Course Couture Part 1: Laura Martin: Research and Pedagogy for Technology and Multimedia Integration

Technology Today It is ubiquitous in our daily lives. We use some technologies seamlessly without even realizing that we are using them. Some examples include: Internet Cell phones/ iPhone /Blackberry ATM machines Self-check out at stores Computer games, Wii games Social Networking Sites Train/subway ticket machines Onstar

Technology Today Allows For: Connectivity (to jobs, family & friends) ◦ Students look to be connected to professors, peers, campus community, campus resources, family, friends, etc... Accessibility (to information) ◦ Students look to have access to information, course content, resources, campus services- available anytime and anywhere. Mobility (anytime – anyplace technology) ◦ Wifi, laptops and handheld devices (iPhone, Blackberry, iPod Touch)

Technology Also Allows For: Learning and Expanding Breadth of Knowledge (Beyond a Textbook) ◦ When applied appropriately (the right technology tool for the job). ◦ When it is not a “clunky monster.” ◦ When the learner interacts with it (technology in and of itself does not cause learning). ◦ When applied in a meaningful way (matched with an instructional objective).

Taking a Look at How We Learn Research on how we learn has advanced significantly. We now understand that people learn differently and attend to information differently- Learning Styles Lots of LS’s models: Kolb, Dunn & Dunn, Gardner, Coffield, Gregoric. Dunn and Dunn LS model (fits well with technology & most widely used in schools): learners are affected by their: (1) immediate environment (sound, light, temperature, and design); (2) own emotionality (motivation, persistence, responsibility, and need for structure or flexibility); (3) sociological needs (self, pair, peers, team, adult, or varied); and (4) physical needs (perceptual strengths, intake, time, and mobility).

More About How We Learn: Edger Dale, 1946, introduced the “cone of experience” also known as “the cone of learning” It’s theory is viewed as one of the earliest developments of the Instructional Technology field.

More About How We Learn: ~Edger Dale Take away: The more visual and auditory elements an instructor can integrate into their course, the greater the likelihood that students will remember and retain the course information. Where does your course fit in?

How Does Technology Meet the Needs of Learners? Allows them to make a physical connection to people and information. Allows them to have vast amounts of information at their fingertips. Allows them to access and take information anyplace at anytime. Allows for different delivery modalities which attend to different learning styles. Allows for learning and an expanded breadth of knowledge.

Students Today What technologies do they use? How do they prefer to learn? What does all of this mean for designing instruction?

ECAR Study The EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research (ECAR) study of undergraduate students and information technology: ◦ Purpose was to:  provide information on the technology behaviors, preferences and attitudes of higher education’s undergraduate students as it relates to their academic experience.  Provide information to higher education administrators that will help implement campus technology.  Inform faculty who are working to incorporate technology in rich and meaningful ways into their curriculum.

ECAR Demographics ◦ 2008 study ◦ Surveyed and interviewed 27,317 undergraduate students.  Quantitative survey, focus groups, qualitative open- ended survey questions. ◦ At 98 higher education institutions  90 four-year and 8 two-year

Looking at Three Dimensions of the Study Information Technology Use Among Undergraduate Students. Preferences for Information Technology in Courses. Impact on Academic Experience/ Student Success.

Dimension 1: Information Technology Use ◦ Laptops are owned by 80.5% of students. ◦ Internet-capable phones are owned by 66% of students with 18% using them to access the Internet. ◦ 85% of students report using one or more social networking sites. 43% use them to communicate with classmates about course-related topics. Summary: Students are Increasingly Mobile Takeaway for professors: think of ways to deliver content online in ways that can be easily download and viewed on mobile devices. (Posting materials to Blackboard, creating or linking to podcasts, creating screen casts or audio recordings of your lectures, creating online discussion forums)

Dimension 2: Preferences for Information Technology in Courses ◦ What are students preferences for use of IT in their courses (based on what they have been exposed to)  59.3% of students prefer only a moderate amount of IT in their courses. They reported that they value face-to-face interaction with their professors.  80.2% like running internet searches.  50.8% like to learn through programs they can control, such as games and simulations. 33% like like text-based conversation over emial, IM, text messaging, blogs, wikis, discussion forums.  82.3% have used a CMS  69.5% report a positive experience with CMSs.  44% of students report that their instructors use IT effectively in courses.

Dimension 2 Summary: Summary: Students like using an array of web based technologies in their courses when used effectively. Takeaway for professors: Using a variety of well-placed technologies benefits students. Strengthening IT skills and gaining greater skills in integrating technology & pedagogy can benefit student success. Summary: Students value face-to-face instruction and prefer a moderate about of IT in their courses. Takeaway for professors: when designing your curriculum, remain cognizant of the importance of face-to-face interactions with your students.

Dimension 3: IT’s Impact on the Academic Experience/Student Success Dimension 3: IT’s Impact on the Academic Experience/Student Success 65.6% agree that IT makes their course more convenient. 31.8% agree that they get more actively involved in a course that uses IT. 45.7% agree that the use of IT in their courses improves their learning. 64% of students disagree when asked if they skip classes when materials from course lectures are available online.

What Does This Mean? Remember the “Clunky Monster?” “I feel that IT is a wonderful tool when it is fully understood by both the course instructor and the students. Anything less than that and the tool suddenly becomes something that merely looks pretty, or, in the worst case, is a clunky monster.”  - an undergraduate engineering student, ECAR 2008.

Course Delivery via Blackboard Allows them to make a physical connection to people and information. Allows them to have vast amounts of information at their fingertips. Allows them to access and take information anyplace at anytime. Allows for different delivery modalities which attend to different learning styles. Allows for learning and an expanded breadth of knowledge.

Part 2: Steve Heim The Power of Multimedia for Teaching and Learning Part 3: Chris League Multimedia Integration into Blackboard, the Nuts and Bolts

Video Resources Note: Blackboard will support MPEG, AVI and QuickTime videos, Flash and Shockwave, as well as many types of sound files. YouTube : Searchable reference capability and a free streaming media hosting service. TeacherTube: www. Teachertube.comwww. Teachertube.com MERLOT ELIXR: TED: iTunesU: Download program from Metacafe: Video at MIT:

Free Video Hosting Services YouTube TeacherTube iTunesU Google Video Vimeo Viddler Blip.tv ◦ Live Streaming  Ustream:  Stickam: (also allows users to build social networks around their broadcasts). ◦ Video Editing:

Presentation Resources The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2008: famous-people/edgar-dale famous-people/edgar-dale Lovelace, MK (2005). Meta-Analysis of Experimental Research Based on the Dunn and Dunn Model. Journal Of Educational Research, 98: