Published on January 22, 2010  

Adrienne G. Hampton '09 compared the effectiveness of different methods of sequencing teaching examples on student learning for her senior directed research project in psychology. She found that a new technique called “structural sequencing” led to significantly better learning and holds promise to improve teaching methods.

Dr. Stephen Chew, her research supervisor on the project, presented the findings at the National Institute for the Teaching of Psychology (NITOP) in January. The research project, entitled “Designed Sequences of Examples Facilitate Learning of Statistical Concepts”, was the unanimous choice to receive the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Award, chosen by “the NITOP conference committee to be outstanding in terms of (a) the importance of the research question addressed, (b) the soundness of the research methodology employed, (c) the use of appropriate qualitative and/or statistical analyses, and (d) the clarity with which the implications of the research findings for teaching and learning are expressed.” NITOP featured over 100 research presentations from faculty across the country.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.