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| Innovative Teaching Methods in Higher Education |
| Monday, May 28, 2007 |
| 1:30 PM–2:50 PM |
| America's Cup D |
| Area: EDC/TBA; Domain: Applied Research |
| Chair: Helen Irene Malone (The Ohio State University) |
| Abstract: This symposium will focus on innovative methods for teaching in higher education that rely on behavior analytic approaches. Specifically, three presentations will discuss the effects of the interteach method on student outcomes. In the first, the authors examined the overall effectiveness of the interteaching format versus the traditional lecture format. In the second and third presentations, data on two different components of the interteach method will be discussed. One study examined the effects of the discussion component of interteach on student outcomes. The second study explored differences in student outcomes based on two different study guide assignments: (a) students write questions based on the reading, or (b) students answer questions provided by the instructor. The fourth presentation examines new data related to the “Shape Your Teacher, Shape Yourself” project in which students are required to shape their own behavior over the course of the semester. |
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| Comparisons of Interteaching and Lecture Formats in Undergraduate Psychology Classes. |
| CHRISTINE E. HUGHES (University of North Carolina, Wilmington), Heather R. Mosier (University of North Carolina, Wilmington) |
| Abstract: Recently, interteaching has been proposed as an instructional format that is superior to traditional-lecture format in undergraduate and graduate courses. Generally, prior to an interteaching class, students complete a study guide which consists of several questions and problems about class material. Then during an interteaching class, students discuss their answers with another student and then hear a brief lecture based on material that they found difficult. Across several semesters, the effectiveness of the interteaching format versus the traditional lecture format was evaluated in an undergraduate research-methods course when requirements across both formats were equated. For example, all students were required to complete the study guide questions before class whether they subsequently experienced an interteaching or lecture class. Grades on quizzes and tests generally were similar across the instruction formats. The effectiveness of interteaching may depend on the contingency of completing the study guides, the content of the study guide, and the ability of students to describe what they did and did not know. |
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| A Comparison of Discussion and No Discussion with Interteaching in a College Course. |
| AMANDA E. GULD (The Ohio State University), Nancy A. Neef (The Ohio State University) |
| Abstract: Interteaching, an innovative college teaching technique based on behavioral principles, places less reliance on traditional lectures. Students, in this study, were asked to prepare for interteach sessions by reading the assigned text chapter, and completing interteach preparation guides. During half of the class sessions, students engaged in a dyadic discussion focusing on the interteach preparation guide questions, submitting an interteach record listing the topics with which they had difficulty, and listened to a brief lecture that focused on those topics. During the other half of the class sessions, students came prepared to engage in an interteach discussion, but instead only completed an interteach record and listened to a lecture focusing on the topics of difficulty reported on the record. Results indicated that there was no significant difference in quiz scores between when the students discussed in a dyad and did not discuss, yet individual data patterns will be discussed. |
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| A Comparison of Two Formats of Preparation for Interteaching in a College Course. |
| JUDAH B. AXE (The Ohio State University), Helen Irene Malone (The Ohio State University), Edward D. Parker (The Ohio State University) |
| Abstract: Boyce and Hineline (2002) described interteaching as an alternative to traditional lecture-based college teaching based on behavior analytic teaching principles (e.g., personalized systems of instruction and precision teaching). The four components of interteaching are answering preparation questions based on course readings, discussing answers to the questions with a peer in class, completing an interteach record evaluating the quality of the discussion and areas of concern with the content, and a brief lecture. In the context of interteaching in an undergraduate course in special education, this study compared the effects of answering preparation questions and generating one’s own questions on weekly quiz performance. The alternating treatments design revealed mixed results in terms of the increased effectiveness of either condition. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are discussed. |
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| Moving ABA into the World through College Coursework. |
| CRISS WILHITE (California State University, Fresno) |
| Abstract: One goal of university courses in behavior analysis is to ensure the science of behavior is used in the wider culture. Two courses in behavior analysis, one basic and one applied, require undergraduates to use behavior analytic techniques in real-world applications. The “Shape Your Teacher, Shape Yourself” project was developed to improve attendance, participation and student self-management projects in an introductory basic behavior analysis course. Improvements on the project required students to shape their own behavior over a semester. New data from two semesters, along with follow-up data on long-term use of the techniques, are presented. In an applied course, students worked directly with children with developmental disabilities and their parents. Data are presented on the percentage of those students who subsequently worked as behavior analysts outside the university setting. |
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