No abstract

Challenges in higher education have led to demands for evidence-based teaching and improved student outcomes delivered in a cost-effective format. Course redesign, or modifying a traditional seated course into an alternative format that incorporates technology, has been a popular approach to address the challenges faced. Although course redesign can be an effective method of improving learning, several barriers exist that may impact the efficacy of the program or morale of the faculty involved. The current study reviews the course redesign of introductory psychology, a highenrollment, general education course. The course was transformed from a traditional course, to a blended and flipped course with a significant online component. Course outcomes and student perceptions were measured over a number of years. While initial assessments demonstrated improved learning, other results indicated early student resistance to the change, as evidenced by lower student evaluations and increased withdrawals following the redesign. However, both student perceptions and withdrawal rates improved over time. After 5 semesters of the redesigned format, learning outcomes, student perceptions, and course completion rates have all demonstrated significant improvements compared to the traditional course. Course redesign involves a component of cultural change that includes the students' acceptance of the format and requirements of the new course. This shift appears to take several semesters to occur. It is recommended that course redesign teams be aware of the time that may be necessary to detect change, be diligent in assessing course changes, and use the collected data to inform decisions regarding revisions to their courses.

Increasing college enrollments, and decreased funding have led institutions and instructors to focus on developing courses that can be taught effectively in a large class format. This article presents the effectiveness of a redesigned, blended format of Introductory Psychology taught in large sections. The goals of the project included improving academic performance and student engagement through the use of empirically supported pedagogical methods, increasing course completion rates, reducing course drift, and reducing instructional costs. Student data from traditional sections taught in fall 2011 (n = 284) were compared to data obtained from students in redesigned sections in fall 2012 (n = 1340). Results indicated significant increases in academic performance in the redesigned course compared to the traditional sections. Performance with online course materials predicted overall exam performance and all pedagogical enhancements were, on average, perceived by students as effective. While course completion rates initially remained unchanged, there was greater consistency across sections and a substantial reduction in instructional costs. Implications of these results are discussed and suggestions for other institutions interested in redesigning large courses are presented.

Higher education is faced with the daunting task of serving greater numbers of students and improving student outcomes while facing declining resources. This combination of factors has created an environment predisposed to course transformation/redesign. Facing course redesign can be puzzling, intimidating, and overwhelming. The purpose of the current article is to break down barriers and demystify the process of course redesign. Issues that lead to course redesign, including high DFW (grade of D/F or Withdrawal) rates, poor learning outcomes, course drift, and grade inflation, are explored. A systematic approach to course redesign is presented, including the early stages of garnering support through the process of developing an effective evaluation strategy. The 'whole course' redesign approach used for a large enrolment, general education Introductory Psychology course at a large Midwestern US university is used as a case study to demonstrate the process, issues, and challenges. Specific redesign plans and suggestions for institutions considering the process are discussed. In addition, data are presented regarding the faculty team's satisfaction with the redesign process as well as perceptions of the course from the undergraduate learning assistants.

As funding for higher education has decreased and demand for measurable learning outcomes has increased, working to develop courses that can be effectively taught in large class formats is critical. At 1 large Midwestern university, introductory psychology has been redesigned into a blended course with large sections of approximately 330 students. To address some of the potential pitfalls associated with large class sizes, the instructional team focuses on using pedagogical strategies designed to make a large class feel smaller by (a) encouraging active student engagement, (b) reducing students' feelings of anonymity, and (c) providing individualized feedback. Data comparing students' perceptions of the course according to these 3 dimensions show that students in the large sections rate the course highly across these dimensions, although student ratings in smaller classes remain higher.