Evaluation of student feedback

Sue Morris, myself and colleagues designed and delivered the flipped classroom unit PSYC1031 Psychological Science of Resilience. The aim was to have students learn about the theory and research regarding evidence-based self-management strategies/tools. The video talks about the textbook for that unit, which we initially wrote as a traditional textbook, but then rewrote because we realised that we needed to make it more accessible so that students would be more likely to use it in their everyday lives. I talk here briefly about the evaluation methods we employed for this unit. Please contact me if you would like further information.

To evaluate the unit, we have used the following methods at various times across the last few years:

1. Construction of a unit evaluation survey for both current and past students.
2. Wellbeing and self-efficacy surveys at the beginning and end of the unit.
3. Peer-review of Sue Morris teaching.
4. Standard UNSW student evaluations of the unit.

1. Both current and past students of the unit rated it highly in terms of agreeing strongly with statements regarding recommending the unit, continuing to use strategies learned in the unit, and gaining greater self-knowledge by taking the unit.
2. Self-efficacy increased from the beginning to the end of the unit; although wellbeing did not change from the beginning to the end of the unit, the wellbeing of students in a comparison unit dropped at the end of the unit (ie during the stressful assessment period).
3. Peer-reviews of the face-to-face component of the unit were very positive.
4. Standard student evaluations are higher than average.

Note that on the basis of each yearly set of evaluations, changes are made in an attempt to improve the unit for the following delivery (i.e., continuous improvement cycle).

The impact of this unit is that it continues to be fully subscribed, and we are now offering for the first time an online version, so that it is more accessible to students. We are currently in the process of evaluating this new unit.

Morris, S., Cranney, J., Baldwin, P., Mellish, L., Krochmalik, A. (2018). The rubber brain: A toolkit for optimising your study, work and life. Brisbane: Australian Academic Press. IBSN: 9781925644081

Cranney, J., Cejnar, L., & Nithy, V. (2016). Developing self-management capacity in student learning: A pilot implementation of blended learning strategies in the study of business law. In K. Coleman and A. Flood (Eds.), Enabling reflective thinking: Reflective practices in learning and teaching (pp. 354-369). Champaign, IL: Common Ground Publishing.

Cranney, J., Andrews, A., & Morris, S. (2016). Curriculum renewal to build student resilience and success: Phase 1 [ID12-2381]: Final report. ISBN 978-1-76028-642-2.

Cranney, J. (2015). Student success in large undergraduate classes: Embedding self-management development. Final Report of UNSW Fellowship. Retrieved from http://unistudentsuccess.com/the-fridge/.