UMBC
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Developmental Psychology (prenatal through 12
years of age)
Annual enrollment 540 students across 8 sections
Required course for 4 majors; General Education
Course
Transfer and traditional students
Lecture 2 ½ hrs a week; two sessions each week
Four multiple choice exams
One writing assignment
Blackboard for posting
No concern about DFW rates
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Course drift
Staffing issues
Poor SCEQ ratings
Lack of instructional
technology use
Plagiarism concerns
Unequal enrollment
across sections (60100 students)
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Student requests for
more application of
concepts
Requests for summer
and winter sections
Students from Shady
Grove campus
requesting the
course (40 miles
from main campus)
Replacement Model
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Face to face sessions four times during the
semester; audio lectures for each chapter
Online quizzes, chapter tests, videos, and
interactivities with MyDevelopmentLab
Eight essays across four Units
Weekly blog reflecting on topics in text
Virtual child activity
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1 traditional section (n=90)
1 redesign section (n=54)
Same faculty assigned to both
Assessment Plan
◦ Class GPA
◦ Common pretest (first 25 questions of the Final)
◦ Common final (questions agreed upon by three faculty)
◦ Student focus group at midterm
◦ Pass/fail online essays versus traditional unit essays due
in class
◦ Blog quality
◦ SCEQs, item 9 re: instructor effectiveness
◦ Faculty evaluation of model impact
Traditional
Redesign
Significance Test
GPA- Mean (SD)
2.83 (0.66),
N=62
2.76 (0.64),
N=31
t(91)=0.50, NS
Pretest scoresMean (SD)
14.84 (3.16),
N=90
13.02 (3.33),
N=54
t(142)=3.29, p
=.001
Pretest Questions
on Final ExamMean (SD)
17.41 (3.05),
N=90
16.13 (3.07),
N=54
t(142)=2.44, p
<.05
Full Exam ScoreMean (SD)
80.08 (10.26),
N=90
75.13 (10.97),
N=54
t(142)=2.73, p
<.01
Mean Score
(Standard Error)
Traditional
Redesign
Pretest
14.84 (0.34)
Final Exam
17.41 (0.32)
Pretest
13.02 (0.44)
Final Exam
16.13 (0.42)
Protocol
1. Students take a few minutes to answer the questions
individually.
2. Students are randomly put into groups and asked to
share their responses. They are asked to record only
those responses for which there is consensus.
3. Debrief by having the groups report out and see how
much consensus there is across groups.
4. Data is summarized for the whole class, each group,
and individually.
Conducted by Faculty Development Director
1. Do you usually understand what is expected of you in preparing
for and participating in this class? If not, please explain why
not.
universal agreement-syllabus clear
2. What aspects of this course and your instructor's teaching help
you learn best?
media, web assignments, online tests, videos
3. What specific advice would you give to help your instructor
improve your learning in this course?
study guides, review sheets, more structured meetings
4. What steps could you take to improve your own learning in this
course? (Share ideas from group members—agreement with
others is not necessary)
do not procrastinate, use the online resources, time
management, attend faculty sessions
GROUP QUESTIONS-TRADITIONAL
1. Do you usually understand what is expected of you in preparing
for and participating in this class? If not, please explain why
not.
universal agreement-syllabus clear
2. What aspects of this course and your instructor's teaching help
you learn best?
media, videos, applied examples
3. What specific advice would you give to help your instructor
improve your learning in this course?
study guides, less lecturing, more activities in class
4. What steps could you take to improve your own learning in this
course? (Share ideas from group members—agreement with
others is not necessary)
come to class, study groups
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Too many emails about
technology issues
Essay grading pass/fail
took too long to review
due to lack of writing
skills
Frustration with online
miskeyed questions
Students did not
participate in face to face
sessions
Students not keeping to
due dates in syllabus
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Enjoyed focusing on
favorite content in face
to face sessions
More interactivity with
students; learned more
names
Some very good
comments in blogs that
would not have been
shared in class
More flexible hours and
efficient use of time
Identify students needing
assistance quickly
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Students wanted more
“real-time” interaction
with the instructor
More structure to face to
face meeting sessions
Too many writing
assignments; students
not experienced with
essay assignments
Boring audio lectures;
need more interaction
Blog entries tended to be
less scholarly
Students want exam
review sessions
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Assignment deadlines
not met; posted on
syllabus
Faculty receiving many
emails about technology
glitches
Videos and questions
were mismatched
Online tests keyed
incorrectly
Confusion over link to
“virtual child”
Student access codes
incorrect; slow to register
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Missing data:
◦ GPA – not all available
◦ Transfer students not identified
◦ Experience with hybrid courses (technology
savvy)
◦ Years at UMBC –Fr, So, Jr, Sr
◦ Reason for taking the course (major versus Gen
Ed)
◦ Repeat enrollment not identified
◦ Difference between night class students and day
class students?
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Instructor had virtual office hours once a week;
students signed up for sessions and identified
topics.
Increased to six face to face meetings and
pedagogy change to group assignments related to
unit content. (2 ½ hr sessions)
Reduced writing assignments to four (pilot had six)
with grading rubric embedded in the assignment.
Added online resource for writing assistance
Moved to discussion board with required scholarly
postings; examples provided.
Notification of due dates and times set on HOME Bb
page
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Publishers completed all “fixes” by mid January.
One link to the “virtual child” was embedded in Bb.
Student access codes were corrected
Deleted audio lectures and provided study guides
with key concepts; added supplemental resources
more interactivities
TA trained in technology and completed an
orientation with students
Online orientation package was developed for use
of virtual child and MyDevelopmentLab
Office of Institutional Research working on
identifying missing data
Information sheet developed for missing OIR data
IMPLEMENTATION DATA