“Flipping the Classroom” with a Two-Course Assessment Sequence The flipped classroom is a model of teaching in which the traditional lecture material is viewed

outside of class. Then class time is spent on inquiry-based and mastery-oriented learning

including what would traditionally be viewed as student homework. This proposal describes a

request for summer funding for the following objectives: 1) to create opportunities for pre-class

exposure of two semesters of basic course content, 2) to develop incentives for students to

prepare for class, 3) to develop mechanisms to assess student learning, and 4) to create one

semester’s worth of engaging in-class activities that focus on higher-level cognitive integration

of basic content. I am proposing to “flip” two primary courses that I teach, PSYC 6409 and 6410,

School Assessment I and II. Need and impact of implementing this new teaching model are

delineated, as is a plan for evaluating outcomes of this new approach to teaching school

assessment.

1  

Teaching Grant Proposal Purpose/Objectives

A creative, new instructional approach, the flipped classroom, has gained favor in some

college settings. The flipped classroom is a model of teaching in which the traditional lecture

material is viewed outside of class. Then class time is spent on inquiry-based and mastery-

oriented learning including what would traditionally be viewed as student homework. In terms of

Bloom’s taxonomy, this allows students to accomplish lower levels of cognitive learning (basic

knowledge) outside of class time, while reserving class time for higher forms of cognitive

processing (application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation) where they have support of their

professor and class peers. This proposal describes a request for summer funding for the

following objectives: 1) to create opportunities for pre-class exposure of 2 semesters of basic

course content, 2) to develop incentives for students to prepare for class, 3) to develop

mechanisms to assess student learning, and 4) to create one semester’s worth of engaging in-

class activities that focus on higher-level cognitive integration of basic content. I am proposing

to “flip” two primary courses that I teach, PSYC 6409 and 6410 - School Assessment I and II,

which are recurring, annually-offered graduate courses required of all students in School

Psychology. Given that previous researchers have found this method to produce significant

learning gains (e.g., Deslauriers et al., 2011), predicted student outcomes include:

∀ Greater opportunities for collaborative work and mastery exercises, and under closer

supervision, than in previous semesters;

∀ Fewer repeated errors and better exam performance due to immediate feedback on

test administration errors and reinforcement of concepts prior to final exam.

∀ Greater application of concepts to real-world assessment cases, leading to better

ability to conceptualize cases during practicum (field-work) placements; and

2  

∀ Deeper understanding of how assessment informs educational decision-making and

intervention development, relative to cohorts taught with traditional methods;

Project Description -- To address the first objective, creating opportunities for pre-class

exposure to basic content, I propose to record mini-lectures on key topics to supplement assigned

digital and textbook readings. This will be accomplished using Tegrity, a software lecture

capture system integrated with Blackboard. These will be shorter, topic related videos, as

opposed to class-length lectures. To achieve this, I will need to do group or individual Tegrity

training via ITCS during Spring semester, so that I can create the video podcasts during Summer

Session 1. I would like to create a flipped classroom sequence for two courses, so this will

involve conversion of several traditional lectures to individual topic podcasts.

To address the second and third objectives, developing incentives for students to prepare for

class and formative assessments of learning, I will create a mix of short online quizzes, short

writing assignment/reaction papers, pre-class worksheets, and “quotes & questions” assignments.

These will be randomly collected and graded, and typically integrated into class

discussion/activities for that day. In addition to pre-class quizzes etc., many of the activities used

during class time will serve to check student understanding as well, such as debates and

collaborative test taking (i.e., discussing individual test responses within a small group of peers

and then presenting/defending one set of answers for the group).

To address the fourth objective, creating one semester’s worth of engaging in-class activities

that focus on higher-level cognitive integration, I will develop in-class activities to support

PSYC 6409, including: practice test administrations, structured discussions of real-world cases,

critiques of psychological reports, role-plays for orally presenting assessment and diagnostic

results to consumers, debates of controversial issues, data analysis and case conceptualization

3  

exercises, and critiques of commonly used tests. For those activities that have been traditionally

assigned as homework, in-class experiences will allow for modeling and instant feedback.

Need and Impact -- This proposal affects 100% of two 3-credit-hour courses taught annually

and required of all graduate students in our school psychology programs (both MA,CAS & PhD

concentration). The normal size is 10-12 students per semester, and they are typically taught

once/week for a 3-hour block. That is, a cohort of apx. 10-12 first year graduate students would

move through this re-designed, two-course assessment sequence (PSYC 6409 & 6410) each

academic year. The American Psychological Association requires that programs train students to

demonstrate specific competencies required for professional practice, including (a) knowledge

and application of assessment methods, (b) diagnosis, (c) conceptualizing multiple dimensions of

a case, and (d) communicating results clearly, constructively, and accurately. Traditional

teaching approaches have adequately prepared students with basic knowledge and application

prior to field work [see (a) above], but a flipped classroom method should dramatically improve

the sophistication with which they apply new-found assessment knowledge into practice settings,

allowing better development of competencies (b) through (d) above. Previously, we have relied

solely on field experience to provide these integration opportunities, but quality of supervision

and immediacy of feedback vary dramatically from site to site. Given these required courses are

offered annually, my time investment would have a continuing impact on future students.

Schedule of Activities -- The request for Summer Session funding is predicated on the fact that

an effective “flipping of the classroom” will require careful preparation and a concentrated block

of time to record pre-class lectures and create all the in-class elements. Given my role as

program director, an impending accreditation site visit slated for this Spring, my 2/2 teaching

load, and ongoing research/publication expectations, finding time during the Spring semester to

4  

5  

dedicate to these activities is unlikely. Below are my proposed deadlines, which assume ITCS

Tegrity training is completed during Spring semester:

Weeks 1-3 – Prep & Record ~30 Topical Mini-Lectures (~2 per day).

Week 4 – Create brief quizzes & assignments for pre-class elements; develop in-class activities

for School Assessment I (Fall course).

Weeks 5 & 6 – Develop in-class activities for Fall, and start Spring in-class activities, if time.

Evaluation Plan – Predicted student outcomes will be assessed using the following methods:

1) students will provide self-ratings Spring 2014 (traditional) vs. Spring 2015 (flipped), as well

as open-ended comments about benefits and limitations of flipped classroom approach; 2) field

supervisors will rate students’ assessment skill Fall 2014 (traditional) vs. Fall 2015 (flipped); 3) a

departmental peer observation will be requested (using standard peer obs. form) for general

feedback on the new teaching approach, and 4) class-aggregated data for error rates in practice

administrations and final exam raw scores will be compared for traditional vs. flipped methods.

Self (Field Supervisor) Ratings will be compared for traditional- vs. flipped-method cohorts: (5-pt scale, with 1=deficient, 3=adequate/minimum level needed, 5 = superior capability)

• I feel competent with (Student demonstrates knowledge of) administration and scoring of

traditional assessment measures.

• I feel competent to select (Selects) appropriate assessment measures to answer diagnostic

questions.

• I feel competent with (Demonstrates skill with) case conceptualization to determine

educational eligibility/clinical decision-making.

• I am skilled in using (Demonstrates skill to use) assessment methods to inform intervention.

• I can communicate (Communicates) assessment results in written form clearly,

constructively, and accurately.

Appendix

List of Courses & Other Departmental Responsibilities

I am on a 2/2 load, with expectations for research productivity and 1-course, re-assigned time for

administrative duties. I also have a 5% time re-assigned to Department of Pediatrics to provide

psychological services in an outpatient clinic.

Spring courses for 2014 include:

6410 School Assessment II

7950 Practical Therapy Approach

(7993 School Internship II – University coordination and supervision of graduate students on

full-time, off-campus internships.)

I am also chairing 3 MA Thesis students and serving on various MA Thesis committees.

Typical Fall courses include 6409 School Assessment I, 7951 Practicum in Psychoeducational

Assessment, and School Internship I.

6