Social sciences

Summary

FAS Ed Tech connected Journalism Professor Adam Penenberg with the Central IT Instructional Design Team to develop an online course site focused on basic journalistic principles for incoming students. Utilizing content Professor Penenberg had originally created in Google docs, FAS Ed Tech and the Central IT team developed a comprehensive course of study in NYU Classes, which students can complete prior to beginning their face-to-face courses.

Goals

Consult with instructor on best practices for online instruction
Identify design issues adapting Google Docs content for Classes tools
Leverage NYU Classes tools to provide asynchronous instruction in journalistic foundations
Build NYU Classes course site incorporating instructor’s existing content with affordances of Classes tools
Include formative assessment to improve iterations of the course

Technology Resources

Google Docs
NYU Classes
Qualtrics

Outcomes

These introductory modules have been offered to entering Journalism students since the summer of 2017. In addition to providing basic information in journalistic law, ethics, history, and grammar, instructors can view analytics regarding the multiple assessments throughout the content, and identify areas to address with their students. Students begin their classes with a stronger background in foundational knowledge.

Updated 7/12/19

Summary

Professor Marc Lieberman (Economics) flipped the recitation sections for both of his large lecture courses, Introduction to Microeconomics and Intro to Macroeconomics, eliminating the need for students to purchase textbooks and platform licenses. In addition to developing online modules and animations, Professor Lieberman leveraged NYU Classes to create an online problem solving platform.

Learning objectives

Provide students with essential review material to clarify points of confusion
Reduce the variability in instruction by recitation leaders
Eliminate the need for students to purchase costly textbooks and software

Professor Marc Lieberman created Open Educational Resources (OER), freely available course content, to solve pedagogical and financial challenges. Common recitation materials lead to all students receiving a similar level of information about key topics. Content can be customized for lectures, and made visually appealing through rich animations created by the NYU IT Media Production Team. No-cost content and platforms save students money (up to $350 per student).

Professor Lieberman worked with FAS (in partnership with NYU IT’s TLT Team) to develop similar resources for his Introduction to Macroeconomics course. These were implemented successfully in Fall 2018’s Intro to Macroeconomics course and will be used again in Professor Lieberman’s classes, as well as additional Economics courses running at NYU Florence, in the coming academic year.

Student experience

Go through online modules prior to lecture
Attend recitation sections and review material anywhere, anytime
Complete problem sets

Technology resources

Custom animations
Custom interactive modules, for recitation lectures + assessments
NYU Classes, for custom problem sets
NYU Stream, to house videos

Outcomes

Custom content replaced the need to purchase a textbook and interactive software, leading to cost savings of up to $350 per student.
Standardized instruction across recitation sections
Ability for students to review material anywhere, anytime
Similar project completed for Introduction to Macroeconomics in Fall 2018
Example module: ‘How Banks Get in Trouble’ – Click to view module