Merritt – Spring 2010 - Summary Evaluation Report

The process of creating and delivering an online module was a fun challenge

and a nice change from the classroom setting. I learned so much and I thoroughly

enjoyed the interaction with the students that I do not always get in the classroom

setting due to lack of preparedness or shyness. I believe that my module did have

a positive impact on learning. I look forward to more online teaching experiences.

Part 1: Classroom Impact Overview

My online learning module is for college students at Georgia Southern

University in the American history survey class, HIST 2210. It is a two week unit

that covers the Civil War and gives a brief introduction to the next module which

will be about Reconstruction after the war. My assessment includes a ten question

quiz over the material and a test that is given in my actual class at the end of the

whole unit. The lesson was utilized by 9 students in my American history class.

They ranged in age from about twenty to fifty. They had diverse economic

backgrounds and ethnic heritages.

The evidence that I have that indicates that my instruction was effective

consists of quiz and tests scores. Nine students took the quiz. The grades ranged

from a score of 70 to a score of 100. No one failed the quiz. When I gave the quiz

in my actual classroom, some students did fail the quiz. In the online module, one

student made a 70. Two students made an 80. Two students made a 90. Four

students made a 100 on the quiz. When the students in my class who participated

in the online module versus the in class instruction took their test in class, seven of

the nine students made higher scores on that test about the Civil War than on their

previous test. Six of the nine students made higher on the Civil War test than they
had made on all of their previous tests. The high quiz scores and the increase in

test grades suggest a positive correlation between the online instruction and the

grades and indicate the effectiveness of the online module.

I believe I can effectively plan and implement instruction that incorporates

knowledge of students’ skills, concepts, ability levels and prior experiences. I had

taught my students in class for three months before I implemented my online

module. I knew the students strengths and abilities through that experience. I also

talked with them to see if they needed special accommodations and I knew that

none of the students received help from the Student Disabilities Resource Center at

GSU. I did not intentionally exclude students who do receive accommodation, but

because this module was important to my grade, I chose students who I believed

would be motivated to do the work. I believe that the quiz scores and tests scores

indicate my ability to perform the above referenced functions well. I also received

positive feedback from my CIED instructor and my mentor about my module. I also

received positive feedback from my students. They said they enjoyed the module

and no one offered any suggestions for changes to be made.

I believe I effectively integrated assessments for learning strategies into my

instruction because I used more than one means to assess student participation and

learning. I had them do discussions and interact with me and each other. That

way, I could tell if they did not understand something and ask for further

clarification or another student could clarify as well. The discussion was my favorite

part and it seemed to be the students as well. I also used a quiz that asked

questions that addressed the important points of the unit. The students did well on

these assessments and I think that indicates that the assessments were effective. I

also had a test as part of my in class instruction.

 I think I could have done a better job using evidence based practices to

impact learning. I do think that primarily my discussion questions do adhere to

Bloom’s Taxonomy. This is because the discussion required the students to put the

information in their own words and to apply it rather than only answering questions

on a quiz. I know that I need to work on this with future models in reference to

Bloom’s Taxonomy and other evidence based practices.

Part 2: Learner Assessments

The Assessment:

1. (Points: 10) Why did the election of Abraham Lincoln cause several southern
states to secede in 1860 and 1861?

1. many southerners equated the radicalism of John Brown with Lincoln

2. Lincoln advocated immediate emancipation

3. Lincoln campaigned on a platform of war if the Southern states did not refrain
from expanding slavery

4. Lincoln was known to be a religious zealot

false

2. (Points: 10) John Brown was a radical abolitionist and is famous for attempting
to arm slaves and promote a rebellion by raiding:

1. Fort Sumter

2. Nebraska

3. Atlanta

4. Harper's Ferry
false
3. (Points: 10) The cause of the Civil War can most simply be attributed to:

1. Manifest Destiny

2. Division over tariffs

3. the radicalism of Abraham Lincoln

4. the institution of slavery

false

4. (Points: 10) When the Civil War broke out, the North:

1. had a greater population than the South

2. was more industrialized than the South.

3. had more food producing farms than the South.

4. developed the Anaconda Plan.

5. All of the above.

false

5. (Points: 10) Neither side wanted to be the aggressor and begin a war. What
event led to the outbreak of the Civil War?

1. Bleeding Kansas

2. Fort Sumter

3. Battle of Bunker Hill

 4. Lincoln's election
false

6. (Points: 10) When the Civil War broke out, how did people react to and / or
perceive the war?

1. Both sides realized the war would drag on for years.

2. Both sides had difficulty obtaining recruits early in the war and had to
immediately impose a draft.

3. Each side believed they would win a short and glorious war

4. Lincoln and the Union forces immediately sought to emancipate all slaves in
the Union.
false

7. (Points: 10) Why did the South have such a difficult time fighting the war
considering that they didn't have to actually win?

1. They lacked a national bank and had difficulty generating revenue.

2. They had an infant nation with no established government or bureaucracy.

3. They received no diplomatic recognition from other countries and thus could
not borrow money.

4. They were fighting against the third greatest military power of the time.

5. All of the above

false
8. (Points: 10) Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freed how many slaves?

1. All slaves in the Union

2. No slaves at all

3. All slaves in the Confederacy

4. All slaves in the Border states

false

9. (Points: 10) Lee surrendered in April of 1865 at:

1. Appomattox Courthouse

2. Savannah

3. Bull Run

4. Fort Sumter
false

10. (Points: 10) The process through which the American South was reintegrated
into the Union after the Civil War and through which freed African Americans tried
to take advantage of their new status was called:

1. The Antebellum Period

2. Reconstruction

3. Emancipation

4. The Corrupt Bargain

false

The students also had to answer a discussion question as part of their assessment.

Discussion Question: Using your textbook, lecture notes, and the

websites provided, answer the discussion question. In a meaningful way,
respond to the posts of at least two other students and respond to
instructor’s feedback.
What long term and short term events / issues led to the outbreak of the Civil War?
What was the impact of emancipation? What were the obstacles to Reconstruction?

Post responses to at least two of your classmates’ posts and respond to the
instructor's feedback.

Part 3: Assessment Overview

Table 1: Assessment Overview

Name of Georgia
Assessment American History College
Southern 9 Civil War Quiz 2 weeks
– The Civil War Students
Civil War Quiz University

Table 2: Assessment Individual Data

Student Identifier Pretest Score Posttest Score

Student 1 20 80
50 90
Student 2
60 100
Student 3
50 80
Student 4
80 100
Student 5
40 90
Student 6
60 100
Student 7
10 70
Student 8
70 100
Student 9

Table 3: Assessment Group Data

 Group Pretest Mean score in Group Posttest Mean score in Percent Change (+ or - %)
% 48.8 % % 90 % 41.2 %

Part 4: Analysis and Interpretation of Data

I have two years of college level teaching experience and I also was a
graduate assistant for history survey courses at GSU for two years so I am pretty
familiar with the fact that these survey classes have a high fail rate. I do things a
little differently in my classes and I actually have very few people fail and many
make A’s. In addition to the qualitative data I gathered through the discussion
board, I planned to give the students quizzes to obtain quantitative data as to
what they knew at the beginning and after the module. I believed if six out of nine
students did well on the quiz at the end, meaning that they at least made a C, that
the unit was successful. All nine students made a C or better so I believe the unit
was successful. I also wanted at least six of the nine students to increase their
failing pretest scores to passing posttest scores. All students who initially failed did
this.

Part 5: Recommendations for Revision

When I do this module in the future I will make modifications. My local

mentor suggested I add and change some of the information in my lecture. I would
include more visual aids in my PowerPoint which was also recommended to me by
my mentor. I would utilize online movie clip sites like YouTube more to appeal to
visual and auditory learners as well as to review the material or present it in a
different way. I would provide a rubric for the discussion questions. I would give
the option for students to watch and review appropriate Civil War movies on their
own to bring the war to life visually. They could earn extra credit for these movie
reviews.

Based on evidence-based practices, I would modify the assessments to

ensure understanding. According to Bloom’s Taxonomy, in order to demonstrate
understanding one must be able to apply the information in reality. I do think the
quizzes and discussions show demonstration of learning, but I think I could have
required more of the students to make sure that they really knew the material.
Having a student demonstrate knowledge in this way in a history class is a
challenge.