Creation and Implementation of Scientific Research Methods Modules in PSYCO 104Brandon E. Hauer1,2, Paul Croome1, Deanna Singhal11Department of Psychology, 2Neuroscience & Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
PROJECT BACKGROUND
CURRENT PROBLEM Department of Psychology requires
ONE statistics course (STAT 151), taught by Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences
Psychology students not receiving sufficient amount of research methods and statistics education, with limited demonstration of its applicability and usefulness in psychology
Resources to support offering and teaching more mandatory statistics courses to a large Psychology student body are limited
Incorporate statistics education into currently existing course(s)
Create eClass teaching and testing modules to pilot in section of PSYCO 104
Incorporate 4% course credit Use automatic grading and
uploading of results to eClassgradebook, limiting instructor’s workload
Gather student feedback Pilot project supported by TLEF
grant from CTL, and approved by Research Ethics Board at University of Alberta
FINDINGS
Software used was successful in creating module videos with animation
All eClass elements functioned well, with no errors in administration of videos, tests, or surveys
eClass response reports useful for occasional student grade query (easily rectified)
Students demonstrated mastery of learning (average test performance was 9/10)
Increased overall course average, with most students receiving full 4% course credit
Following module completion, survey feedback suggested students:
found modules easy and intuitive to use would recommend modules to a friend were less anxious when statistics were mentioned were more comfortable with statistics in general
MODULE IMPLEMENTATION
Students completed a feedback survey at beginning and end of term
Each module consisted of one video, with accompanying script and test
Each module posted on eClass at a different time over course
Module test unlocked once video viewed Completion deadline set for each module test Two test attempts allowed, with best score
uploaded to eClass gradebook
MODULE CREATION
ONLINE TEACHING VIDEOS
PILOT PROJECT
Videos created covered: scientific method measures of central tendency Software used: PowerPoint Mix (e.g., Figure 1) Video recording on green screen in
CTL (e.g., Figure 2) Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro
for video animating (e.g., Figure 2) PDF files of video scripts also created
ONLINE TESTS STUDENT SURVEYS
Tests generated using eClass QuizQuestions created in various
categories and randomly selected for each test generation
Feedback provided for each response (e.g., Figure 3)
Mastery of learning approach used, with attainable 10/10 score
Test scores automatically uploaded to eClass gradebook
Student surveys created using eClassFeedback
Requested information related to such things as:
ease of module use perception of module usefulness perception of statistics in field of
psychology (e.g., Figure 4)
SURVEYS
VIDEOS AND TESTS
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 4Figure 3
TECHNOLOGY
GRADES
STUDENT FEEDBACK
CONCLUSIONS
Online modules can be: useful for teaching materials related to statistics and
research methodology integrated into a large section of PSYCO 104 easy for instructors to implement with prefabricated
materials made available easy and beneficial for students to use
Continued development of modules on more topics for both PSYCO 104 and 105
Continue to pilot modules in various sections Consider replacing 4% course credit with guaranteed
midterm and final exam questions
FUTURE DIRECTIONS