Redesigning a Computer Concepts Course Using SAM and SAM Training - Course Technology Computing Conference Presenter: Katherine Winters, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga In the traditional computer concepts course, the professor assigns a chapter to read. If it is a face to face class, we will lecture on that chapter and/or discuss it. In an online class, we may hold a discussion on material from that chapter using a series of posted questions. Perhaps we will assign quizzes on the readings or assign papers to write, but the emphasis is on reading the textbook. That is the traditional approach. The flipped classroom provides a different approach to this style of teaching, but the emphasis is still on reading the material. Regardless of the mechanisms we put in place or the approaches we take, we all fight the battle of getting students to read their assignments. Assuring your students read the material in an online class is even more difficult to achieve; students simply search for the answers online. I know there are tools that lock down your browser, but students are able to by-pass such locks by simply using another device. The bottom line is that it is difficult to get students to read assignments, and a lot of our attention is spent in trying to force our students to do just that. I decided not to fight the fight and redesigned my Computer Concepts course to use SAM and the embedded video clips found in SAM training. If you have not seen SAM Training for Computer Concepts and you teach Computer Concepts, you must look at it as an alternative to traditional textbooks. In my class a textbook is not required; they use the SAM training video clips which correspond to chapter topics in a traditional text. I am able to present the same material just in a novel way. One student came to me and said “The way you designed this course is ingenious. It is great.” This presentation will share my experience of using SAM training to teach computer concepts. I will explore student and faculty reactions and show grade comparisons. My goal is for you to leave this presentation with a new idea that you can adapt to meet your particular needs.

1. Redesigning a Computer Concepts Course Using SAM
and SAM Training.
Kathy Winters
University of Tennessee Chattanooga

2. Introduction
• About me, UTC, and course
• Course background
• Motivation behind course redesign
• Research
• My course design
• Evaluation
• Questions

3. PLEASE HOLD QUESTIONS TILL THE END

4. Me
• Kathy Winters
• kathy-winters@utc.edu
• Senior Instructor
• College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Computer Science and Engineering Department
(CSE)

5. UTC
• Metropolitan University
• Situated in downtown Chattanooga
– Chattanooga – 171,279 (2012 estimated)
– Hamilton County – 336,463 (2010)
• Enrollment (Fall 2013) – 11,674
• Majority from Tennessee – 82.8%
• 5 doctorial programs

6. Course Background
• Primarily service course
– Most students from majors outside of CSE
– Cuts across undergraduate programs
• Freshman level course
– Mostly non- freshmen taking course
– Come from broad background
• Offered totally online
• Enrollment about 120-140 students per semester

7. Current Course Design
• CPSC 1000 – Introduction to Computers
• Online only
• Topics Taught
– Word
– Excel
– Power Point
– Access
– Concepts
• All taught using SAM and SAM Path

8. Motivation
• Better flow for course
– E-book and SAM confusing
• Consistency between assignments
– Office questions in SAM
– Concept questions – multiple choice
– Look and feel different
– Training aspect of SAM path
• Save money
• Students don’t read assignments

9. Do Your Students Read the Assignments?

10. Problem
• There is a disconnect between what we as
professors expect and what our students do.
• We can ignore it or we can do something about it.

11. Research
• A survey by Connor and Green in 2000
– 72% reported rarely or never read their assignments by
the due date
• Association of American Publishers’ survey
– 51% of college students do not place the same emphasis
on the textbook for success in the course as do their
professors
• Students do not think reading it is important
Two Studies of Reading Compliance among College Students. John Sappington, Kimberly Kinsey, Kirk Munsayac, Teaching of Psychology October 2002 vol. 29 no. 4 272-274

12. Research
• Majority of college students spend less than 3 hours
reading textbook material
• They say we should give them the information they
need during class time
The Extent to which Psychology Students Read Textbooks: A Multiple Class Analysis of Reading across the Psychology Curriculum. Clump, Michael A.; Bauer, Heather; Bradley, Catherine
Journal of Instructional Psychology, Vol 31(3), Sep 2004, 227-232.

13. Research (Some Statistics)
Issue Percentage
Total percent of U.S. population that has specific reading disorders 15
Total percent of U.S. students that are dyslexic 15
Total percentage of NASA employees that are dyslexic 50
Total percentage of college students who will never read another book after they graduate 42
Total percentage of books started that aren’t read to completion 57
Total percentage of U.S. families who did not buy a book this year 80
Total percentage of adults that have not been in a book store in the past 5 years 70
Statistics Brain: http://www.statisticbrain.com/reading-statistics/.

14. Does this reflect your students?

15. Possible Solution to Reading Problem
• SAM Path
• Series of videos
• Same information as the text just in video form
• Information segmented
• Videos inside SAM training
• Questions at end to determine information
retention

16. Research
(Why Video?)
Students in the e-learning environment that were
provided interactive video achieved significantly
better learning performance and a higher level of
learner satisfaction than those in other settings.
Information & Management, Volume 43, Issue 1, January 2006, Pages 15–27

17. Research
• Demand for reduction in time-to-competency in the knowledge-based
economy
• Advantages
– Random access to video content
– Select or plan a segment with minimal search time
– Students can control the pace of learning
– More flexibility
– Unlimited access to electronic learning material
– Multi-sensory learning environment may improve learners’ ability to retain
information
– Increase learner’s interest in subject
– Increase motivation of learning
Information & Management, Volume 43, Issue 1, January 2006, Pages 15–27

18. My Course Design
• Course consists of Office and Concepts task
• Each topic is its own module
• Semi – self paced
– Hard deadlines
– Can work ahead

19. My Course Design
• Each module
– Pre-test (To test the student knowledge of the material)
– Training (Learn what you don’t know)
– Post-test (What did you learn)
• Grading
– Number correct from pre-test + Number correct from post
test / Total number of questions
• Training and Post-test generated for only questions
missed

20. How Is It Working
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C1 C2 C3
A
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D
F

21. Advantages
• Better grades
• Less complaining
• More interest in subject matter
• Cheaper to the Student

22. Areas of Enhancement
• Need more questions in SAM
• Need greater variety of questions in SAM

23. Kathy Winters
kathy-winters@utc.edu