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Department of Psychology. Building Engagement: Practice and Theory Experiences and outcomes from fully-online Introduction to Psychology Novel extension and application Mastery learning Student-controlled repetition Cognitive views on engagement and learning
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Department of Psychology Building Engagement: Practice and Theory • Experiences and outcomes from fully-online Introduction to Psychology • Novel extension and application • Mastery learning • Student-controlled repetition • Cognitive views on engagement and learning • Effects we can capitalize on • Principles for building engaging activities
Department of Psychology Engagement Strategies • Mastery learning • 1 MC test per chapter (15 total; 3/week) • Second Chance tests open for any chapter < 80% • Fill-in-the blank and T/F • Grading time? • Student-controlled repetition • Podcast-style MP3 “online lectures” • Stylistically, very different than classroom lecture • Portable format lends itself to multiple exposures, multi-tasking • Novel extension/application: Discussion threads • Application to current events, personal experience
Department of Psychology Outcomes: F2F versus Fully Online (25-item general psychology knowledge multiple-choice survey)
Department of Psychology Engagement that pays off: Views from cognitive psychology • Tests enhance retention, even without feedback and/or additional study time (testing effect) • Capitalize on this with technology • Repeatable online quizzing • SRS systems • Dividing study time across more discrete study intervals yields better results (spacing effect) • Divide large “capstone” assignments • Maintain contact with students on “off” days
Department of Psychology What makes engaging activities…engaging? • People are geared to retain information that is survival- relevant, emotionally affecting, rich in sensory qualities, easy to interpret • Certain activities lend themselves to continued effort more than others • Consider computer games: Qualities that make them so engaging? • Games have certain core characteristics that build engagement; these transfer over into learning activities as well (Dickey, 2005) • Example principles: Focused goals, optimal levels of challenge, clear standards, protection from initial failures, novelty & choice • Consider also: Flow (Czikszhentmihalyi)