Affordable Materials Grants
Research Grants Final Report

Description

Research Projects will end with a Research Report due at the end of the Final Semester of the project. This will be a manuscript that is well-developed, concise, and suitable for publication. Research reports will be shared in an ALG repository under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0. Supplementary files, such as data sets, will not be shared in the repository.

While there is no specific page limit, award recipients are strongly encouraged to produce succinct Research Reports; these should be written with a broad public audience in mind, including faculty and professional staff of all disciplines. A template will be provided, but an outline is provided here for planning purposes.

Note: Online Submission Form

Once you have completed this template, to submit your Final Report, go to the Final Report submission form.

Follow the instructions on the webpage for uploading your documents. Based on receipt of this report, ALG will process the final payment for your grant. ALG will follow up in the future with post-project grantee surveys and may also request your participation in a publication, presentation, or other event.

General Information

Date:

RG Grant Number: RG001.a

Institution Name(s): Georgia Gwinnett College and Kennesaw University

Project Lead: Rebecca Flynn

Team Members: Stephanie Denny, Lecturer, GGC sdenny@ggc.edu; Tom Lilly, Professor of English, Assistant Provost for Academic Assessment and Accreditation, GGC, tlilly@ggc.edu; Mark Partridge, Associate Professor of Economics, GGC, mpartridge1@ggc.edu; Jeanne Law, Professor of English, Director of Composition KSU, jbohan12@kennesaw.edu; Tammy Powell, Professor of English, KSU, tpowel25@kennesaw.edu.

Course Name(s) and Course Numbers if applicable: English Composition 1101

Semester Project Began: January 2024

Final Semester: December 2024

Narrative

Our project aimed to develop a low-cost, standardized curriculum for English Composition 1101 at Georgia Gwinnett College, that focused on improving student outcomes, enhancing accessibility, promoting equity, and ensuring scalability. The project compared pilot and control groups, while implementing adaptive learning modules, affordable e-texts, and open educational resources (OERs). Data were collected through student surveys and institutional records, analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Findings showed improved academic performance, with higher pass rates and mean grades in pilot sections, and positive reception of cost-effective materials, particularly among underserved students. The Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TiLT) framework increased student confidence, clarity, engagement, and satisfaction. The project also demonstrated broader impacts, such as increased grading efficiency and potential scalability to online learning and other courses. The implications suggest prioritizing affordable materials and transparent teaching frameworks in curriculum design, conducting longitudinal studies for long-term impact, and adapting the model for other disciplines and institutions to support equitable educational opportunities.

2. Resulting Practice Recommendations

In a bullet-point list, briefly list any recommendations the team has for future practices in teaching and learning with open and/or affordable materials as related to this research.

• Gather input from students about how best to create materials that meet their learning needs and preferences.
• Design curriculum models that can be easily adapted for online learning environments and other general education courses.
• Use transparent and adaptive learning modules to increase student engagement and satisfaction.
• Continue to develop and maintain a standardized curriculum to ensure instructional continuity across different sections and modalities.
• Evaluate the long-term impact of affordable or free materials on student retention and performance.

3. Future Plans

Give a description of any scholarship work involving this research planned for the future, including publications, presentations, and conference papers.

Accepted:

Georgia Gwinnett College Teaching, Learning, and Research Symposium: Accessing Student Success: Results of a Low-Cost Curriculum Model for First-year Composition Courses has been accepted to the 2025 Georgia Gwinnett College Teaching, Learning, and Research Symposium.

Pending:

USG Teaching and Learning Conference: https://www.usg.edu/teaching-and-learning-excellence/teaching_learning_conference, Location, Columbus GA, April

The Inaugural AACU CLASS Conference: (Conference on Learning and Student Success) https://www.aacu.org/event/class. Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico, April 3-5.

In Progress:

Journal of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education: “Accessing Student Success: Outcomes of a Low-Cost Curriculum Model for First-Year Composition Courses” https://www.iastatedigitalpress.com/joerhe/)

4. Supplementary Files

Give a description of any supplementary files provided to ALG, such as data sets or figures. Indicate whether these files can be shared with the public.