Date of Defense
12-4-1996
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Dr. Richard Malott
Second Advisor
Matthew Miller
Third Advisor
Dr. Alyce Dickinson
Abstract
The current project involved continuous quality improvement of programmed instructional materials. The programmed homework developed to teach the concept of reinforcement to undergraduate psychology students had not been yielding the desired performance levels. I revised the homework utilizing the principles of programmed instruction, based on error analysis of past performance.
Following the first revision, the worksheet was administered to students in a introductory, junior-level behavior analysis course (Psy 360). Based on the error analysis from the semester, feedback from teaching assistants, and an individualized pilot study, the worksheet was revised two more times, as an attempt at continuous quality improvement. The goal of the revision process was to reduce the within program error rate. The project revisions resulted in improvements in students' performance from a mean score of 86.5% (Winter, 1996) to 94.55% (Fall 1996).
Recommended Citation
Allmacher, Alexandra, "Continuous Quality Improvement of Programmed Instruction: An Application to Teaching the Concept of Reinforcement" (1996). Honors Theses. 1009.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/1009
Access Setting
Honors Thesis-Campus Only