Transformation of Classrooms into E-Learning Spaces: The Important Link between Technology and Learning

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Transformation of Classrooms into E-Learning
Spaces The Important Link between Technology and
Learning

• Thomas M. DiLorenzo
• Professor and Chair
• Department of Psychology
• University of Delaware

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Technology in the Service of What?

• Issues to Consider in Deciding Whether to Use
  Instructional Technology in the Classroom Should
  We Give Up the Chalk

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News Journal (1/25/06)

• Dont feel like going to class? No problem,
  watch it later online Technology spurs student
  absenteeism

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News Journal (1/25/06)

• Dont feel like going to class? No problem,
  watch it later online Technology spurs student
  absenteeism
• The instructor was demoralized.

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News Journal (1/25/06)

• Dont feel like going to class? No problem,
  watch it later online Technology spurs student
  absenteeism
• The instructor was demoralized. Why?
• Technology in the service of what?

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In the Service of Learning

• Our goal is to enable University of Delaware
  faculty to enhance student learning through the
  use of technology.
• -Janet de Vry
• IT User Services

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Partnerships Faculty Members and IT Staff

• Started on a personal level
• WebCT My class
• Quickly escalated
• WebCT Dept Training Workshops
• Dept of Psychology Technology Initiative
• Outcomes of survey

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Psychology Department Technology Initiative
Needs Analysis

• Introduction
• Staff Development
• Current Situation
• Recommendations
• Course Design
• Current Situation
• Recommendations
• Web Site Enhancements
• Virtual PSYC Labs

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Psychology Department Technology Initiative
Needs Analysis (cont)

• Departmental Repository
• Software/Hardware Requests
• General Advice for Technology Committee
• Requests for Support of Research Activities
• Appendix Questionnaire used during interview
  process

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Three Initiatives

• 1. Personal Response Systems (Clickers)
• 2. Sympodium
• 3. The Ultimate Classroom

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1. PRS

• Personal Response Systems
• Handheld Clickers
• Looks like a remote control device
• Immediate feedback on understanding of concepts

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Use of Technology to Enhance Learning

• I decided to use Clickers to try to increase
  reading before class
• 5 questions at the beginning of
• 12 class periods, that were
• Randomly selected
• Over the readings due for the day
• With total possible extra points
• Equal to 9 of the total grade

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Compared clicker class to non-clicker class

• On question How often did you read before
  class, the clicker class rated this item
  significantly higher than the non-clicker
  class.
• On exam scores, the clicker class scored higher
  on 3 out of 4 exams the score on the 4th exam
  was the same in both classes.

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So,

• I used clickers at the beginning of class,
• Students read more,
• This led to better discussions (active
  learning/conceptual thinking),
• And the outcome was higher grades.

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Learning comes about

• More quickly
• as we increase
• time-on-task

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Last semester

• I used the homework feature of the clickers for
  students to answer questions while at home
  studying/reading for the next class period.
  Answers were stored in the clicker and downloaded
  at the very beginning of class. Results were
  projected and scores collected.

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Benefits

• Increases time-on-task
• Increases probability of reading
• Enhances group work outside of class
• Gives me first-hand information on
• What the students understand
• How to structure in-class time
• The feedback is incredibly helpful

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Another Case Human Sexuality (367)

• No credit for clicker use
• Total anonymity
• Upper level
• 3XX elective course

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Human Sexuality (367)

• Please rate the extent to which you agree with
  the following statement I think the clickers are
  a valuable asset to this class.
• Strongly Disagree 1
• Strongly Agree 5
• Mean 4.58 Std Dev .77

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Human Sexuality (367)

• Please rate the extent to which you agree with
  the following statement I think that the
  clickers should be used again in this class.
• Strongly Disagree 1
• Strongly Agree 5
• Mean 4.74 Std Dev .73

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PRS Standardization Faculty-IT Staff Committee

• Within about one year, faculty were already using
  several systems
• During the Spring, 2006 semester, a faculty-IT
  staff committee formed to
• Recommend 1 system for the campus
• We invited four companies to campus
• Presentations and QA session

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Checklist for PRS Vendor

• Hardware
• Clicker
• Size
• Functionality
• LCD
• Battery life and signal
• Receiver
• Radio Frequency required
• Number of responses
• Ease of installation
• Receive from other
• Life span of hardware

• Software
• Ease of Use
• Integration with PowerPoint
• Mac compatibility
• Functionality
• Business Model
• Registration Process
• Storing student data
• Support model(s)
• Purchase process
• Costs (and to whom?)

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Decided on one system

• Fairly easy
• Cost is one-time/relatively small
• Came up with a system that felt right for our
  campus
• Faculty readily accepted the decision
• Use has grown significantly
• Lots of excitement

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2. Sympodium

• Equipped with the same software as SMART Board
  Interactive Whiteboards
• Classroom with 300 seats/desks
• Interactive pen display
• Connected to computer and projector
• Write directly on screen/slides in digital ink

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Sympodium (cont)

• Will save your notes
• Access any website
• Project on a large screen
• Use Word, PowerPoint, Excel or
• Web browser
• Clicker questions are in PowerPoint so readily
  accessible

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3. The Ultimate Classroom

• Faculty members attended IT workshops on PBL and
  IT
• Started with discussion (Chair, faculty member,
  dept IT person, media services personnel) about
  PBL room
• Added discussion about computing
• Computers on tables? How to run wires?
• Battery life of laptops?

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One more example of the Use of Technology to
Enhance Learning

• New PBL classroom w/projection capabilities
• 1 wireless keyboard and projector per desk
• 1 person works on keyboard
• All work on group project together
• Few battery issues

• Typical PBL classroom
• 1 computer per desk
• Only 1 person works on computer at a time
• Others do individual group work
• Battery life of computer

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Technology Costs

• LCD projector, Thin Client
• Wireless keyboards, screens
• Smartboard, outlets
• Cabinetry, instructors computer
• Server for student stations
• Misc. License/software/video switcher
• Total 30,870

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Use of the Room

• Measurement and Statistics
• Research Methods
• Outcomes Faculty responses from upper level
  courses
• Sensation and Perception
• Other Departments
• Tours from multiple universities

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Transformation of Classrooms into E-Learning
Spaces The Important Link between Technology and
Learning

• Ask yourself technology in the service of what?
• Our goals should be to enhance student learning
  through the use of technology.

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Questions?
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Problems/What can go wrong?

• IR technology Corrected
• Paying for clickers Corrected
• Registering clickers Corrected
• Data off campus Corrected
• Student concerns Corrected
• Reception of data
• PP in CPS software Corrected

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What will I do differently next time?

• Make my expectations more transparent
• Clearly lay out how learning is enhanced with
  the use of clickers
• No extra credit (although there is another
  perspective (Kendall extra credit can be fun,
  bad questions leads to learned helplessness,
  problem solving really leads to learning, group
  work can be very helpful, just make it worth a
  small portion of the grade)) Kendall I loved
  the clickers
• Use clickers to determine understanding of
  material