Interventions for “Best Practices” Teaching of an Introduction to Psychology Course

Submitting Student(s)

Rebecca Walton
Kylie Zangla

Session Title

Poster Session 1

Faculty Mentor

Kat West, Ph.D.| Matthew Hayes, Ph.D.

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Abstract

Since 2019, our lab has focused on "best practices" for supporting student learning in an introduction to psychology (PSYC 101) course. We discovered that, seemingly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the average, overall grades of students in PSYC 101 rapidly declined. As a result, our lab began introducing various intervention strategies in hopes of raising overall scores by maximizing student support and learning. These interventions (such as the use of teaching assistants, AI-driven discussion technology, alternative "student-friendly" communication, and peer-designed study guides) were added gradually in order to confirm that they were working and/or which would be most effective. One of the more impactful interventions was a low-cost, instructor designed textbook courtesy of Sykepack.com. This textbook was interactive, fit exactly with the course materials, and included built-in study tools like flash cards. Overall, the interventions have combined to significantly improve students’ overall grades (p andlt; 0.05) as current average grades are close to pre-pandemic levels. Research is still ongoing to identify which strategies, if any, are unnecessary or unhelpful and which have been most effective and/or could benefit from minor improvements.

Previously Presented/Performed?

National Institute for the Teaching of Psychology, St. Petes Beach, FL, January 2023 | Winthrop University Showcase of Winthrop University Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors, Rock Hill, SC, April 2023

Type of Presentation

Poster presentation

Start Date

15-4-2023 12:00 PM

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Apr 15th, 12:00 PM

Interventions for “Best Practices” Teaching of an Introduction to Psychology Course

Since 2019, our lab has focused on "best practices" for supporting student learning in an introduction to psychology (PSYC 101) course. We discovered that, seemingly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the average, overall grades of students in PSYC 101 rapidly declined. As a result, our lab began introducing various intervention strategies in hopes of raising overall scores by maximizing student support and learning. These interventions (such as the use of teaching assistants, AI-driven discussion technology, alternative "student-friendly" communication, and peer-designed study guides) were added gradually in order to confirm that they were working and/or which would be most effective. One of the more impactful interventions was a low-cost, instructor designed textbook courtesy of Sykepack.com. This textbook was interactive, fit exactly with the course materials, and included built-in study tools like flash cards. Overall, the interventions have combined to significantly improve students’ overall grades (p andlt; 0.05) as current average grades are close to pre-pandemic levels. Research is still ongoing to identify which strategies, if any, are unnecessary or unhelpful and which have been most effective and/or could benefit from minor improvements.