Enhancing Learning with Technology in Higher Education

Jim Julius, Ed.D.Associate DirectorSDSU Instructional Technology Servicesjjulius@mail.sdsu.eduMarch 12, 2009

From flickr via eole

Or, which way is education going?

From flickr via eole

Overview

• Intro/background

• Classroom technologies

• Online technologies

• Blended learning

• “backchannel”http://tinyurl.com/itsSDSU

Do you think technology enhances student learning?

A. Yes

B. No

What is your teaching experience?

A. None

B. Helping an instructor as a TA

C. Responsible for a class as a [G]TA

D. Have taught at K-12, community college, or in other settings

E. Some combination of B/C/D

Technologies that are most interesting (useful and/or engaging) to me personally are:

A. Basic communication (email, IM, text messaging, discussion forums, cell phones)

B. Productivity (Office, google docs)C. Social networking/ web 2.0 collaboration

(myspace, facebook, twitter, wikis, blogs)D. Info & entertainment (web searching, news &

information sites, wikipedia, maps, YouTube) E. Gaming/virtual worldsF. Creativity (multimedia, web development)G. Scholarly (library databases, online project work

and publication)H. Other

Goal 2 – Grow Our Research Excellence Goal 3 – Achieve Academic ExcellenceGoal 4 – Forge Key Relationships and PartnershipsGoal 5 – Establish a Sense of PlaceGoal 6 – Create Opportunity

•Student satisfaction •Retention•Seamless & effective pathways for student success•24/7 learning environment

•Distance learning stats•Percentage of tech-

enhanced classrooms•Wireless coverage•Student use of Blackboard•Faculty use of Blackboard

ITS in Context

ITS will address the significant changes taking place in higher education learning environments such as:

•Student demands for flexible scheduling

•The need to create a learning environment which prepares students for the workplace

•Accreditation and accountability for evidence of student learning outcomes

•An increasingly technology-savvy student body, and

•The need to remain viable in a competitive marketplace

Quote

“Educational technology is a useful means of

meeting individual differences and

individualizing instruction. It is a means of

delivering instruction almost anywhere it may be

desired and of doing the essential exposition

and information job of teaching so that more

time of the teacher may be freed for creative

teaching.”- Robert E. Slaughter, 1968

Learning environments

00% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Face-to-Face Hybrid Distance Education

Percent of scheduled

class sessions

conducted online

Face-to-FaceFace-to-Face HybridHybrid Distance EducationDistance Education

Classroom technology examples

• Presentation tools (gear & software)• Student tools

– In traditional classroom– In lab class

• Tech enhancement possibilities, in person– Concept mapping (Cmap tools, Inspiration, mindmeister)– Demonstrations & simulations (NetFrog)– Clickers– Tegrity and other flavors of podcasting / course capture– Ubiquitous Presenter– Online multimedia (YouTube, learner.org, MERLOT)– Backchannel (twitter, Harvard question tool, wikis)

Smart Classroom Growth 1998-2008

28% 32% 40% 40% 49% 53%64%

75% 80% 77% 80%

1998/99 1999/00 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09

ITS Smart Classrooms

161 of 202Total

Classroomsin 2008/09

Clicker Adoption Path at SDSU

Semester Faculty Course Capacity

Fall 06 10 new ~2700

Spring 07 8 vets, 5 new ~4700

Fall 07 11 vets, 20 new ~8900

Spring 08 21 vets, 17 new ~10500

Fall 08 25 vets, 28 new ~12300

Spring 09 37 vets, 14 new ~11100

92 faculty users; 100+ “prospects”

My professor asks clicker questions that are important to my learning.

Semester Faculty new to clickers

ExperiencedFaculty

Fall 2006 83%

Spring 2007 90%

Fall 2007 79% 87%

Spring 2008 76% 88%

Fall 2008 80% 85%

Student agreement in classes taught by:

Which of the “7 Principles” do you think clickers best support?

Which of the “7 Principles” do you think clickers best support?

A. Encourages student-faculty contactB. Develops cooperation among studentsC. Encourages active learningD. Provides prompt feedbackE. Emphasizes time on taskF. Communicates high expectationsG. Respects diverse talents and ways of

learningH. Not sure / too hard to choose one

“Moving seamlessly between lecture, experiment & discussion and addressing the drop out rate”

MIT’s physics studio: technology enabled active learning (TEAL)

http://www.okhighered.org/state-system/learning-spaces/brown.pdf

http://www.okhighered.org/state-system/learning-spaces/brown.pdf

Innovative large class teaching

• Michael Wesch’s “students of today” video • Inadequacy of most learning environments on

college campuses• Inquiry-based approach to teaching a large

class• Students as researchers, collaborators, and

publishers • The process was an integral part of acquiring

the skills/knowledge/dispositions critical to his intro course.

00% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Face-to-Face Hybrid Distance Education

Percent of scheduled

class sessions conducted

online

Face-to-FaceFace-to-Face HybridHybrid Distance EducationDistance Education

Online technology examples

• Learning Management Systems (WebCT, Blackboard, Moodle)

• Communication tools– Synchronous vs. Asynchronous– Web conferencing tools (Wimba)– Blogs, wikis, & Web 2.0

• Multimedia (free, publisher, faculty …)• Learning Objects (MERLOT)• E-portfolio systems (TaskStream)• WebQuests (webquest.org, questgarden.com)• Participatory multimedia and immersive environme

nts

Faculty Blackboard Adoption

1,725

1,303

1,725

1,321

1,779

1,541

1,779

1,526

00

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

Fall 2006 Spring 2007 Fall 2007 Spring 2008

Total Faculty Faculty Blackboard Users

Student Blackboard Adoption

34,305

33,532

32,25931,519

36,55935,975

34,36034,342

28,000

29,000

30,000

31,000

32,000

33,000

34,000

35,000

36,000

37,000

Fall 2006 Spring 2007 Fall 2007 Spring 2008

Total Students Active Student Accounts

38

39

Blended Learning defined for SDSU

Blended Learning courses integrate online activities with traditional face to face class activities in a planned, pedagogically valuable manner. Some portion (defined by the instructor) of face to face time is replaced by online activity. In addition to thoughtful integration, the transformative approach to blended learning includes a fundamental course redesign to optimize the effectiveness and efficiency of the learning experience.

Models of Blended Learning

Twigg/NCAT models:

• Supplemental

• Replacement

• Emporium

• Buffet

• Fully online

Blended selling points at SDSU

• Improved student learning outcomes, student satisfaction, and marketability

• Faculty teaching workload focus moves from student management to student learning

• Institutional space utilization efficiencies

• Course cost reductions (initial investment in redesign quickly pays for itself)

• Graduates are better prepared for a tech-rich future

Summing up

• former University of Michigan President James Duderstadt: “It could well be that faculty members of the twenty-first century college or university will find it necessary to set aside their roles as teachers and instead become designers of learning experiences, processes, and environments.”

Final discussion

• http://tinyurl.com/itsSDSU • What characterizes effective learning

environments?• How might technology enhance learning

environments? Detract? Make environments possible that otherwise would not be?

Related issues in higher ed

• Security

• Privacy

• Accessibility

• Copyright & Intellectual Property

• Faculty Development

• Retention/Tenure/Promotion (RTP)

The available “enabling conditions” for learning and research are changing

• Pervasive high-speed wireless• Ubiquitous computing becoming ambient• Visualization and simulation technologies

integral to learning experiences• Learning anywhere, anytime• Campus-based learning spaces become

more flexible• Better use of extant data on learning

preferences & patterns (analytics)

http://www.okhighered.org/state-system/learning-spaces/valenti1.pdf

Where things are headed – teaching & learning (?)

• Hybrid courses: Design for learning• Beyond convenience and information transfer• Anytime, anywhere• Active, social, contextual learning• Cognitive supports and organizational tools• Connective and reflective opportunities• Assessment for learning

7 Principles for Good Practicein Undergraduate Education

• Encourage contact between students and faculty

• Develop reciprocity and cooperation among students

• Encourage active learning• Give prompt feedback• Emphasize time on task• Communicate high expectations• Respect diverse talents and ways of learning

- Chickering & Gamson, 1987

For which of the 7 principles does tech provide the greatest potential benefit?

A. Encourage contact between students and faculty

B. Develop reciprocity and cooperation among students

C. Encourage active learning

D. Give prompt feedback

E. Emphasize time on task

F. Communicate high expectations

G. Respect diverse talents and ways of learning

For which of the 7 principles does tech provide the least potential benefit?

A. Encourage contact between students and faculty

B. Develop reciprocity and cooperation among students

C. Encourage active learning

D. Give prompt feedback

E. Emphasize time on task

F. Communicate high expectations

G. Respect diverse talents and ways of learning

References

• Dziuban, C., Hartman, J., & Moskal, P. (2004). Blended learning. Educause Center for Applied Research. http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERB0407.pdf

• Halpern, D. F., & Hakel, M. D. (2003). Applying the science of learning to the university and beyond: Teaching for long-term retention and transfer. Change, 35(4), 36-41.

• Haughey, M. (2003, July). Principle-based technology and learning environment design, from http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/NLI0361.pdf

• Newman, F., & Scurry, J. (2001). Online technology pushes pedagogy to the forefront. Chronicle of Higher Education, 47(44), B7.

• Oblinger, D. (2003). Boomers, gen-xers, and millennials: Understanding the "new students". EDUCAUSE Review, 38(4), 37-47.

• Project Kaleidoscope. (2004). The Impact of Institutional Culture. http://www.pkal.org/template2.cfm?c_id=1447

• "Relationships Between Interaction and Learning in Online Environments“ http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/books/interactions.pdf

• Rossett, A., & Frazee, R.V. (2006). Blended learning opportunities. American Management Association. http://www.amanet.org/blended/pdf/WhitePaper_BlendLearn.pdf

• Twigg, C. The National Center for Academic Transformation. http://www.thencat.org/

• Zemsky, R., & Massy, W. F. (2004). Thwarted innovation: What happened to e-learning and why. Retrieved December 8, 2005, from http://www.irhe.upenn.edu/Docs/Jun2004/ThwartedInnovation.pdf

Reachable Links (in order)

NCREL 21st Century Skills: Digital Age Literacy http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/skills/agelit.htmNo Significant Difference http://www.nosignificantdifference.org/SDSU Smart Classroom Podium http://its.sdsu.edu/resources/smartclassroom/podium/index.htmCMAP Tools http://cmap.ihmc.us/ MindMeister http://mindmeister.com Inspiration http://inspiration.com/quicktours/index.cfm?fuseaction=Insp_Quicktour_QT NetFrog http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/frog/Frog2/home.html Clickers http://clicker.sdsu.edu Tegrity http://www.tegrity.com/tegrity_notes.php Ubiquitous Presenter http://up.ucsd.edu/about/videos/SSDemo.html Learner.org http://learner.org/resources New Media in Higher Ed http://newmedia-sdsu.wikispaces.com Synchronous/Asynchronous online learning tools http://its.sdsu.edu/wiki/largeclass/index.php/LMS_tools MERLOT http://www.merlot.org/ TaskStream http://www.taskstream.com/ WebQuests & QuestGarden http://webquest.org/, http://questgarden.com "A Design Checklist for Courses Incorporating Technology"

http://home.sandiego.edu/~jjulius/ed833/checklist.pdf