A Comparative Study on the Effect of Immersion Scheduling on Academic Performance and Student Evaluations of Instructors
Abstract
Over the past decades little research has investigated the effects of immersion scheduling on the psychology classroom. Despite the lack of data there are some who contend that immersion scheduling is significantly less effective than traditional 16-week courses. Therefore, we sought to compare academic performance of students in 2-week immersion psychology courses to that of students in a traditional 16-week semester. In Study 1, comparisons of both higher and lower-order learning assessments were made and results indicate that students who received instruction in an immersion class significantly outperformed their cohorts in a traditional 16-week class. Additionally, students in the immersion courses consistently evaluated the courses significantly higher. A second study was conducted to address potential limitations of Study 1. After controlling for class size, overall student GPA, and total credits completed, results indicated both higher academic performance and greater perceived teacher effectiveness for the immersion sample in comparison to the 16-week sample. In light of our results and in contrast to critics, immersion courses may be useful and effective when teaching psychology.
Location
Atrium/Concourse
Recommended Citation
Richmond, Aaron; Murphy, Bridget; and Curl, Layton, "A Comparative Study on the Effect of Immersion Scheduling on Academic Performance and Student Evaluations of Instructors" (2012). SoTL Commons Conference. 81.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/sotlcommons/SoTL/2012/81
A Comparative Study on the Effect of Immersion Scheduling on Academic Performance and Student Evaluations of Instructors
Atrium/Concourse
Over the past decades little research has investigated the effects of immersion scheduling on the psychology classroom. Despite the lack of data there are some who contend that immersion scheduling is significantly less effective than traditional 16-week courses. Therefore, we sought to compare academic performance of students in 2-week immersion psychology courses to that of students in a traditional 16-week semester. In Study 1, comparisons of both higher and lower-order learning assessments were made and results indicate that students who received instruction in an immersion class significantly outperformed their cohorts in a traditional 16-week class. Additionally, students in the immersion courses consistently evaluated the courses significantly higher. A second study was conducted to address potential limitations of Study 1. After controlling for class size, overall student GPA, and total credits completed, results indicated both higher academic performance and greater perceived teacher effectiveness for the immersion sample in comparison to the 16-week sample. In light of our results and in contrast to critics, immersion courses may be useful and effective when teaching psychology.
