This is a style of course construction that I follow now that still
includes some form of lectures:
1) Computer-mediation: Everything is stored in a course within
Blackboard. I have written some programs using Livecode that provide
for demonstrations and interactive lab exercises. (see Windows version:
http://www.learnpsychology.com/courses/spcourse/Limulus.exe; Mac
version: http://www.learnpsychology.com/courses/spcourse/Limulus.zip).
There are many sources for commercial software that do many of the
things I programmed.
2) All the course content is divided into sections that students can
reasonably study in one week. This includes conventional readings from
the text book and/or other sources, all my Powerpoint lectures recorded
by me, movies and the interactive software that pertains to the unit.
The advantage of recording the lectures is that the student does not
have to take it all in within 50min. They can pause, rewind etc. The
lecture pace is under their control.
3) The units also contain a test on the material that is taken on-line
using test construction and administration tools offered by Blackboard.
All the test items I used in the past for midterms and finals were
incorporated into these unit tests. I was also able to add many more
questions since the tests were not packed into a single testing
session. I also don't waste class time giving tests. The students can
take the tests when they finish studying a unit at any point in the
course. They must have them all done by the end of the course.
4) The classes are now filled with questions, discussion, interactive
lab exercises and a short presentation like a TED talk that most often
include clinical cases, sometimes I present movies segments from the
units as a way to start discussions. They are also given a short,
on-line quiz on the interactive exercises by the end of the class. They
can't take the quiz if they don't come to class. This serves as some
incentive to come to class.
During the exercise on Limulus, I show a short video on horseshoe
crabs. Their great breeding event at the full moon is nearby in
Delaware. Did you know that their blood is blue and based on Copper,
not Iron (kind of like Vulcans)? They were also used to study vision
etc. This is how Lateral Inhibition works in a horseshoe crab - then we
go into the short Limulus interactive program. The quiz includes
relatively easy items on Lateral Inhibition and the location of Cape
Henlopen. I usually take the quiz with them and give them the answer if
someone doesn't shout it out before me.
5) The students also have the Blackboard discussion forums and email. I
find that they do most of the discussion in class.
In short, my lectures are treated like the textbook readings. Classes
are now interactive sessions. The course is also more self-paced.
Since the tests are "open-book" (even this term is an anachronism - with
Google, life is open book), most no longer cram for exams. Since there
is never enough time to look up every answer, they must still study to
get a good grade. I can also ask questions that are more abstract and
require more synthesis. After they take one or two of the tests, they
know that they cannot breeze through if they want a good grade.
I think one of the most important elements is that the students have
more control over the pace of the course. The pace isn't dictated to
them. They probably perceive the class sessions as more interesting
since they are doing something. Finally, I don't have the burden of
lecturing more than once. All my effort is put into inventing class
activities getting them interested in the material. After you do all
this once, it becomes far easier to conduct future classes.
Mike Williams
P.S. This course is Sensation & Perception.
On 1/27/13 11:00 PM, Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
digest wrote:
Subject: re: Aren't TED talks just lectures?
From: Annette Taylor<[email protected]>
Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2013 16:44:46 +0000
X-Message-Number: 2
I just don't get the brou-ha-ha over lectures.
I lecture.
I make no excuses for that.
There is a lot that can be done to make lectures relatively interactive. It's
not rocket science. The pause for students to think about a question asked
during a lecture, and then providing a CORRECT answer! the pause for students
to formulate an answer, maybe a little pair and share, and then solicitation of
the responses. I use lots of embedded demos, especially in cognitive. It does
not have to be 100% delivery, but for most of my classes I'd say it's about 80%
delivery with short film clips, demos and embedded questions.
Let's face it, discovery learning does not work especially well. Students are
are likely, if not more likely, to hit upon a wrong answer and then convince
their classmates of the wrong information. Go back and check the archives for
many of Hake's postings for evidence to that effect.
Students who are learning new stuff and have minimal background need lecture.
Ours is not a very hands-on discipline. It's important that they understand HOW
we reached the conclusions we have reached, which is what we are teaching--the
conclusions.
So what's wrong with lecture? I'm tired of the black and white painting of
course pedagogies. It's all in how you do any of them. Look at the discussions
of powerpoint. It's not powerpoint that is inherently bad. I think it's great!
One of the primary things that attracts our attention is motion, so that
presenting things that appear one by one captures attention. It's a matter of
what it is that appears that is important.
So I lecture and I use powerpoint. There. I'm proud of it!
Annette
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