Strategies for Promoting Interactive and Collaborative Learning in Large Undergraduate Lectures

1. Strategies for Promoting Interactive and Collaborative Learning in Large Undergraduate Lectures Donna B. Pincus, Ph.D. & Katie Kao, M.A.6th Annual CEIT Instructional Innovation ConferenceMarch 7, 2014

2. Connection between Roles at BU

3. Relevance of clinical theories of motivation to teaching • According to clinical theories of motivation, the therapist helps increase the patient’s “motivation to change” (Miller & Rollnick, 2002) • Thus, motivation is an interaction between patient and therapist, not simply a trait that is present or lacking in a patient. • This theory can easily be adapted to the professor-student relationship, as we interact with students to motivate, educate and inspire them to challenge and expand their ways of thinking. • Enhancing the “will” as well as the “skill”

4. Why talk about motivation to learn?

5. Teaching Undergraduates: Common Goals Across Disciplines • Enhance students’ motivation to learn • Actively engage students in learning course material • Facilitate critical thinking • Highlight relevance and importance of subject • Want students to enjoy course

6. Challenges of Large Lectures • Physical room challenges (stationary seats don’t promote student interaction) • Students may expect more passive learning • Academically diverse students • Differences in motivation for taking the course • Hard to be creative with assignments with hundred(s) of students

7. Challenges to Promoting Interaction

8. Today’s Presentation: Agenda and Goals • To present several concrete strategies for promoting interactive and collaborative learning in large undergraduate lectures • To describe how to develop and utilize a course “YouTube” channel so that selected digital media clips can enhance students’ learning • To introduce specific examples of how course content can be transformed into engaging experiential class exercises

9. Ways to Engage Students in Learning Process • How can we enhance students’ engagement? • Using multimedia tools • Making teaching “relevant” to students’ lives • Using creative, active learning approaches • Having an approachable and relaxed teaching style (Price, 2009; Howe & Strauss, 2007)

10. Strategies for Promoting Interaction in Large Lectures • Start interaction on Day 1 • Why are you taking this course? Favorite course at BU thus far • Plan small group discussion activity to launch into course concepts • Groups of 2-4, assign “spokesperson” in fun way • Interactive exercises before going over syllabus • Strategies for dividing up class into discussion groups • By “rows”: every 4 rows gets same task • Students orient toward one another to discuss • By “sections” of the auditorium/lecture hall • By “twos” (talk to neighbor to briefly discuss)

11. Example: Abnormal Psychology Opening Day • Instructional Aims: • To begin to build definition of “psychological dysfunction/abnormality” • To engage students in applying the definition of abnormality to real case examples across lifespan • (enhancing relevance of material) • To teach students how age, development and culture can impact how we classify behaviors as normal or abnormal • To teach students to begin to generate and test clinical hypotheses

12. Example of how to facilitate interaction in large lecture • Tools/Procedure: • 1) 6 case vignettes put on PowerPoint • 2) Divide class by rows or sections and provide them with cases • 3) Provide SPECIFICinstructions; engage students right away in solving a problem collaboratively

13. Interactive Small Group Task • “A patient comes to you for help. What additional information would you need to know to determine whether your patient is displaying normal or abnormal behavior?” • CASE EXAMPLES: • “Mr. Davis”, age 42, scrubs his driveway daily • “Jan” is afraid of pigeons, this fear prevents her from walking to parks or traveling • “Cameron” has vague physical complaints and sees 2-3 doctors per week

14. Example of how to facilitate interaction in large lecture • 5 minutes to discuss in breakout group • Return to plenary group, several students from each small group have chance to share their perspectives • Can build in positive reinforcement for being first to speak • Facilitate interaction between groups; Moderate discussion • Who agrees? Did any group have a differing opinion or complementary idea? • “Bring it home”; tie together main points • (Distress, level of impairment, frequency, dysfunction, cultural lens)

15. Making Learning Active “Doing” rather than “telling” Example: Experience clinical technique rather than hearing about it. • Cognitive Restructuring • Interoceptive exposure Process students’ experience

16. Course “YouTube” channel • BU Abnormal Psychology YouTube Channel • Different psychological disorder “Playlists” • Created by team of 4 undergraduates • Incorporating in class to engage students • Upload new videos as discussion assignment • Movie clips, clinical demonstrations • Vote on most accurate depictions of disorder • Discussion of videos that are inaccurate portrayals or ways media promotes stigma of mental illness

17. BU Abnormal Psychology YouTube Channel Special thanks to my undergraduate team for creating YouTube Channel: Weilynn Chang Lauren Eng Brandon Matsumiya Harrison Strom

18. Implementing YouTube Activity in Discussion Groups • Discussion groups • Which video did you choose to discuss? • How does this video portrayal compare or contrast with what you’ve learned in class so far? • How would this video clip influence the way people view this disorder? • What are some pros or cons of this type of media representation? • Feedback on activity

19. Student Feedback about Video Assignment • “We liked this assignment because it was a good way to learn through something other than a lecture, and also to compare what we’ve learned to what the media portrays” • “More memorable using popular TV shows/movies, group discussions made us think more critically about the disorder, the guiding questions were helpful”

20. Student Feedback • “We really liked this assignment. Interactive way to solidify what we’re learning in class, this activity is a good way to analyze our culture’s views of biases/preconceptions about the disorders”

21. Breakout Group • How might you adapt one of these strategies for use in your course? • A small breakout group activity? • “Doing” rather than “telling”: Is there an experiential activity you could develop? • How could a course “YouTube” channel be useful in your class?

22. Engagement/Motivation “DASHBOARD” • How engaged is the class? • Read the class: how much “fuel” is left? • Class pacing • No pre-set “controls” • Responsive, interactive process

23. FLEXIBILITY

25. Thank You!Questions or Comments Donna Pincus, Ph.D. (617) 353-9610 dpincus@bu.edu