Faculty spend less time preparing and delivery lectures and more time interacting with students. Overall instructor time decreases from 980 hours to 800 hours or 45 hours per instructor per term. The primary savings result from the reduction of TA time, from 3636 hours to 1632. Although Penn State initially estimated that the redesign would require 6 GTAs to do the job of 12 with assistance from 8-10 undergraduate interns, the university has discovered that only 4 GTAs are really essential. The types of personnel involved in the course shift.
Students now spend more time on computer lab applications.
GTAs and faculty provide assistance in the lab as students and groups solve problems. Undergraduate TAs also provide help in the labs. Additional personnel provide clerical support for student tracking and technical support for the course Web site. Diagnostic Assessments 4. Course Delivery A. Instruction 1.