Psychology of Excellence in Business and Education

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction

Rationale for the study

Chapter 2 Theory

2.1 Review of the literature

The scholarship of learning

The scholarship of teaching and learning

Formative student evaluations

Summative student evaluations

Analysing feedback

2.2 Theories and questions guiding thesis

Nine steps of instruction

Learning outcomes

Instructional materials

A rational for nonstandardized instruments in course assessment

Conducting course assessment with informally developed instruments

Hypotheses

Chapter 3 Methods

Participants

Materials

Statistics procedures and design

Chapter 4 Results

Factor analysis

Comparison of the courses

Regression

Chapter 5 Discussion and conclusion

Implication for theory

Implication for practice

Limitations

Future directions

Study Objectives and Core Themes

The primary objective of this study is to assess the quality of Psychology of Excellence in Business and Education courses by developing and testing a new, reliable, and valid feedback instrument for students, while exploring the relationship between various instructional factors and learning outcomes.

• Development of a new college course evaluation instrument (FFEC)
• Application of Gagne's "Nine Steps of Instruction" to evaluate teaching quality
• Investigation of the influence of instructional factors on course ratings and learning outcomes
• Analysis of the relationship between student emotional states (positive/negative affect) and course perceptions
• Identification of significant predictors of overall teaching effectiveness

Excerpt from the Book

Summary of Chapters

Chapter 1 Introduction: This chapter establishes the rationale for studying the quality of higher education courses and introduces the necessity of gathering student feedback for teaching improvement.

Chapter 2 Theory: This section reviews relevant literature on the scholarship of teaching and learning and outlines the theoretical framework based on Gagne’s nine steps of instruction.

Chapter 3 Methods: This chapter details the participant sample, the development of the nonstandardized evaluation instrument (FFEC), and the statistical procedures utilized for data analysis.

Chapter 4 Results: This chapter presents the statistical findings, including factor analysis of the new instrument, course comparisons, and regression analysis of predictors.

Chapter 5 Discussion and conclusion: This final chapter discusses the implications of the findings for educational theory and practice, acknowledges study limitations, and suggests future research directions.

Keywords

Course evaluation, instructor quality, learning outcomes, instructional materials, teaching effectiveness, Gagne's theory, student feedback, formative evaluation, summative evaluation, higher education, psychometric properties, factor analysis, student perception, academic performance, pedagogical techniques.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the primary focus of this thesis?

The thesis focuses on assessing the quality of college courses in the "Psychology of Excellence in Business and Education" program by developing and validating a new feedback instrument called the Feedback Form for the Excellence Courses (FFEC).

What are the central themes discussed?

The research centers on effective teaching principles, the scholarship of teaching and learning, the design of course assessment instruments, and the impact of instructional quality on student learning outcomes.

What is the primary research goal?

The primary goal is to create a valid and reliable feedback form that allows instructors to gain helpful insights into student perceptions, thereby improving overall course design and teaching effectiveness.

Which scientific methods were employed?

The study utilized both descriptive and inferential statistics. This included confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the instrument's structure, along with multiple regression analysis to identify significant predictors of student course ratings.

What does the main body of the work cover?

The main body covers the theoretical foundation based on Gagne’s nine steps of instruction, the methodological approach to instrument construction and pilot testing, and a detailed results section analyzing student feedback data across ten different courses.

Which keywords characterize this work?

Key terms include course evaluation, instructor quality, learning outcomes, teaching effectiveness, Gagne's theory, and psychometric validation.

How does the FFEC instrument differentiate itself from standard evaluations?

Unlike global, generic forms, the FFEC is designed to address specific dimensions of teaching quality—such as animating knowledge and promoting self-regulated learning—providing more granular feedback for pedagogical refinement.

What role does the P.A.N.A.S. schedule play in the study?

The P.A.N.A.S. (Positive Affect-Negative Affect Schedule) was used to measure students' emotional dispositions to determine whether their mood states correlate with their perceptions of learning outcomes and instructor quality.

What was a key finding regarding course workload and difficulty?

The research identified that students' perceptions of course difficulty and workload are significantly related to their overall satisfaction, with findings suggesting that courses perceived as having "adequate" difficulty are generally preferred by students.

What is the author's primary conclusion for instructors?

The author concludes that instructors should view course evaluation as an ongoing, iterative process and that focusing on specific instructional behaviors—like structuring the class and animating knowledge—directly contributes to improved student outcomes and course ratings.