Learning Unbound: Evidence-based Design and Education’s Third Horizon

Candace Thille

Director, Open Learning Initiative

“Changing circumstances mandate that we shift the focus of higher education policy away from how to enable more students to afford higher education to how we can make a quality postsecondary education affordable.”

- Clayton Christensen

One Complexity for Instructional Productivity: Baumol’s “Cost Disease”

“A half hour horn quintet calls for the expenditure of 2.5- man hours in its

performance, and any attempt to increase productivity here is likely to be viewed with

concern by critics and audience alike.” (1967)

A false dichotomy for post-secondary education

Low Quality, Hi Productivity

Hi Quality,Hi Productivity

Low Quality,Low Productivity

Hi Quality,Low Productivity

Quality

Pro

du

ctiv

ity

Many, with Baumol assume higher education

has only these two options

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Basic Premise

It’s not teaching that causes learning. Attempts by the learner to perform cause learning, dependent upon the quality of feedback and opportunities to use it.

Grant Wiggins

President, Center of Learning Assessment

What is Carnegie Mellon’s Open Learning Initiative?

Scientifically-based online learning environments designed to improve both quality and productivity in higher education

Goal-Directed Practice and Targeted Feedback

What is a Cognitive Tutor?

A computerized learning environment whose design is based on cognitive principles and whose interaction with students is based on that of a (human) tutor—i.e., making comments when the student errs, answering questions about what to do next, and maintaining a low profile when the student is performing well.

Practice Synthesizing and Applying Skills & Knowledge

Feedback: Changing the Productivity of Learners and Teachers

“The Killer App”

Feedback Loops for Continuous Improvement

Learning Curve Analysis

DataShop: Pittsburgh Science of Learning Center

OLI Review:• Apply learning science research and scientific method to

course development, implementation and evaluation

• Develop Interactive Learning Environments collaboratively. (teams of content experts and novices, learning scientists, HCI, software engineers)

• Feedback loops for continuous improvement

What Difference Does it Make?

Accelerated Learning Results

• OLI students completed course in half the time with half the number of in-person course meetings

• OLI students showed significantly greater learning gains (on the national standard “CAOS” test for statistics knowledge) and similar exam scores

• No significant difference between OLI and traditional students in the amount of time spent studying statistics outside of class

• No significant difference between OLI and traditional students in follow-up measures given 1+ semesters later

Other Class Results

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Large Public University: OLI Online vs. traditional. OLI 99% completion rate vs 41% completion rate traditional.

Community College accelerated learning study in Logic: An instructor with minimal experience in logic. Students obtained high levels of performance on more advanced content (~33%) not covered in traditional instruction.

OLI stoichiometry course: The number of interactions with the virtual lab outweighed ALL other factors including gender and SAT score as the predictor of positive learning outcome.

Quotes

Student Quote:“This is so much better than reading a textbook or listening to a lecture! My mind didn’t wander, and I was not bored while doing the lessons. I actually learned something.”

Instructor Quote: “The format [of the accelerated learning study] was among the best teaching experiences I’ve had in my 15 years of teaching statistics.”

Strategy for Educational Improvement

“Without a complete revolution…in our approach to teaching…we cannot go beyond (current levels ) of productivity….” (Baumol, 1967).

Our message:Such a revolution is possible.

Our question:Who will lead it?

CC-OLI Outcomes• 25% jump in successful course

completion rates in 4 CCOLI gate-keeper/gateway courses at participating colleges

• 40 colleges participating in CCOLI course development, adaptation, evaluation

• An established model, platform & tools for testing and scaling innovation

APLU & AACC Planning Grant

• Select 5-7 high demand transfer level courses for OLI development

• Build agreements with APLU and AACC institutions to participate in development project.

• Develop a plan for the on-going support, improvement and maintenance of the courses.

“Improvement in Post Secondary Education will require converting teaching from a ‘solo sport’ to a community based research activity.”

—Herbert Simon

CCOER Open Textbooks

Global Higher Education OER

Scientifically Designed, Interactive Learning Environments