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W— Academic Affairs
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Student Success at UNC Charlotte
A Series of Working Papers
Volume 1 November 20 12
Large Course Redesign
Tamara M. Johnson, Ph.D., Research Associate for Academic Planning and Analysis, Office of Academic Affairs
Contributors:
Valorie McAlpin, Ed.D., Director, Center for Teaching and Learning
Jaesoon An, Ph.D., Instructional Design Specialist, Project Lead for Large Course Redesign
An increasing number of institutions of higher learning across the nation are turning to Large Course Redesign
as an affordable means to advance student success. By fundamentally restructuring the learning environment,
the general goal of Large Course Redesign is to enhance student engagement and improve grades, retention
rates, and ultimately, graduation rates, while also reducing costs and increasing efficiency. Two particular areas
of concern related to student success at UNC Charlotte that Large Course Redesign seeks to mitigate are student
retention rates and on-time graduation. Success in these areas, however, will not be without their challenges.
In 2009, the Center for Teaching and Learning asked UNC Charlotte students to express their opinions about
large courses in a series of interviews. Students responded that while large courses give them opportunities
to meet a diverse body of students, they dislike that the structure of such courses impedes the cultivation of
personal relationships with professors. Many students feel anonymous or faceless in large courses, and it is this
feeling of anonymity and isolation that discourages them from seeking assistance when needed. If students do
not feel they can ask for help with introductory material, their performance and grades often suffer. Low grades
adversely affect retention rates, and a D, F, or W (withdraw) in one or more courses adversely affects a students
ability to complete his or her degree or graduate on time. Research has shown that even a C in an introductory
course can indicate that the student will have difficulty with more advanced material in later courses. Moreover,
withdrawing from and repeating courses are expensive for both students and UNC Charlotte.
In order to describe the successful implementation of Large Course Redesign at UNC Charlotte, this working
paper discusses approaches taken to Large Course Redesign at institutions of higher learning across the
United States. It then discusses specific models applied to courses at UNC Charlotte. Tire discussion of specific
outcomes of course redesign projects includes the effect on DFW rates, costs, student success and satisfaction,
and professional development. Finally, this report presents possible future directions for Large Course Redesign
at UNC Charlotte.
Improving Student Learning and Reducing Costs
Approaches to Large Course Redesign Nationally
The multiple challenges facing American colleges and universities — improving the quality of undergraduate
education while increasing accessibility and reducing costs — are interrelated. The solutions are also intertwined,
according to Carol Twigg, one of the leading scholars on Large Course Redesign ’. One solution that
universities are increasingly exploring is the use of technology to enhance student learning. Twigg admits that
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