PSY 304 (Research Methods) Through a Blended Classroom

PSY 304 research methods is a Lecture+Lab core course in the psychology major. As the lab is held in a room with 25 computers, there are a limited number of spots per quarter. Consequently, many students delay taking the course, impeding their ability to do well in higher-level courses. Additionally, performance on the course has a bimodal distribution and only a few students consistently demonstrate all learning outcomes. The goals of the project were to enhance student learning and increase the number of students enrolled, while ensuring that the grading workload was manageable. For the redesign project, lecture will still be offered face-to-face, but the lab will be online. Moodle will be used: (1) to communicate instructions for all laboratory activities, including reading assignments, active learning exercises, and progress checks for the research project (2) to upload taped lectures about developing a research project and writing a APA-style paper (3) to submit all assignments and receive prompt feedback.