The University of Southern Mississippi
Course Title: Introduction to Computing
Contact: Nancy Howell
The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) plans to redesign Introduction to Computing, a course most frequently used to satisfy the computer competency requirement in the general education curriculum. Annual enrollment is ~704 students. Although most sections are offered in a traditional classroom setting, several sections have been offered in an online format during each semester for the last five years, and these sections are usually among the first to reach their enrollment limit.
Introduction to Computing suffers from course drift. Though the course plan is relatively consistent from one section and instructor to another, the actual implementation can easily drift away from the generic syllabus. The course’s objectives are tightly coupled with speeding changes in technology, creating a dynamic model. Keeping abreast of the changing technologies and incorporating them into the curriculum present ongoing challenges to the instructors. Sections are typically taught by many different instructors with a variety of credentials, ranging from graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) to professors in the School of Computing. Experienced faculty should be teaching this course, but current resources do not permit them to teach all of the sections.
USM will redesign the course using the Fully Online Model. Multiple sections will be replaced by one large section each semester. Interactive learning modules including online exercises, project assignments and low stakes quizzes will actively engage the students in the learning process. A computer lab will be open 40 hours per week to accommodate students where GTAs will provide on-demand assistance; students may also work from other locations. Student progress will be closely monitored. If students fall behind, they will receive an “invitation to learn,” which will require them to work face-to-face with a GTA at a designated time.
The redesigned course will enhance student engagement through the online activities. They will receive immediate feedback on their work and GTAs will be available in the lab to provide individual assistance as needed. Close monitoring of student progress will ensure timely intervention. Course drift will be eliminated by using a single syllabus and consistent delivery of course content.
Student learning outcomes will be assessed by comparing performance on a common final exam in both traditional and redesigned sections offered in parallel during the pilot semester, as well as comparing course grades using common grading criteria. Baseline data previously collected in fall 2007 to measure student learning outcomes in the traditional course will also be compared with outcomes in the redesigned course.
USM will decrease the cost-per-student from $249 in the traditional and online sections of the course to $109 in the redesigned course, a 56% savings. The savings will be achieved by reducing the number of sections from 12 to one in the fall and from 26 to three annually. Section size will increase from a range of 28 to 34 to ~400 in the fall, ~250 in the spring and ~75 in the summer. The number of faculty teaching the course will decrease from three to two after one year of successful implementation. GTAs will increase from four to seven. The savings will be used to support the School of Computing’s mission of teaching, research and service and to provide the seeds for other redesign efforts.
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