My research in terms of self-efficacy towards the teaching ( and learning) of higher order thinking suggests first year students have not been especially prepared to think critically, i.e., venture too far beyond basic levels - typically accumulating and demonstrating an understanding of facts. My experience at post secondary level is that first year students, in particular, arrive inured to this kind of learning and consequently do not always respond well to the 'same old, same old.'   

In my opinion, deep learning ultimately takes place when what we  learn is associated with us - our life, our interests, our needs, etc.. So ... when I have taught Intro to Psych (and Ed Psych) I have always taken care to provide my students with as many opportunities as possible to relate to the material on a very personal level. I have found that when encouraged to explore their own life and times in the context of psychological principles and concepts, their participation in the learning increases. I also work on the premise that it is better to have my students develop a fascination for/love of psychology and therefore a desire to continue thinking and learning beyond the classroom as opposed to simply gathering and regurgitating facts - an activity that does not always guarantee transfer to long term memory and true learning.   

Granted this approach will not work for everybody and it does works better with smaller groups of students.  It also may require an alternative means of assessment. Personally  I  have successfully used self -assessment/evaluation based on clearly defined criteria, not only as a means to establish a grade but also to increase ownership in learning, critical thinking, autonomy and self-efficacy.   

Interesting question.  

For improving test scores, one approach would be to look at the kinds of questions that are being asked, particularly the knowledge/skills that students need to answer.  If you know the expected learning outcomes/objectives which are being assessed by MyPsychLab's test bank, then you have an idea of where you are trying to go with your students.  Some people might consider this teaching to the test, but if the test is well constructed -and your goal is to increase their scores as a reflection of their learning- I have no problem with that.  At this point you will know what you are trying to teach them (based on the book and MyPsychLab) and how students' understanding will be assessed (based on MyPsychLab).

The next thing to do is look at the teaching/learning activities that are meant to help students meet the intended learning objective.  If you are assigning readings and then giving a lecture -which is common- and the students don't seem to be learning,  perhaps something more or different is required.  This is probably the main question you are asking.  The short answer is that students should be actively engaged in the materials; reading and listening are essentially passive activities and unless students are prompted they may not stop to understand or apply what they are receiving.

Exactly what active learning techniques you could try depends on yourself, your students, and your content.  I like making jigsaw puzzles when the material fits, and discussion activities like think-share-pair are a good standby.  If you are technically savvy students could tweet answers to your questions or you could create online polling questions to liven up the class.  With smaller groups of students you could assign seminar periods where the students teach each other.  Psychology isn't my field, but there is lots of research to support the rather broad suggestion above.  I quickly dug up a few links for you to consider:

Your university has a teaching and learning centre with people who will probably sit down with you (and the textbook and syllabus) and can make concrete suggestions on active learning strategies: http://www.utoledo.edu/campus/centers/index.html

There is a good primer for active learning at: http://www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tsal.  

Topical teaching ideas and resources are available here: http://topix.teachpsych.org/w/page/19980993/FrontPage

I highly recommend this book if you can get access to it: http://www.amazon.com/Teaching-Learning-University-Research-Education/dp/0335242758

There is also a scholarship of teaching and learning for psychology that might want to become familiar with.  A good journal to start with would probably be: http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/stl/

* A final note --> don't forget to take a few minutes after a lecture to REFLECT AND RECORD what went well with the lesson and what didn't.  Sometimes new ideas don't work and need adjustment, but learning how you want to teach your subject is a process which should be ongoing as you and your audience change over time :)

My first reaction is that if the test scores were disappointing across the board, then there is a disassociation between:

Especially with an introductory course, there must be a clear understanding of what the course will provide for students, what it requires them to achieve, and how their achievement will be measured.  All to often, we offer 'extra resources' that we claim will help the students, but they are so diverse in depth & content, that students at an introductory level get lost in a sea of 'interesting' information.

As noted above:  with introductory courses you are quite entitled to 'teach to the test', as long as you are not giving the answers.  What is unfair on the student, is if they are swamped with a load of information that is a) not at an introductory level & b) outside the stated aims & objectives of the course. 

How much time, if any, have you spent looking at the questions in MyPsychLab? It is very possible that you are teaching at a different level. For example, if your lectures are very conceptual, but the test questions are very factual, your students will be thrown for a loop. I have to admit, though, that the first test in my intro psych classes traditionally got a very low score. Most of my students were freshmen, my test was often the first real test they had in college, and they were used to high school classes in which they did not have to study. (This was at my prior job, not at American University.)

I spent some time talking about study habits, showing them that the answer to the question was clear in the book and that it had been covered in lecture. Test scores on the second test usually improved quite a bit. No matter what I did the next semester, the pattern repeated. Until the students saw their bad test grade, most just wouldn't believe me about what they needed to do.

Possibly a disconnection between content being taught (or prescribed) and the students' interpretations. Unfortunately, test scores indicate teacher's effectiveness as well. To the question at hand:  "Psych class"! Is it the test designer's purpose to "psych out" the students? Irony, paradox, nonsense, or dilemma? Tyler, Nicholas, and Eric Phillip offer profound and agreeable responses to a non-issue.  The conflict (or contradiction) i this case is one of Rote v Remote, whose disconnected roots disseminate from origin MyPsychLab's test bank. In respect to the question being addressed, culpability lies not with the students--they are learners (and aren't we all). Answers should lie within their mental capacities to think and reason, and less from what is force-fed from printed concepts alone. Are they motivated? Do they require self-management skills? Can they persevere? Now turn the "they" into "we". Do WE as educators purvey these skills? Is the instructor actively engaging the students or are they merely digesting sand on a hot day!! As a doctoral candidate in education, specifically motivation and other relevant soft skills, I assuredly contend that students who fall below expectations are not entirely the guilty parties. There is perhaps a loose cog in the methods we employ in teaching the subject we profess to be our field(s) of expertise.

I appreciate the responses. I suspect that there is no one cause, but if I could isolate several potential causes and address those, maybe I could at least help the students improve and improve my own teaching at the same time. First and foremost, many of my students are freshmen. I think anything I could do to talk about and promote better study skills and time management will be beneficial. I will also take advantage of the learning center, as Tyler Burrows suggested. I never thought about it, but there are likely resources that can improve study skills available through the university. I also think the suitability of the test warrants investigation. The other instructors who used the same test bank had similarly low scores compared to what they usually see. This is only my second time teaching, but I will say that scores are lower than they were when I used a different test last year. The harder question is "how do I instruct more effectively?" Once again, I appreciate the resources Tyler Burrows suggested. I suspect that there are more effective ways to present material than lecture and reading alone, although I do think both are valuable. I would like to be doing this for awhile, so now is the time to start developing some pedagogical skills and engage with education theory. Good professors make this look easy, but I am realizing that teaching is a skill that takes a lot of work to master. 

Mr. Prichard, you have placed your concerns to an international audience, and I commend you for the effort. Your paragraph above exemplifies your interest in the improvement of your students' grades and grasp of Psych. You are willing to increase your untapped strengths and skills by seeking advice from the international community. This tiny step is a major gain. Three points stated above show that your students are fortunate to have you as their teacher, mentor, and commandant. Here are 3 profound aspirations: 

1) "...maybe I could at least help the students improve and improve my own teaching at the same time".

2) " I think anything I could do to talk about and promote better study skills and time management will be beneficial".

3)  "...so now is the time to start developing some pedagogical skills and engage with education theory".

Mr. Prichard, I find just one thought ambiguous and incomplete: "I suspect that there are more effective ways to present material than lecture and reading alone, although I do think both are valuable".

There may be more effective ways, and maybe not. The point here is [surely] reading and lecture are both valuable, but probably will not affect grades or knowledge of the subject in the overall endeavor. If students are not thoroughly engaged on their own terms---and certainly we can surrender some ego in their behalf---then you can expect the same results, which might jeopardize your previous statement (#1 above) of helping students to improve as well as yourself.    

I advocate that when students are engaged on their own terms, whether authentic or fabricated through contrived pedagogical strategies, their motivation, study skills, and time-management [skills] are likely to leap upward. In begging the question, "Wouldn't having them believe that their interest is genuine and apropos to Psych?"It would be a mental hands-on activity. ENGAGEMENT is the missing piece, or at least worthy of sincere consideration.  

There's a Sanskrit verse which suggests how knowledge is gained. A student gains one fourth of knowledge from the teacher, one fourth from himself, one fourth from peers or colleagues, and one fourth of knowledge will gained in the course of time.

With many and varied phenomenal attractions and distractions in their daily lives, your class may not be one of their immediate priorities, even if they realize the relative importance of the class in terms of GPA and class credit. Consider their ages! Taken as face value, offer them real life opportunities to engage in the wonders that Psych has to offer in terms of its intrigue, and move on, knowing that you have now become an ally instead of just one of their teachers.  

Eric 

I agree with each of the others who responded to you. I won't bore you with repeating this from my perspective. However, the essential element here is engagement and motivation: I will learn what I want to learn because I want to learn the material.  I know this seems simplistic but it is far from simplistic.  What we are talking about here is constructivist pedagogy or student- centered learning versus instructor-lecture teaching. I don't know if this is possible in regards to school policy - need to discuss with department chair etc. - but example: at first of the year provide an outline of specific learning objectives for the term; divide all the students into learning groups of more than about 5 maybe 6 but no more than 6 students - these will all work together the remainder of the term. Yes  you can make changes if the situation requires. You need to carefully review the info about each student - consider a student completed info sheet done on the first day of class  - get age, back ground such as rural urban, favorite subject in high school grades made and so on.  Talk to the students in class - go around the room and engage each student - get a feel for their personality and so on.  Now each group will have a weekly assignment presentation to entire class time limited. At the end of each class or the second or third class of a given week the students provide you with a review of what they learned that week. This can follow a format of a short multiple choice response or likert format - during first class advise when the assessments will be given - give them copies of the "tests:" will use - open book or take home does not matter - the act of completing the home work assumes improvements in learning - group grades composed of personal work submitted, the group presentation and the evaluation of the other members of your individual participation and contribution to group success.  Get the drift here?  The student must become involved in the structure of the class, the learning objectives of the subject, and must actually care - motivation - about group success.  Any way just some ideas - you need to design according to the needs of your class and so on. But as mentioned by others remember that a likely high percentage of your students will be students pushed out of high school by the pressure of community state or federal standards and budgets etc.  The will not have the necessary academic standards required for college success. Here is where you can make a difference in their lives. 

Just some ideas - investigate student centered learning 

Thanks 

David 

There is something known as the testing effect which is very powerful - testing yourself on material improves performance. Testing reduces pro-active interference which is when you struggle to learn new information because of the amount of information you have already learnt. If your students tested themselves using questions from the bank on a weekly basis then it should result in a strong performance improvement.

Reference (there's loads more in the area)

Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological science, 17(3), 249-255.

On a different note i find the test question bank provided by my psych lab dire - it might be an idea to develop your own MCQ which assess deep learning instead of superficial infrmation

I've been teaching Psychology, including Introductory Psychology for over 30 years. I have several concrete suggestions.

1. Weekly quizzes. They students to see their preparation for quizzes is adequate or inadequate with time to change if necessary. They also allow you to see who is doing poorly and discuss with them their study time and how they study. I've found this very effective, not with all students, but with many.

2. I no longer lecture. I tell students they need to  read the material before class. I break the class into groups of 3-6 students and put discussion questions on a Powerpoint slide. After a minute or two, usually when the class quiets down, we discuss the question as a class. I use the official class list to call on students. Even students who are not prepared heard the discussion and usually can make some contribution to answering the question.  Because I've been teaching for many years, I have a pretty good idea of the areas that cause problems and the questions tend to focus on those areas. Other questions focus on how the concept applies to everyday behavior. Because my quizzes are brief essay, usually define and give an example or compare and contrast, questions also are of that sort. In course evaluations, student like this much more than lecturing ( that may just be my lecturing). I started dong this after reading an article by Eric Mazur at Harvard. You can Google "Mazur group Harvard" to learn more about what he does.

3. If I assign any require reading beyond the textbook I require a 1 page, single-spaced summary. This assures virtually everyone reads the article and the discussion is useful.

Remember improving teaching is one step at a time. Make a change, evaluate its effect and keep or change again.

Enjoy,

Jim

My research in terms of self-efficacy towards the teaching ( and learning) of higher order thinking suggests first year students have not been especially prepared to think critically, i.e., venture too far beyond basic levels - typically accumulating and demonstrating an understanding of facts. My experience at post secondary level is that first year students, in particular, arrive inured to this kind of learning and consequently do not always respond well to the 'same old, same old.'   

In my opinion, deep learning ultimately takes place when what we  learn is associated with us - our life, our interests, our needs, etc.. So ... when I have taught Intro to Psych (and Ed Psych) I have always taken care to provide my students with as many opportunities as possible to relate to the material on a very personal level. I have found that when encouraged to explore their own life and times in the context of psychological principles and concepts, their participation in the learning increases. I also work on the premise that it is better to have my students develop a fascination for/love of psychology and therefore a desire to continue thinking and learning beyond the classroom as opposed to simply gathering and regurgitating facts - an activity that does not always guarantee transfer to long term memory and true learning.   

Granted this approach will not work for everybody and it does works better with smaller groups of students.  It also may require an alternative means of assessment. Personally  I  have successfully used self -assessment/evaluation based on clearly defined criteria, not only as a means to establish a grade but also to increase ownership in learning, critical thinking, autonomy and self-efficacy.   

The solid answers by Nicholas Rowe, Tylor Burrows, and Trevor Tebbs is challenging provide useful perspective.  I have been teaching economics for a long time and we share something with psychology that may be worth noting; our disciplines are new or relatively new to many first-year college students.  This creates a special set of challenges that differs from history, biology, and other subjects that are more familiar to many of them. 

Almost any professor will tell you that more time on task makes a difference; however, this presumes the student knows both what to study and how to study.  Tevor Tebbs' comments seem right on target and are worth rereading.

Since you probably have a set of constraints guided by your syllabus, it may be challenging to add or modify written assignments or quizzes that provide the kind of deeper thinking that may be necessary to do well on the exam.  In economics, memorizing is not typically helpful so assignments aligned with the exam tend to emphasize critical, analytical, and quantitative reasoning skills.

Although I am not fond of quizzes, I have found it effective to have a first quiz that has the same style of questions as the exams, so the student has some experience with the my style.  Although this option does not exit for you at this juncture, you might take comfort in knowing students adapt to your style and expectations.

The thing that has been mot effective for me is to have question and answer sessions the night before an exam. I typically respond to their questions and if they have studied at all, they will have many. Surprisingly, these can last as long as a few hours with students arriving and departing as they wish.  Many are there the entire time to listen to questions of their classmates.  Many times I have all of them at a board working on an analytical or quantitative problem.  (This works well with 35 or fewer students at a time given the board space on two walls.)  They ask each other questions and I am walking around helping them.  In short, they are actively engaging in the thought process necessary to demonstrate competence, which is what is expected on the exam.  Additionally, it gets them away from their mobile phones and other devices at least temporarily. 

The other thing this does is to ensure each has studied.  You may be surprised if you ask them individually how long they studied for your first exam.  Do not be surprised to hear many have studied less than an hour and if you are able to conceal your dismay ask them how long they study for other exams.  Once again, try not to act surprised if many tell you they studied more for your exam than normal.

Some may recognize these Q&A or review sessions as study sessions with the guidance of the professor.  Regardless, focused time on task seems to make a significant difference.  To those who might call this spoon feeding, it could be if we give away questions or answers; however, doing it properly guides and refines their learning when they are most committed (i.e., on the eve of an exam).  

Getting them off to a better start makes a difference on the exam and on the comprehensive final exam.  Moreover, it seems to take them to a higher level in other courses. I hope this helps.

I think the one scientific method for diagnosis and  solving this problem is to find your students experience from this course.You can ask them to describe their experience from this course, from the methods of teaching, methods of evaluation, factors that contributed in their learning and the use it in your teaching.....and also today study showed that  only lecture method is not so effective and needs to corporate with student center- methods at least questions and answer method especially in large group classes and especially in classes such as psychiatry that is best to use some methods such as role play, demonstration, use of clinical experiences, ...and also needs to assess your teaching content with the content of questions . You must consider that these two must coordinate,  it means that the methodS you teach must coordinated with the methods of assessment

Interesting discussion ... I failed to add that in virtually all my classes I reserve a few minutes - may be 5/6 minutes at the end of the session to allow for reflection on what has been /discussed/learnt.  I have found that students quite quickly get into the habit of noting down, in whatever form they prefer, e.g. narrative or bullets,  points of particular/special interest, questions, speculations, etc.  Just to keep a sense of engagement and anticipation alive, I select  a couple of students to share their reflections and, if there is time, respond to the points made. I believe this does keep the learning  'on the boil' beyond the classroom doors - all good in terms of memorization and future retrieval of information. transference of information.  

P.S. ... two things ....1) it helps engage the introverted, shy individual who is inclined to sit as far back as physically possible in class scared to death in case he or she is called upon to answer a question, and 2) it makes learning a bit more fun ...   

Regardless of the subject matter, if we teach concepts first before the specifics, students are likely to develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter. I usually begin a chapter with students going through the chapter summary and then the specifics. This is based on cognitive neuroscience learning theories. For example, Johnson & Taylor (2006) regarding the role of cognitive neuroscience in adult learning, indicated that new learning is dependent on what is already known; that the brain sees the forest before it sees the trees, and that it responds well to novel ideas in teaching known as emotional hooks. Gibson, Hanson & Mitchell (2007) emphasized that gaining and sustaining students' attention is a key factor to learning, and sustained attention is needed for students to stay on task. I have used these principles/theories in my Psych Test and Measurement course.

Therefore, I am suggesting the following for students to improve their test scores:

1. Make sure test questions are based on the objectives of the course and instructors know which level of the cognitive domain each objective represents.

2. The instructor should develop the test questions at the time the course outline is being developed. This will ensure alignment between the objectives and the test questions -- content validity is important.

3. The first question on the test should be the easiest. If the first question is very difficult, the students may experience a mental block which may affect overall performance

4.Gradually increase the difficulty level of the test

5. For a multiple choice a test, at least 40 questions should be on the test to allow the instructors to evaluate the students on a broader knowledge base; plus the longer the test, the higher the reliability

6. Include a few easy questions at the end of the test so that when students leave your class for the next class, they will feel better about their performance and hence learn more or perform at a higher level in the next class.

7. Perform an item analysis on your test to determine the discrimination index and the difficulty level -- this process will allow you to develop questions that are clearer.

How about using a flipped classroom model where lecture material is viewed at home (usually on video - made by you or sourced somewhere else) freeing you up in class time to address the subject matter in a more practical way. Incorporating all of the above, but also giving LOTS more opportunity in class time to do practice tests. It also gives you the chance to address higher order thinking skills mentioned above. Lower order thinking skills, associated with knowledge, facts and comprehending can be done in the students' own time while the more problematic and challenging application, analysis and creative thinking can be practiced in class with your expert assistance. Let me know if this works for you: I'm doing some research into this approach and would love to know how far its appeal stretches. 

https://sites.google.com/a/rmit.edu.au/snapshots-of-inclusive-teaching-practice/mandy-s-story

Here is a useful link  - a video made by our university on one psychology teacher's use of the flipped model and another she refers to as interteaching. 

I think the key question is: why are the scores low?

Are there certain areas where the scores are lower? I.e., certain topics and concepts not well understood?

Are the questions testing concept knowledge? Recognition? Differentiating what's inside and outside a given concept? Or is it problem-solving? Complex or simple?

A likely culprit is: learning transfer. That is: students may be able to solve one kind of problem, but when the surface features are significantly different, they can't transfer what they know. Learning transfer is very difficult.

On the plus side, there is lots of research about what kinds of learning activities support learning transfer.

The lecture format may not support learning transfer well, as we often approach lecturing as delivering information.

A different way of approaching the lecture is to see it as: demonstrating problem-solving. In this approach, the instructor begins with why the problem is meaningful, then demonstrates a very clear instance of a specific problem type. The demonstrations are liked "worked examples" in math. The lecturer engages students in solving the problem.

Each successive demonstration then moves to somewhat more complex problems, or from problems that clearly fit the type to those that don't, and finally to those that seem to be of the same type but in fact are not.

If the test is testing problem-solving, it could be that students don't recognize the problem type.

So these are some options. Only looking at the lecture materials and the test items and scores can truly tell you what's going on.

Learning transfer is precisely the issue ... hence the importance of associating principles and concepts with the real world and in particular the wide range of authentic self-oriented experiences. So, although I agree with Edward with respect to 'demonstrating problem-solving' and engaging students in solving the problem I would  make sure that the student is given opportunity to mine his or her own experience and articulate why the problem is meaningful from their own perspective. David Perkins writes about transfer of learning, e.g., "Transfer of learning occurs when learning in one context enhances (positive transfer) ... a related performance" See: https://learnweb.harvard.edu/alps/thinking/docs/traencyn.htm

https://learnweb.harvard.edu/alps/thinking/docs/traencyn.htm

Eric 

Of course you will have to abide by your department's requirements, but I suggest that poor grades reflect on poor student interest, preparation, maturity, personal engagement with the course and course expectations, and if the "questions" actually relate to the course material.  Now in reality all of these fall in the responsibility of the instructor - maybe - but certainly the student as well - and the method of instruction as amended by school and department expectations.  My suggestions: 

Publish a paper at the beginning of each learning period (semester, quarter etc.) that outlines the learning objectives. Publish a schedule of when the various parts will be discussed in class and the various student obligations related to these sections (more on this in a moment); provide a list of questions selected for each test, do no give the answers - the process of looking up the questions helps with the learning process; finally, for each "assessment" let the students give you a certain number of questions - I recommend something like 2-5 for each assessment.; publish this as well.  Keep in mind the objective of an assessment  - read: test - is a determination of student understanding/comprehension of the material in question - all of the concepts and as much of the detail as necessary to serve the student as they encounter future situations that will draw on the exposure to this first course. We mistake the fact of how much a student actually learns in a class - long term memory - verses how much "raw data" from a course becomes assimilated into student memory and from which the student draws as a matter of course in day to day interaction with the subject material and related experiences.  Example: think about how much you know verses the significantly greater knowledge you actually have - knowledge you draw on as the need arises.  Students are certainly the same.  

Bottom line: make the students become more directly involved in the entire learning process. As mentioned in paragraph 2, fourth line - student responsibilities for the course.  Divide all students into groups - max of 5-6 in each group.  Each week the groups will have to review some facet ot the material covered the next week. They will read, discuss, assign parts to one another etc.  3 grades given for each group - individual grade for the portion the student provided (graded on its own merits - not how it fits into the entire paper), the group grade - the finished product so to speak; and finally the grade given by the group members for all the other individual group members and their work - make them use a standardized response sheet - I recommend a fill in the blank, or Likert scale etc. - keep control of this obviously.  Now, suddenly each student must contribute to the greater good, as well as to their own.  Make these projects something that can be presented in 5 mins or less - timed by you - and have the class provide feed back at the end of class = again via Likert etc.. Yes, precious little time for "lecture" which is the plan.  

Class time is for discussion, explanation, refinement, exposition etc. - not reading a text or your notes (they don't have access to) which they should have done on their own - they knew what would be covered in class for this week.  But keep in mind that ALL students must participate - no selecting one who always has the right answer and ignore the village idiot who never has the right answer - every body plays.  

Just some ideas 

David 

Eric:

I think it could help make feedback, is a process of reviewing the evidence to determine shod failures and why together with students.

Maybe this can help.

regards

Ana Lucia Tocaín

Unfortunately, not many students arrive at post-secondary with effective study skills - if any at all!  I would dedicate a lecture period (one hour) and teach your class(es) the SQ3R study method.  It is effective not only for students with learning disabilities, but 'regular' students as well.  I always tell students it is more time consuming, but definitely worth it.   They will thank you for it if they use it!

Hi Eric,

Is improving their test scores the same as enhancing their learning and understanding? Unfortunately my experience suggests that test scores can be improved without a concurrent improvement of student learning. I think the latter should be the focus. Cheers, Kevin.