We took a hiatus over the holiday to recharge and refocus, but now we’re back to provide interesting insights and thought-provoking ideas in this space throughout 2012. We recently looked at our anlalytics for the blog, and were happily surprised at the numbers. During the fall 2011 semester, we had:

• 3,441 visits
• 1,776 unique visitors
• 5,430 page  views

We’d like to give a big ‘thank you’ for those that find the conversations and resources here useful, and we encourage you to keep checking back (and don’t be afraid to leave some comments, we’re happy to answer any questions or engage in discussion here)! 

One initiative I wanted to quickly mention is the University’s exploration of lecture capture technologies. We piloted Echo 360 in the fall, and this semester we are continuing with the Echo 360 Pilot, as well as piloting a new system, Panopto. We spent a lot of time examining lecture capture research last semester, and will soon be posting a Lecture Capture Research Starter Kit on our research page, alongside the gaming and mobile learning kits. After working through nearly 50 articles on lecture capture, some common themes emerge:

• Students typically watch portions of the recorded lecture as opposed to the entire thing.
• Students report that the availability of recorded lectures allows them to put more focus on the content of a lecture (as opposed to rapidly taking detailed notes, for example).
• The majority of studies indicate that the availability of recorded lectures have little impact on student attendance. In fact, most students report that attending a lecture in person is still a much better learning experience.
• Specific audiences, such as English as a Second Language (ESL) students and student-athletes, find recorded lectures especially valuable.
• When looking across studies, it appears that you can expect over 60% of your class to access and view recorded lectures if you make them available (some studies report up to 90% class utilization).
• The most common reason for watching a recorded lecture is to review for exams.

The research starter kit dives much deeper into the variables and survey instruments related to lecture capture. If you’re interested in trying this technology, check out PSU’s lecture capture website where you can request an account.

A few of us at the Institute continue to discuss ways we can help faculty evaluate new technologies that have the potential to impact teaching and learning.  Typically, the focus is completely on the student, and how he or she will benefit from a specific technology.  While I feel this is appropriate, we also need to consider the faculty side of the equation, and what it means for a faculty member to learn, evaluate, integrate and assess a technology’s use in a course setting.

A recent article in Onward State dealt with the use of Yammer, specifically focused on leveraging Yammer to support coursework.  As a faculty member, how do I evaluate the potential of Yammer for my course?  One method is to ask around.  The Schreyer Institute, ETS, and other units on campus typically have some experience experimenting with these services.  I could also look for examples or case studies online.  But the main thing I want to do is create an account myself and experiment with the service.

Here’s where things get tricky, especially when experimenting with social media.  Specifically, the tricky part is the ‘social’ aspect of these services.  In order to really see the value, you need to have a group of people commit to trying Yammer.  Until you reach a critical mass to test with, it’s very difficult to uncover all the potential benefits of a social service.  For instance, we’re experimenting with a social bookmarking service called Diigo.  Until we had 5-6 people contributing, it’s very difficult to judge what the service can really offer.

If you want to experiment with technologies for teaching and learning, you might want to try and start an informal community within your College or Department willing to experiment with you.  Pick a technology, and have the group commit 3-4 weeks to using it, then reconvene and discuss the possible application of the technology to coursework.  Feel free to contact the institute if you would like to discuss the idea further, or want to connect with like-minded individuals to test various technologies for teaching and learning.   

The Chronicle just released their “Academic Almanac” for 2011.  This is always an interesting read as it aggregates a LOT of different data from various data sources and attempts to package it in a short, categorized format.  Due to my background in instructional technology, I tend to gravitate towards the technology section first to look for any interesting trends.  Obviously, mobility and mobile devices are playing an increasingly large role at many universities.  Here at Penn State, we just rolled out a mobile-friendly version of our primary website.  But with the rapid adoption of technology, we sometimes forget about good pedagogy. 

The Chronicle’s Technology entry in this year’s Almanac addresses some of these shortcomings, discussing several failed implementations of iPads and other mobile technology platforms at large, R1 institutions.  The author points out:

“The trick, colleges are learning, is to find the sweet spot where the technology and the type of instruction meet.”

When it comes to the iPad, one major affordance of the device is the multi-touch interface.  This lends itself to specific things from a pedagogy perspective.  Examining 3D models, for instance.  Interactive simulations and games.  Possibly examining high-resolution artwork for an art history course.  Some of these things work, and work well, on a device that involves navigating and interacting with fingers.  On the other hand, using these devices for text-heavy practices, such as note-taking or grading papers, might not be appropriate.  I do know people that use the iPad for text-heavy activities, but typically they use a stylus or external keyboard. 

As we approach the new semester, and Penn State explores technologies such as a new clicker system and a lecture capture pilot program, we need to think critically about pedagogy and how it transfers to some of these devices and systems that give us new affordances in the classroom.  Feel free to contact the institute (site@psu.edu) if you want to talk more about the possible ideas for leveraging technology in your class, or various technologies available to all Penn State instructors.  We’re working closely with Education Technology Services to better understand all the technology ecosystems at the University, and we can help you align technology and pedagogy.

The Chronicle of Higher Education recently ran a few videos, asking students to recall some of the best, and worst, instances of faculty incorporating technology into classes.  I was somewhat surprised at how basic some of the answers were.  A couple students specifically talked about video, where an instructor simply made himself available to Skype in the evening.  One student noted even if he didn’t require assistance on an assignment, it was comforting to know the instructor was only a few mouse clicks away.  Another example that was slightly more high-tech involved a TA sending out a variety of multimedia via iTunes in association with a Rock and Roll history course. 

In terms of the worst experiences, most students centered their discussion around the use of Power Point.  The two main themes were:

• Instructors too dependent on Power Point
• Instructors providing very DENSE slides, making it difficult for the students to take notes and keep up with the content being covered.

In addition to dense slides, students seemed very frustrated when these slides were not distributed electronically after lectures.  Students also urged faculty to always have a plan B, so if technology fails the content is still covered adequately. With so much discussion about Power Point, I want to point out that the Institute runs several sessions that focus on best practices for Power Point.  Various research-based models are discussed, such as the assertion-evidence model.  Check out our events page if you’re interested in the workshop.

I’m a big fan of Chris Long’s work in the College of Liberal Arts, both in his passion for undergraduate education and his willingness to try new approaches in his teaching.  A couple years back he started using blogs in his philosophy course.  After several different types of approaches (each student has a blog vs. a single course blog, etc), I think he’s really found the right approach that works for both him and his students. 

One thing I’m asked about a great deal when talking about technology integration, whether for resident or online courses, is the ability to create a sense of community within a course.  In the video below, Chris talks specifically about how the blog connects his students and instills a sense of community in ways he did not foresee when first experimenting with blogging.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep1DdwW4Lvg