Rate the New Zealand birds: Applying best practice pedagogy to online activities

This paper presents a case study from a distance-learning introductory psychology course. An online activity was developed. The activity was based on recent principles of best practice and learning pedagogy including: fostering a sense of community, encouraging deep level learning, and moving toward mastery of course concepts. Students participated in a formative online task in which they rated New Zealand birds. They posted their ratings and reasons for their choices. It was found that one third of the enrolled students engaged with the task. Students posted early and continued posting for several months. The quality of posts ranged from simple lists of ratings to deeper discussion and application of the concepts. There was evidence of the development of a supportive community among students, as well as between students and lecturers. Further research will be aimed at qualitatively analysing the content of posts, measuring students' satisfaction, and investigating possible carryover effects. In keeping with recent learning pedagogy, new teaching materials were developed for an introductory level psychology course that enrols between 140 and 225 students a semester (73195 General & Applied Psychology) at the Open Polytechnic. It is a core course for the Bachelor of Applied Science and several diplomas. Students come to this psychology course from a wide range of educational backgrounds, from those who have not completed secondary education to those already holding a PhD in another discipline. These diverse learning backgrounds present a challenge to the lecturers, who need to teach students the course content while ensuring students develop the skills they need to study at tertiary level. Until recently, learning guidance was provided through print materials and minimal online support. The course was extensively revised in late 2008 and is currently taught using a blended format that includes print materials and an online "classroom" (course page). The first goal of this transformation was to deepen the level of learning, moving from predominantly "rote" learning to higher quality learning. The second goal was to facilitate interaction among students and between lecturers and students to foster a sense of community. To address these issues in the course revision, the lecturers focused on incorporating e- learning models and following best practice guidelines. In particular, an online course page was developed with a variety of activities, and each semester the number, structure, and depth of those activities has been increased. The existing technology was built on incrementally so that the cost (financial but also lecturer time) could be better contained.