PATRICK SMITH/SFSU

Course Redesign Impact on Teaching and Learning​

• Upon completion of the course redesign, my approach to teaching a fully online critical thinking course has changed dramatically. The core aim of the course redesign was to increase student engagement with the course. By creating a diverse set of learning opportunities in the LMS (e.g., forums, group work, Moodle Lessons, Learning Glass videos, and enhanced peer-to-peer and peer-to-instructor interaction), students are more engaged now in the course than with any previous iteration of the course. Also, utilizing zero cost course materials has removed a substantial financial burden and provided students with greater access to the tools they need to be successful in the course.

• As mentioned, a central focus of the course redesign was to increase student engagement, specifically in the propositional logic portion of the course (the centerpiece of the course). In previous iterations of the course, this had been the most challenging module and indeed one where students struggled the most. After implementing a set of Moodle Lessons (learning modules containing videos, exercises, activities, low stakes assessments, etc) coupled with a series of synchronous logic tutorials (using Zoom) and Learning Glass videos, there (1) was a marked decrease in failing logic quiz and exam scores and (2) an increase in student engagement with the material on propositional logic. This is a notable success that comes as a direct result of the course redesign. 

• An unexpected result after teaching the redesigned course was the increased DFW rate. Although very minor, the uptick in repeatable grades was surprising given all of the changes I made to the course. This can be explained, I think, by the experimental nature of many of the learning objects in the modified course. For example, many activities were to be completed in groups using a variety of technologies not previously utilized in the course. This proved to be challenging in a number of different way. As with any experiment, though, there are going to be hiccups. The key, I believe, is to learn from what worked and did not work, and make the appropriate changes going forward.

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Assessment Findings​

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• Pre-course and post-course knowledge surveys measuring student mastery of SLOs

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• Grade Distributions

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Student Feedback

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Challenges My Students Encountered
 

• The primary challenge my students encountered in the redesigned activities was group activities. The redesign implemented a number of group activities (weekly group assignments and one end-of-term culminating group assignment). This proved to be challenging for the students for two reasons. First, students reported experiencing difficulty organizing times to meet online via Zoom, coordinating tasks, and delegating responsibilities in an effIcient and effective way. Second, and related to the first reason, students reported that some group members lacked initiative (or "buy in") because the class is a lower division GE course. Taken together, I will consider implementing modifications in future iterations of the course to address these challenges.

 

 

Specific Student Feedback

 

Redesign Strengths

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• "The [Learning Glass] videos [were] extremely helpful for me to grasp knowledge of some of the more abstract ideas."

• "He had lessons on the ilearn page that linked to YouTube videos. They were incredibly helpful and allowed an alternative source for information aside from the live lectures."

• "The logic tutorials were extremely helpful." 

• "Logic Tutorials are very helpful!!!!!"

• "I think having the the Logic Tutorial Assessments really helped me because the professor explained each lesson thoroughly from start to end." 

• "[H]e used forums which were very helpful."

• "I'm someone who really likes organization and routine, so having that in the class was really helpful. Having basically the same activities every week (on different subjects obviously) was helpful and made learning the subjects much easier." 

• "Professor Smith was very helpful, and always got back to me ASAP in emails. He was always willing to help me with things I didn't understand and helped me catch up in the class when I fell behind on some work! He was awesome!"

• "The professor was very responsive via email. I am a [CourseMatch] student so attending office hours isn't always feasible. He was very quick to respond via email." 

• "I really enjoyed the lectures that were given from week 5 to week 9 on propositional logic. They were extremely beneficial."

 

Redesign Weaknesses

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• "More examples, specially truth tables."

• "Less group assignments and more individual assignments."

• "Not have done so many group assignments. When the class is online it makes it difficult to meet."

• "A very specific thing about the final group project. I think there should be only one submission date for the project."

• "Minimize group projects."

• "PLEASE minimize the amount of group work. I understand that some students may learn better from group work, however I feel as though it has brought my grade down. My group mates never wanted to get their work done before 11:30pm. They would wait until the last minute to have computer problems...EVERY week."

• "Better organization of what is required and what isn't." 

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Lessons Learned & Redesign Tips

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Teaching Tips​

• My advice for other instructors who might want to teach a similarly redesigned course (a fully online critical thinking course) is to utilize all of the available campus resources to their fullest extent. My home campus (SFSU) has many, many resources available through Academic Technology (consulting, instructional designers, workshops, and various tech modalities (e.g., Learning Glass) ) which made the course redesign less daunting and more engaging and fruitful for me. 

 

Course Redesign Obstacles​

• A primary challenge I encountered in the course redesign related to time constraints.

 

Strategies I Used to Increase Engagement

• Presence as an online instructor is key for sustaining student engagement. To this end, I recorded brief weekly check-in videos to both introduce the weekly content and to keep myself visible to students. I also employed several synchronous activities where students would join a Zoom meeting and consult with the instructor in real time. This proved to be very useful and beneficial for students needing more in-depth assistance from the instructor.

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Instructor Reflection​

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• The course redesign experience has been very impactful on my teaching in two ways. Specifically, working with SFSU Academic Technology instructional designers has opened up a variety of teaching and pedagogical devices and approaches I never would have considered before undertaking the course redesign. For this, I am very grateful. Also, my discipline-based cohort was essential for completing the course redesign. The cohort was a wellspring of knowledge and support, and the monthly meetings provided invaluable ideas, advice, and more generally, opportunities to "gather around the water cooler" to talk about what was working and not working. Taken together, these two aspects of the course redesign were the most memorable and ultimately central to the success of the project.