Combining Effective Individual and Group Learning In Online Courses

1. Combining Effective Individual and Group Learning In Online Courses PSI and PBL in Online Learning Albert L. Ingram, Ph. D. Instructional Technology Kent State University aingram@kent.edu

2. Can We Base Online Learning on Theory and Tested Practice? • Do learning theories imply systems of instruction? • Behaviorism • Information Processing • Constructivism • Are there tested systems? • Personalized System of Instruction • Problem Based Learning

3. The Personalized System of Instruction • Began with behaviorism • Instructional strategies not tied to it • Key characteristics • Self-pacing • Mastery learning • High standards (near perfect on units) • Lectures and demos are motivators • Most communication through writing • Proctors

4. PSI Results • Effectiveness • PSI achieves higher levels of learning than conventional college instruction • PSI gets higher ratings from students than conventional college instruction • Students retain more for longer than with conventional college instruction

5. Problem Based Learning • Cognitive/Constructivist Focus • Began in Medical Schools • Key Elements • Problem groups: groups assign responsibilities to individuals • Complex problems/ real-world situations • Faculty are just facilitators; students define learning issues

6. PBL Results • In medical education: national board exam scores usually as high as from conventional instruction • Higher student ratings • Better prepared for clinical years

7. Combining Instructional Systems • Are PSI and PBL good for different things? • PSI may work best for fundamental knowledge • PBL good for higher-level thinking skills • Building on strengths of different approaches • Learning is both individual and social

8. Learning Theories Course Description • Universal Professional Requirement for many Masters programs • Meant to cover basic understanding of how humans learn and its application to educational settings • 20-25 students most semesters • Standard textbook: Human Learning by Ormrod

9. Implementing PSI • Students must pass required and elective chapters for A (15/18) • Quiz questions for each chapter; multiple choice and short answer • Quizzes generated at random by testing program (40-80 per chapter) • http://www.albertingram.com/learningtheories/quizzes.html (Practice quiz password = homer)

10. Implementing PBL • Problems for two major course sections (behaviorism and cognition) • Students complete course section, then are assigned to problem group • Groups of 3-4 students • Groups meet f2f but mostly online • Groups are self-organizing but assessed for collaboration

11. PSI Data -- Grades

12. PSI Data – Chapter Quizzes

13. PSI Data – Chapter Completion

14. PSI Data – Chapter Tries

16. PSI – Individual Differences

17. PBL Data – Grades

18. Ratings of Personal Learning Theories • Students asked to rate their own implicit learning theories before and after the course • System for ratings at:http://www.employees.csbsju.edu/esass/learningratingscale.htm

22. Issues in the Course • The downside of self-pacing • Security • Who is taking the quizzes? • Under what conditions? • Providing effective instruction on the units • Need for learning objects using effective instructional strategies

23. Research Issues • Performance on comprehensive final? • Comparisons to conventional instruction • Retention over time • Attributing good results to PSI v. PBL • Does the combination of systems with different strengths lead to well-balanced results?

24. Resources • Article on applying PSI to online education: www.irrodl.org/content/v4.2/grant-spencer.html • University of Delaware site on PBL:www.udel.edu/pbl • Lafayette’s site on PSI:http://ww2.lafayette.edu/~allanr/psi.html • PBL Initiative:http://www.pbli.org/