Course Transformation Project:
Making Large Classes Small
2013 Midwest First-Year Conference
Julia Spears, Michaela Holtz, and Sheela Vemu
Overview
• Share why NIU chose CTP as its approach to undergraduate
instruction (Julia Spears)
• Describe how CTP works at NIU (Michaela Holtz)
• Demonstrate parts of CTP courses (Sheela Vemu)
• Discussion & Questions
Perfect Storm - National Context
Perfect Storm
High DFWI rates
• Financial factors - tuition cannot keep
exceeding inflation (CPI)
• Faculty Accountability
• Students Today
•
•
•
•
•
•
Demographics - higher and more diverse enrollments
Multi-taskers
Higher and more diverse enrollment
A reliance on the web - danger of plagiarism
Tech-savvy
Perfect Storm – Knowledge of Learning Today
With active learning experience –
students:
• engage with course content, each
other, and instructor
• think critically
• develop cognitively.
Technology Emergence • radical impact on higher education
• delivering the foundational content
effectively in large classes
• different thought process
Students Today
Why Course Transformation?
• Passive classes lead to passive students.
• Students “lost” in large lecture classes.
• Students experience disconnect; they don’t see the
relevancy of the classroom experience to their own lives.
Goals of the NIU’s CTP
• Improve SLOs in large enrollment undergraduate
courses and link them to the Baccalaureate Goals
• Have a university-wide impact through the
establishment of a Community of Practice (20
faculty members)
• Create a redesign process that is sustainable and
replicable
Course Transformation Project @ NIU
• Based on UNT’s NextGen model
•
•
•
•
Faculty teams redesign 5 - 7
courses per year
– Two - year commitment
– Occurs within an
interdisciplinary community of
practice
– Senior Faculty Fellows
Retreats and monthly meetings
with faculty and staff
Institution - wide forums/
workshops
End – of - pilot and project
meetings
Teaching and
Learning at
NIU
Other courses
in the
department
Multiple
sections of each
redesigned
course
Redesign
5-7 courses
per year
Steps In The CTP Redesign Process
(Nextgen, 2011)
CTP – Blended Course
(Guidelines based on Nextgen, 2011)
CTP Large Lectures
• Present the critical lower level concepts to
provide building blocks for higher level, more
complex concepts
• Synthesize, clarify and expand upon
(rather than deliver) content
• Create interest and motivation
• Provide assurance that what they are
studying is relevant
• Model means of interpreting and analyzing
content
CTP Large Lectures @ NIU
• OMIS 259 (30%, 1 hour a week) - Audience response system(10
times per lecture)
• ANTH 102 (30%) – assert themes from the readings and
materials; cover tricky issues
• PHYS 180 – lectures with 2-3 inclass performance
demonstrations
• HIST 171 – follow up after online
quiz prior each lecture and
readings assigned
CTP online
• Acquire lower level learning
• Limit content to overcome
working memory limits
• Implement low-stakes assessments (quizzes) to boost
students’ confidence
• Practical and participatory ways to engage student with
reading material
CTP online @ NIU
• Before class quizzes
• Online crossword puzzles Learning definitions and concepts
• Readings – assigned pages with
built in questions
• Online musical performance
analysis
• Lascaux Cave online treasure
hunt; interactive maps
• Group videos – interactive
training exercise
CTP Experiential Learning
•
Introduce emotional component; Brain-based learning
•
Analyze and evaluate information
•
Present and defend newly-acquired hypotheses
CTP Experiential Learning @ NIU
• The Cemetery Project – ANTH
102: examine changing mortuary
practices in DeKalb County –
results in written report
• Create Website - WOMS 230:
Students choose a current issue
relating to women and/or gender,
research it, collaborate with a
relevant campus or community
partner, take action to address
that issue, and create an original
and engaging website
communicating the results of the
project.
•
• Make and analyzing the sound of
simple instruments (8-10 groups)
• Debates; research and teach the
class
• Research ethics training – COMS
252: Students study and get
trained on a research protocol,
conducting a research interview
using that protocol, transcribing
the interview, work with their
own and other students’ data to
enact coding procedures, theorize
from the results, and advocate a
position based on their findings.
Transformation Goals
• Students think, work hard, like what they are doing, get good grades
that mean something, and graduate
• Doesn’t cost more and uses less space
• Faculty enjoy and believe in the process
FACULTY PERSPECTIVE
Dr. Sheela Vemu
SAIL Cycle
The Science Assessment, Instruction, and Learning (SAIL) Cycle
Five E Model - Engagement
1. Engagement
 Are we encouraging their
interest?
 What is their prior
experience of the topic?
 Have you peaked their
interest?
 Personal reflection
Five E Model - Exploration
2. Exploration
 Metacognition
 Identify gaps
 Close the gaps with
explanations
Five E Model – Exploration cont.
Purpose <- -> Learning Report
Five E Model - Explain
3. Explain
 Experiential learning
 POGIL method
In class…BIOS 109
Five E Model – Elaboration & Evaluation
4. Elaboration
 Assignments in the new context
5. Evaluation
 Quizzes & grading/ Midterm/
Final
NIU’s Community of Practice
CTP 2012-2014
CTP 2013-2015
1. Chuck Downing - OMIS 259
1. Laura Steele – FCCL 271
2. Yasuo Ito - PHYS 180
2. Joseph Scudder – COMS 302
3. Eric Jones - HIST 170
3. Matthew Wittrup – PHHE 295
4. Sibel Kusimba - ANTH 102
4. Cathy Carlson – NURS 318
5. Sheela Vemu - BIOS 109
5. Jeremy Groves – ECON 260
6. Douglas Wallace - PSYC 102
6. Courtney Gallaher – GEOG 101
CTP - Lite 2013
•
Winifred Creamer - ANTH 491
•
Jimmie Manning - COMS 252
•
Jason Hanna - PHIL 231
•
Lyle Marschand - PHYS 150/ 150A
•
Amanda Littauer - WOMS 230
•
William McCoy – LEEA 490/590
•
Anders Linner - MATH 210
•
Wendel Johnson & Meredith Ayers - UNIV 105
Questions?
Thank you!