New approaches in teaching Psychology

1. Colin Cooper, School of Psychology, QUB colin@colincooper.org New approaches in teaching Psychology

2. Overview • 'Off the shelf' solutions, or 'how to think of creative solutions'? • Why the need for novel learning methods? • Dangers of devising and implementing novel learning methods • Some shared experiences.

3. Why do things differently? • MOTIVATION • engage students' interest, • enhance lecture attendance, • meet expectations of interactivity

4. Why do things differently? • DEVELOP SUBJECT-SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS • stats/methodology • Require reading in depth in some key area • Practical techniques (e.g., psychophysiology, psychophysics, questionnaire use) • Basic ‘tools of the trade’ (e.g., choice RT; cleaning up RT data) • Discover important effects (e.g., Hick’s law) • Do students KNOW enough?

5. Why do things differently? • TRANSFERABLE SKILLS • Group work, • Producing things other than essays/reports. (Book review? Talk? Web page? Poster? Extreme précis? Apply theory to real life...) • Integrating material, critical evaluation etc. • Cv’s and job applications; reflecting on achievements • Assessing others’ work • Reading and learning from feedback... • ...

6. How do you know what should be developed? • General to specific • QAA Psychology benchmark at http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/benchmark/honours/psychology.asp • Pathway review (do all modules taken together provide skills/knowledge required) • Module review • Student feedback – module review etc. • Staff feedback – after marking exams etc.

7. PROPOSAL • DON’T DEVELOP NEW ACTIVITIES WITHOUT • Checking they ‘fill a gap’ • Checking that removing an existing activity doesn’t create a gap • Ethics/alternative exercises where necessary • Checking equal opps (disabled students & labs, talks etc? Mature students & computers.) • Fairness of assessment methods • Thinking creatively about dealing with large Ns • Evaluating everything

8. So what have WE tried to do? • STATS • Students are only interested in stats when they have data of their own that need analysing • Weak grasp of principles of hypothesis testing • Students think SPSS is the hard bit about stats • Developed lab classes that pick up on recent lecture material AND stats content • Practice at hypothesis testing • Would love to ditch SPSS – use Excel BUT good for cv’s, and colleagues unwilling/unable.

9. So what have WE tried to do? • PRACTICALS • Students not engaged in experimental design: counterbalancing, power, N of trials etc. • Train in use of an experiment generator package • Split class into groups of 8 (separately timetabled over 2 weeks) • Get each group to test a hypothesis offering support for the mechanics of using the package • Didn’t work. Alternatives...?

10. So what have WE tried to do? • CRITICAL EVALUATION • Students regurgitate rather than think/evaluate • Stress evaluation more in later years • Exam questions & format • Tutorial exercises - discussion • Coursework – e.g., book review. Open ended. • Essay titles • Look at each others’ work and try to evaluate it: then look at markers’ comments.

11. So what have WE tried to do? • TRANSFERABLE SKILLS • Group project – students choose topic • Gather & analyse data, and write up report • Oral presentation to large audience (videoed, assessed with feedback) – disability issues... • Involvement in assessment • Poster (group) – trialled a web page & wiki but mature students were frightened

12. So what have WE tried to do? • TRANSFERABLE SKILLS II • Integration across areas • Unseen ‘general paper’: 1 question from 12 in final year. Plus training in how to tackle it. • Job skills • General Paper module also had coursework: a cv/covering letter for a real job for coursework: supposedly ‘easy marks’, as training given...

13. So what have WE tried to do? • TRANSFERABLE SKILLS III • Computer skills • Evaluate at start of Year 1 • Give feedback as to performance: highlight areas that may need to be developed • Encourage students to sign up for (free) training. • Few do. Especially those who need it most. • Other • Encourage ECDL, language classes, foreign exchange, vacation studentships, “degree plus” where non-academic achievements are evaluated and recognised

15. So what have WE tried to do? • MOTIVATION/LEARNING • Active learning: Terrible habits from school. • Induction sessions: shown to improve engagement. Spell out what we expect students to do: responsibilities. Effective learning. Time management. Note taking. Cottrell. • Design coursework so students cannot plagiarise • Get students involved with staff research

16. So what have WE tried to do? • Zappers • Zappers are small handsets which enable students to give their answer to questions displayed using PowerPoint. The results are instantly available as a graph for the lecturer and students to see and discuss. The data can be saved. E.g., ww.turningtechnologies.co.uk

17. So what have WE tried to do? • MOTIVATION • Lecture attendance • Mini-tests, on unnanounced dates • Minimise Powerpoint: 10 slides max per lecture • Gaps in the presentations: fill in during lectures • Make PPT slides available afterwards not before... • Or not at all... (disability issues?) • Give new material not in textbook • Labs • One demonstrator for a smallish (10?) cohort of students every week – mentor them • Content relevant to lectures – NOT just what’s available. John Maltby Ind Diffs

18. So what have WE tried to do? • Other • Imaginative reading/support materials • YouTube (beware student presentations!) • http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/topic.htm - old stuff • Podcasts: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/docarchive/rss.xml SUPERB documentaries • http://feeds.feedburner.com/thepsychfiles • http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/scia/rss.xml • But my experience is that 90%+ of students won’t look at them.

19. Your issues...?