1. Increasing Hands-On Technology Use
Keywords: technology, state-of-the-practice, interaction, practical skills
Increasing Hands-On Technology Use
Jeffrey LaMondia, PhD
Associate Professor, Civil Engineering
Auburn University

2. Why? What problem are you solving?
Students are required to understand current (and constantly changing) technology when applying for jobs
Student need to be able to learn new technologies on the job
Students retain more knowledge from a course when they are actively engaged in the material
What are your educational objectives?
Engage students in material they are learning
Prepare students for future jobs by making them skilled using different technologies
Teach students about the current state of the practice

3. When? What is the developmental history of your innovation?
Geographic Information Systems
Developed with support from the Breeden Grant for innovation in teaching
Coordinating class activity materials with other GIS courses on campus
Highway Geometric Design
Developed in partnership with the City of Auburn
Coordinating semester activity materials with colleague who also teaches this course
Statistics for Scientists & Engineers
Developed based on feedback from a campus-wide working group of faculty who teach statistics
Coordinating class activity materials with colleague who also teaches this course

4. Where? Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Highway Geometric Design
9 hands-on class activities the mimicked real-world projects using ArcGIS software
Example: Collect roadside data using GPS devices and import to ArcGIS
Highway Geometric Design
Semester project using class skills to design a roadway alignment using ArcGIS and AutoCAD software
Example: Develop alignment to support additional bike lanes and walking paths that mimic city’s planned development
Statistics for Scientists & Engineers
Day class activity where teams collected data and ran hypothesis test experiments using Excel
Example: Poll classmates to test whether women walk to campus more

5. What? What learning activities and materials have you developed?
Step-by-step tutorials, Excel spreadsheets, project summaries and group activities
What is your theory of change?
When students have demonstrated confidence not only using technology but also being able to critically think about/ apply technology a step beyond what was taught
What has worked really well?
Assessment throughout projects has encouraged students to ask questions and push themselves knowing that there is support if needed

6. Prognosis? How are you documenting impact?
Course evaluations
Assignment/ project/ activity deliverables
Student peer evaluations
What challenges are you currently facing?
Allowing too much freedom in activities can cause students to go off-course, so I’ve focused tasks more
Some students are not self-motivated while others are, so tailoring activities that support both types can be challenging
What advice would you like from others at FOEE?
How do you encourage self-learning and exploration of technology?
How do you incorporate group work as part of using technology?