Title: Teaching Well Using Technology: A Faculty Members Guide to TimeEfficient Choices That Enhance Learni
1Teaching Well Using TechnologyA Faculty
Members Guide to Time-Efficient Choices That
Enhance Learning
- Barbara Walvoord, Director
- Kevin Barry, Assistant Director
- Thomas Laughner, Assistant Director
- Kaneb Center for Teaching Learning
- University of Notre Dame
2Seven Steps for Choosing Technology An Overview
of the Workshop
- Step 1 Ask What Do I Want My Students to Learn?
- Step 2 Identify Best Teaching Approaches for the
Learning You Want - Step 3 Plan Major Assignments and Exams That
Will Both Teach and Test the Learning You Want - Step 4 Consider Times and Spaces for Learning
- Step 5 What Technologies Can and Cannot Do
- Step 6 Sequence the Learning and Choose the
Technology - Step 7 Implement, Evaluate, Think Creatively
3Step 1 Ask What Do I Want My Students to Learn?
I Want Students to Be Able to
- Vague
- Know
- Do
- Understand
- Be Exposed to
- Specific
- Describe
- Analyze
- Argue
- Solve
- Create
- Compare
4Step 1 Sample Course Goals
- Course Western Civilization (required Gen Ed,
1st year students) - Instructor John R. Breihan, Professor of History
- By the end of the course, I would like students
to be able to - 1. Identify and describe common historical events
- 2. More important, be able to use that
information to understand, critique, and
construct historical arguments - A. Take a position on an issue
- B. Back the position with appropriate evidence
- C. Raise and answer counter arguments
5Step 1 Sample Course Goals (cont.)
- Course Chemistry
- By the end of the course, I want my students to
- View science as questions that are constantly
being reframed and investigated. - Possess the chemical tools to build further
knowledge. - View chemistry problems as unique, requiring
problem-solving skills. - Be interested and confident enough to read and
explore independently.
6Step 2 Identify Best Teaching Approaches for the
Learning You Want
- Best Teaching Strategies for Higher-Order
Reasoning and Critical Thinking in Higher
Education A Summary of the Research - Writing and Discussion
- Faculty-Student Contact
- Collaborative work
- Feedback to Students
- High Expectations
- Explicit Standards and Criteria
- Help to Students in Achieving Standards and
Criteria - Respect for Diversity
- Problem/Questions/Issues as Sources of Motivation
- Assignment-Centered Course
7Step 3 Plan Major Assignments and Exams That
Will Teach and Test the Learning You Want
- The Assignment-Centered Course
- Review What Learning Do I Want?
- Create a Course Skeleton Showing Major
Assignments and Exams That Will Teach and Test
the Learning Insert Them in the Week in Which
They Are Due
8Step 3 Ask These Questions
- Validity Are the assignments likely to elicit
the kind of learning you want? - Consider what the assignment is called
- Consider the context in which students produce
work time frame, level of memorization required,
accessibility of help, likely work strategies - Workload Are the assignments and exams
manageable in terms of number, type, length, and
spacing across the semester? - (It is better to concentrate on a few,
well-chosen assignments and exams than to
proliferate ill-conceived ones. Sometimes, Less
is more)
9Examples of Course SkeletonsCourse Biological
Research (capstone for majors)
I want my students to use the scientific method
for original research and to communicate their
results with the scientific community.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Original Scientific
experiment in scientific format, plus
oral report
10Examples of Course Skeletons (cont.) Course
Introduction to Sociology (Gen. Ed. and entry
level to major)
I want my students to apply sociological
perspectives to daily life
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Midterm exam (essay and objective
test of info and concepts from lecture,
textbook)
8 9 10 11 12 13 Term paper on aspect of soc. 14
Final exam (same as midterm)
Problem Lack of Fit between assignments and
desired learning.
11Examples of Course Skeletons (cont.)Course
Business Management (Seniors)
I want my students to make business decisions
using appropriate strategies
1 2 Written Case 3 4 Written Case 5 6 Written
Case 7 8 Written Case
9 10 Written case 11 12 Written case 13 14
Written case 15 16 Written case as exam
Problem Paperload
12What Kinds Of Assignments Are Best? How Many
Assignments?
The Coverage-Text-Lecture Centered Course
Course History 101 Western Civilization,
Covers Western Civilization, 1500 - Cold War
1 1500 - 1800 2 3 4 5 Industrial Revolution 6 7 8
9 10 WWI, WWII, CW 11 12 13 14 15
13Breihans Revised Course Skeleton
By the end of the course I want students to
1. Identify and describe common historical
events. 2. More important, use that information
to understand,critique, and construct
historical arguments.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Out of class, revised
argumentative essay on 1500 - 1800
8 9 10 11 Same, on Industrial Revolution 12 13 14
15 In-class argumentative essay on wars
14Step 4 Consider Times and Spaces for Learning
- Times and Spaces
- Aspects of the Learning Process
- First exposure student first hears/sees new
information, concepts, procedures, etc. - Process student applies, critiques, contrasts,
synthesizes, argues, analyzes, etc. This usually
results in a product test, exam, assignment, lab
or clinic performance, etc. - Response Teacher, assistant, or peer responds to
the product
15Step 4 Basic Mode
- Possible Additions to Basic Mode
- Lab, Clinic, or Recitation used for First
Exposure, Process, or Response - Office hours
16Step 4 Basic Principles for Using Time and
Space
- 1. Increase student time on task
- 2. Involvement is the key to student learning
- 3. Invest teacher time in the most difficult
aspects of learning and/or aspects of technology
that TAs or students cannot do alone - 4. Use peers or TAs appropriately train and
guide them for their tasks - 5. Make students responsible for first exposure
in their own time or with TAs and peers - Daily assignments that count
- Guidance as needed Handouts, interactive
software, TAs, peers - 6. Use technology to create, expand and enhance
space/time and to accomplish all of the above
17Step 4 Time and Space for Learning Three Case
Studies
- History
- Students read out of class then bring writing to
class for interaction - Physics
- Students see videotaped lectures outside of
class solve homework problems in class - Psychology
- Little Engine that Could students read and take
multiple-choice tests on material, use class to
build on that knowledge
18Step 5 What Technology Tools Can Cannot Do
- Time and Space Created/Enhanced by New
Technologies - Class, Students with Peers Outside Class,
Students with Teacher or TA Outside Class - New technologies mean these may be face-to-face
or distributed synchronous or asynchronous - Lab/Clinic/Recitation - New technologies mean
this may be real or simulated, face-to-face or
distributed synchronous or asynchronous - Student Alone - New technologies make web pages,
interactive software and multimedia available
(and convenient to access)
19Step 5 What the Research Says
- Reconsidering Research on Learning from Media
(Richard E. Clark) - Review of Educational Research, Winter, 1983,
Vol. 53, No. 4, Pp. 445-459. - The No Significant Difference Phenomenon
(Thomas L. Russell) - http//teleeducation.nb.ca/nosignificantdifference
/ - The Significant Difference Site
- http//teleeducation.nb.ca/significantdifference/
20Step 5 Overview of Technology Tools
- Collaborative Writing Tools
- Presentation Software
- Asynchronous Communication - E-mail, Listserv
Bulletin Board - Synchronous Communication - Chat/Conferencing
- Web Pages
- Web Based Course Management Systems
- Interactive Course Software
- Simulation
Step 6
21Step 5 Collaborative Writing Tools
- Allow multiple authors and reviewers to interact
with a document - Associates authors or reviewers with comments and
or edits - Products
- Reviewing features of Word or WordPerfect
- CommonSpace
Overview of Technology Tools
22Step 5 Presentation Software
- Facilitates display of text, graphics, sound,
video and other media - Provides a relatively simple environment for the
creation of multimedia presentations - Allows for easy update and customization of
presentations - May be made available for use outside of class
- Provide access to the presentation file
- Distribute on the Web using Real Presenter
- http//isc.temple.edu/marino/Resp/Resp99.html
- Products
- MS PowerPoint
- Corel Presentations
Overview of Technology Tools
23Step 5 Asynchronous Communication
- E-mail
- One to one communication (may be one to many
using aliases or nicknames) - Facilitates professor/student and student/student
interaction - Listserv
- One to many communication using e-mail - Allows
the subscribed group to exchange e-mail by
sending mail to a common address - Bulletin Board
- One to many communication
- Messages are organized according to topic
(threaded)
Case
24Step 5 Case Listserv
- Increase Interactivity using Asynchronous
Communication - Computers in Business Applied Multimedia
Technology - Kevin Barry/Tom Laughner - Wanted to increase the amount of interaction
among students - Use course Listserv lists as the method for
students to request assistance with problems
relating to course assignments - Neither instructor will answer questions posted
to the list for the first 24 hours - Increases interaction among students related to
course material and reduces the number of
questions requiring a response from the
instructor - It is important to monitor the Listserv list
Case
25Step 5 Case Bulletin Board
- Creating Small Communities and Increasing
Preparation - Theology - Professor David Burrell
- Professor Burrell wanted to increase discussion
of course material and create smaller communities
in a large class - WebCTs bulletin board was selected because of
its ability to create private forums for small
groups of students - Students in groups of 8 discussed reading using
the bulletin board system - A teaching assistant monitored the groups
Overview of Technology Tools
26Step 5 Synchronous Communication
- Synchronous electronic discussions
- Participants use chat or other conferencing
software - The keyboard is the input device in simple forms
- May include white board, audio, video and
application sharing - Products
- AOL Instant Messenger
- WebCT Chat
- CU-SeeMe, NetMeeting
Overview of Technology Tools
27Step 5 Web Pages
- Facilitates display of and interaction with
information - Information may be presented as text, graphics,
sound, video and animation - Allows linking of course materials to a larger
body of information (Complete Works of
Shakespeare-www.bartleby.com/70/, Math105) - Can be used to publish student work
- Products
- Browsers
- Netscape Navigator, MS Internet Explorer
- Authoring / Site Management Tools
- Netscape Composer, MS FrontPage, Macromedia
DreamWeaver
Overview of Technology Tools
28Step 5 Web Based Course Management Systems
- Products available allow the development of a one
stop location that provides the functionality of
E-mail, Bulletin Board and Chat, presentation of
information and delivery of quizzes and surveys. - Facilitate the creation of complex, interactive
sites - Interactivity may include on-line self evaluation
or testing, drill and practice - Products
- WebCT
- Blackboard
Case
29Step 5 Case Web Based Course Management
System
- Accountability for First Exposure Out of Class
- Core Course - Several Professors
- Wanted to maintain student accountability for
first exposure to course material without
reducing time for class discussion - Required students to take WebCT-based quizzes
outside of scheduled class time - Students have reported that the quizzes help them
keep up with the material - Professors have reported an increase in the
quality of class discussion and, as a result of
the automatic grading, a decreased paper load
Overview of Technology Tools
30Step 5 Interactive Course Software
- Applications that provide instruction and
feedback - May include multimedia elements
- May be web based or stand alone applications
- May be custom designed or commercial products
- E.g. Progetto Italica - www.nd.edu/italica
- Products
- Macromedia Director and Authorware
- JavaScript
Overview of Technology Tools
31Step 5 Simulation
- A presentation that attempts to model a
real-world or theoretical process or event - May be used to show a simplified view of a real
world event to facilitate understanding - E.g.
- Orbital Motion - www.nd.edu/edtech/orbital/
- Molecular Modeling - www.proteinexplorer.org
- VR Objects Panoramas
- Products
- Macromedia Director and Authorware
- JavaScript
Case
32Step 5 Case Simulation
- Increasing Understanding Using Simulation
- Managerial Economics - Professor Barry Keating
- Wanted to give his students a deep understanding
of market dynamics and the processes that occur
in various trading environments - Set up a face to face trading simulation using a
computer to project a spreadsheet that is updated
with live data from the session - The classroom on trading day
Overview of Technology Tools
33Step 6 Sequence the Learning Choose the
Technology
- Identify the steps that lead to successful
completion of the major assignment(s)/exam(s) in
your course skeleton. - For each step, decide
- What do students need to do in order to learn
well and prepare for the major assignment/exam? - Where?
- With whom?
- Synchronous, asynchronous or both?
- With what technological tools?
- What are the limitations and possibilities of the
technology?
34Step 6 Four Questions Faculty ask
- Does the strategy help to build engagement and
community in the classroom? - Does the strategy lead to enhanced student
learning? - Does the strategy fit my philosophies,
priorities, and styles of teaching? - Is it Feasible?
- Is the strategy consonant with time pressures and
other constraints? - What equipment, training, or other resources are
required?
35Step 7 Implement, Evaluate, Think Creatively
- Implement
- Implement in small steps when possible
- Gradual implementation allows for evaluation
prior to large time investments - Use technology to enhance something youre
already doing - Use technology to do something youve never done
or to do something in a radically new way - Evaluate
- Know what impact you expect and plan to evaluate
the results
36Step 7 Think Creatively
- Open yourself to new ways of thinking about
- What is teaching? What is my role as a teacher?
- What is learning? How do my students best learn?
- What is class? How can I use times and spaces
more effectively? - How can technology help to achieve my goals?
- Think of non-traditional uses
37Contact Information
- Barbara Walvoord
- Kaneb Center for Teaching and Learning
- Notre Dame, IN 46556 -5692
- 219.531.9148 or Walvoord.1_at_nd.edu
- Kevin Barry
- Kaneb Center for Teaching and Learning
- Notre Dame, IN 46556-5692
- 219.631.4443 or kbarry2_at_nd.edu
- Tom Laughner
- Kaneb Center for Teaching and Learning
- Notre Dame, IN 46556 -5692
- 219.631.5527 or laughner_at_nd.edu