Shaping a New Strategy for Technology in Learning Spaces
Belknap Campus Faculty Focus Group
April 5, 2010
Attendees: Edna Ross (A&S), Sue Peters (Education), Caroline Sheffield (Education), Mike Day (Speed School), Jim Lewis (Speed School), Jeff Hieb (Speed School), Terri Holtze (Libraries), Rob Detmering (Libraries), Sid Baxendale (Business)
Facilitator: Joe Steffen
Recorder: Rae Helton
What is your reaction to the ECAR study and/or Chronicle article referenced above? Does UofL have enough Technology?
No response. (Laughter)
What do your students feel?
(Business) When a colleague used Tegrity, he found one third of students bailed out and didn’t come to class. We believe Tegrity contributed to student absences. His class was taught in the Business School building and was not an online class. MBA classes receive priority when assigning classrooms. The Business School was an early adopter of Tegrity.
(A&S) I don’t capture my entire class. I use it for review sessions. I like to use Tegrity for “how to” do certain assignments. For example, I use it for how to use Safe Assign. I also used Tegrity for missed classes during the snow storm. During the snow storm students were adamant about needing Tegrity.
(Education) Too much or too little technology depends on what you’re teaching. I use 24 laptops on cart for class. Students like it.
(A&S) Our faculty does not have enough technology. We don’t want to move carts back and forth or become pack animals. Our Teaching Assistants use rolling back packs but our A&S faculty are too dispersed to have laptop or technology carts.
(Education) We don’t want to have students just reading from PowerPoint slides. We want smart boards. JCPS has them so UofL School of Education classrooms should have them.
(Speed) We require Table PCs for all freshmen. This is the fourth year we’ve required them. It creates an interactive environment in the classroom. When asked, one third of our students like having Tablet PCs as requirement. Networks are another classroom technology factor. Students are using technology where their professors are not. Faculty use DYNO software so they can see if students are writing. Students use Tablet PCs outside of Speed School. Students are now asking for technology. Biggest challenge is translating to a different way of teaching. Faculty must change the way they teach when using technology. Faculty teaching junior and senior level classes at Speed are not using the tablets as much as they should. Need resources to train faculty at Speed.
(Speed) Various sources paid for Speed School classroom upgrades. They bought 125 tablets initially to loan to students. Now that students have their own tablets, faculty use the loaned tablets. Now Speed needs more projection systems. Some faculty use two or three screens. We also need more wireless ports.
Has the presence of technology engaged students?
(A&S) Depends on how you use it and who is using it. It also depends on faculty interest and their level of use. Technology is not going to make faculty better teachers. I use clickers for interactivity…a tool. I must have a projector and wireless microphone and base station in order to do basic fundamentals with clickers.
Does every room need technology?
(A&S) Yes, all rooms should have internet connection (wireless) and some type of computer. These are the basics. Millennial students view overheads as archaic and outdated. Presenting information in an outdated manner gives students the impression that faculty are incompetent. Students then view faculty as incompetent. I still encounter some students who don’t know technology basics. Technology helps to upgrade students’ educational experience. I can’t imagine going into a classroom without internet access. There are many different disciplines using A&S classrooms.
Has anyone ever been unable to get a tech room when they need it?
(Education) During flood we couldn’t. The flood discussion was excluded.
(Business) All business classrooms are fully equipped.
(A&S) Most classrooms do not have technology. It hampers the students experience. It compromises pedagogy. It’s a different educational experience for students. Technology is like telephones. We take some technology for granted. It’s frustrating to carry a laptop and projector and class and then not have Internet access.
To what extent does scheduling impact technology room access?
(A&S) I had 8:00am recitation classes and I didn’t have access to a technology classroom. A&S uses class size to determine room assignment. A&S classes are larger.
To balance room renovations and upgrades; how do you suggest we balance the addition of new classrooms versus updating old ones? Is there a balance or do you want it all?
(A&S) Faculty know we can’t afford to update everything. We would like to see the basics in every room: Internet, projector and some type of computer. Business has a technology fee required for students. Speed has a $25 per semester fee for software and upgrades. The fee is not used for hardware. The fee covers student software costs whether they are full-time or part-time. There were some grumblings at the beginning but not now. The fee eliminates software pirating issues. Speed is the only unit that has a Microsoft agreement for software upgrades. Education and A&S do not have a student technology fee. Speed has also considered leasing tablets and charging $100.00 or $200.00 per semester. This wasn’t voted in by Speed School faculty. Speed may not ever pass a hardware fee.
Education faculty do not have a problem picking up laptop carts because they are located down the hall from classrooms.
Are there newer technologies we should think about? Not just Facebook or Twitter. What should we start thinking about…special things?
(Education) Smart boards because they are big with K-12. You can write on it and access Internet. Education students are seeing them in public classrooms. Even eight year olds are using them. Third grade students are creating PowerPoints and digital documentaries. A suggestion was made to begin using a product called Photo Roster on Blackboard and make it only accessible by faculty. It allows faculty to view pictures of students along with their name.
Do you have any other thoughts on Blackboard?
(A&S and Education) We couldn’t teach without it or a classroom management system. Speed uses testing option on Blackboard. Business also uses testing option. Helps prevent test fraud by students. It’s very helpful with online courses. Makes sure person is who they say they are. Ability to give tests in a secure fashion is something UofL needs. A&S explained exam rings. This is where five or six students are all in the same room when a student is taking a test. These students view test taking as a joke. A&S would use a testing technology room if UofL had one. A room with computers and security like the Speed School. Speed uses “respondents” to lock out other students and access. Create a secure environment for testing.
When you go to a technology room do you know how to use what’s there? Do you feel you have had enough training to use the technology available to use in classrooms?
A&S offers training classes on teaching consoles.
Do you feel there’s enough training on blackboard and everything else?
(A&S and Education) It’s there if faculty choose to take advantage of it. Making time is factor.
Is there anything about technology or faculty use of technology when students evaluate you at end of semester? Should there be something?
A&S doesn’t ask students for feedback on their technology use. I posts my PowerPoint outline on Blackboard and students are asked to bring it to class to use for note taking. Students say they like the fact that it’s there. I make it clear the outline is just that. What’s important is what I’m saying about the points in the outline. They had better show up. I use PowerPoint heavily. With 350 freshmen you need PowerPoint to give them structure.
(Education) doesn’t ask students for technology feedback on faculty use. It’s mostly anecdotal if students bother to give feedback on technology.
(Business) students expect faculty to use Tegrity at all times. Business professors give them what they ask for. Business student groups are like a union.
(Speed) There’s nothing in Speed formal evaluations. Individual Speed faculty may ask for student feedback on how faculty use technology.
(Speed) eBooks would be helpful and also Kindles and iPads.
(Education) I’m moving away from textbooks and will use articles from library research databases.
(Education) I give students the option to use ebooks. I’m planning to order 100 ebooks in fall semester. Campus bookstore loans text books.
(A&S and Education) like the idea of ebooks and would find them helpful.
(Speed) Engineering publishers are giving faculty the option of downloading texts on one drive. Some electronic texts include a Blackboard shell and interactive exercises. They are very rich with interactivity.
(A&S) I will see how my students like ebooks. I’ll gather feedback on how my students gravitate to ebooks.
(Speed) may add an ebook or text book fee….$25.00 for edownload versus $125.00 for print. Ebooks are accessible for 18 months.
Who does or would like students to do more group work?
(Education) does group work because of nature of subject.
(Ekstrom Library) uses group work.
Both Education and Ekstrom Library offers group work with technology. Technology group work helps participation. Speed uses it too.
(Speed) I use DYNO to see what groups are writing. I can color code and include student names. I can review student work from home by viewing the DYNO session. This is not an everyday thing in Speed.
Do you have any other thoughts or things we should be aware of? Open discussion and comments
(A&S) I read where someone at a Methodist school took out all the technology but it’s not a model where students have to learn to use and\ be proficient with technology.
(Education) Our students live and breathe technology. We would be lost without it.
(A&S) We would be doing our students a sore disservice to think that technology isn’t a viable tool. A tool is only as good as its user. Having technology is one thing but can you really use it?
(Speed) will offer teaching with tablet workshops this summer. They are considering starting a faculty learning community (FLC). If faculty can see how effective technology can be with teaching…they will want to use it more. Faculty may not want to be embarrassed in front of class…there is a learning curve.
(A&S) I believe technology benefits are worth the efforts. Faculty are currently pressed to make bricks without straw…no time. Faculty like instructional technology that’s “brain dead” easy to use. If faculty understand the benefits of technology, it will outweigh the time investment. Speed’s tablet FLC will be subject specific. It will be different from the needs of Education or A&S faculty.
What incentives can be given to faculty to adopt technology?
(Speed) It always helps to throw a carrot…an iPad. UofL used to give laptops to faculty many years ago. FLC helps remove embarrassment factor.
Anything else?
(General comments) Thanks for organizing. How is Belknap is different from HSC? HSC is looking for other types of technology…expanding simulation labs. Belknap needs basics. HSC is looking at bells & whistles.
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