
specifications for
procurement.
• Fall 10
– Identify the interaction
between significant local and
national legislation and their
impact on the food supply
from farm to marketplace to
the dinner table as it relates
to foodservice systems.
What Changed? Less Lecture
• Fall 2009
– 5 lectures on the
ordering, receiving, &
storage of food
categories
• Fall 2010
– 9 Group Presentations
by students
What Changed?
• Students wrote objective questions as part of
presentation assignment-questions included
on exam.
• Negotiation of due dates based on other
courses
• New textbook: 2008 vs. 1999
• Students chose cycle menu scenario
Did it Matter?
• Course evaluation scores
improved!
Category
Fall 2009
Fall 2010
Course Organization and
Planning
3.47
4.41
Instructional Style
4.23
4.47
Faculty/Student Interaction
4.37
4.52
Course Content and
Outcomes
4.09
4.33
Student Involvement
4.57
4.25
Overall Evaluation
3.93
4.50
Did It Matter?
• 2010 Positive Comments:
– “Variety in learning methods”
– “Flexible with due dates and testing times”
– “lots of different assignments”
What’s Next?
• On to HES 345 Management Principles &
Practices in Foodservice Operations
• YOU need to apply for this year’s Teaching
Fellows experience!!
Questions?