Past Project Descriptions
Educational Psychology
"Readiness Assurance Technology" for Team-Based Learning
Faculty Members: Daniel H. Robinson
Department: Educational Psychology
Project Description: Team-based learning (TBL) is a well-documented instructional strategy whose popularity is spreading across the nation. At the college level, it has been shown to generate greater student engagement, achievement and even attendance across many disciplines. This project will lead to the development of a system that will support the use of Readiness Assurance Testing (RAT) in a team-based learning environment. The online system will support the creation and administration of individual tests followed by immediately by a team test and manage the scoring and relationships between the two.
Handheld Active Learning in Statistical Instruction
Faculty Members: Daniel H. Robinson and Brandon Vaughn
Department: Educational Psychology
Project Description: Students often consider Statistics the "worst" course they take. As an alternative to traditional lectures, in which students passively learn, this project provides interactive hands-on statistics tutorials on handheld devices. The tutorials focus on direct manipulation of data and visual aspects of introductory statistics. Students are able to interact with the graphs, data, and concepts, making changes dynamically and seeing the results of their modifications.
R Statistical Language Tutorial Videos
Faculty Members: Brandon Vaughn
Department: Educational Psychology
Project Description: Popular statistical software is costly, making it difficult for educators to obtain and use. The statistical language R is freely available for PCs and Macs, however, has a command-based rather than "point & click" user interface. To help with the ease-of-use issues, this project provides short tutorial videos that help educators and students get started using the R language to perform a variety of common statistical functions.
Standardized Patient Methodology to Enhance Teacher Training in Working with Parents
Faculty Members: Cindy Carlson
Department: Educational Psychology
Project Description: Beginning teachers cite relationships with parents as their greatest source of stress and anxiety, and find working with the families of their students to be more challenging than getting sufficient resources, maintaining order and discipline in the classroom, preparing students for testing, or getting guidance and support. The purpose of this Vision Award will be the development of a prototype for training in relationship building communication skills with parents. Two unique aspects of the project include the use of standardized patient methodology in the development of the prototype and the use of motivational interviewing as the basis of skill development.
Teaching Practice Case Conceptualization Skills Through Simulated Video Cases
Faculty Member: Aaron Rochlen
Department: Educational Psychology
Student Technologist: Alicia Cho
Project Description: This Vision Award supported the creation of an interactive website used in graduate and undergraduate counseling theory courses. The online tool allows students to review simulated case material in video as well as written formats. After completing a case, users are then asked to submit conceptualization answers; if they wish, they can also view experts' responses to these questions. Other features include a discussion board and a collection of web resources.
Video Cases to Support Diagnosis of Mental Health Disorders
Faculty Members: Stephanie Rude and Aaron Rochlen
Department: Educational Psychology
Project Description: Development of a set of three professional quality videos clips that will portray patients with various mental health disorders. The resulting product will be used in an interactive diagnostic website for use by psychologists, students interested in psychology, and other mental health providers. Through this website, users will have the opportunity to apply their diagnostic skills to simulated case material in an interactive and dynamic format.