technology-classroom

Technology fueling widespread course redesign


The availability and use of technology tools is driving a wave of course redesign in higher education as instructors rush to use the hot new tools.

technology-course-redesignBut it is important to keep the redesign focused on the desired learning outcomes, not just the inclusion of the latest technologies.

Here at Purdue, as faculty are selected for the Instruction Matters: Purdue Academic Course Transformation (IMPACT) program, they start by defining the learning outcomes for their course.

This is what they expect students to know after their course is complete. During this phase, there should be very little thought to the planned use of technology, unless it is explicitly part of the course. The goal here is to set the expected outcomes, independent of model or method of delivery.

As the process moves to looking at defining the learning objectives, a bit more thought can be given to the use of technology, but still held short of defining exact uses. The objectives are the sub-skills needed to meet the overall outcomes.

Where technology consideration and selection fits best is in the determination of assessment methods and lesson planning. The classroom changes in the area of active learning are being led by technology.

Active learning is a move in all education levels where the responsibility for learning is placed more on the student and less on the instructor giving knowledge. This change is shown to lead to more engagement by the student and better overall outcomes when implemented successfully.

That is where technology can help, because getting time for active learning can be a real challenge.

Redesigning a classroom to facilitate active learning will likely create several needs for faculty. The question they may ask during the design of the assessments is:  “How do I get feedback to the student quick enough to facilitate their active learning?”

The use of online grading, document collaboration, peer review online, simulations, and adaptive software are all potential answers to that question. Lower level skills such as memorization and identification are often easily moved to a format that is able to be accessed anywhere, anytime.

A second question may be: “How do I make my classes more active?”

Interactive response systems, such as iClickers or Hotseat, are used in lecture halls at Purdue to provide real-time feedback and interaction, and turn what was once a one-way conversation from instructor to student into an open discussion between many in the room, often times harnessing the technology many already have with them.

The primary benefits of the use of technology in higher education are engagement, productivity, and liberation. Students are shown to be engaged through the use of emerging technologies and show better outcomes from that engagement.

Productivity increases because many of the traditional tasks of homework and rote memorization can be moved out of the lecture/recitation classrooms, and into an anytime role, which feeds the final benefit of liberation.

With the productive classroom time saved, instructors can engage students in higher order tasks and discussions, having them explain, interpret and predict outcomes based on their lower level knowledge.

The capability and potential end products of some of these tools have yet to even be realized, and getting them in the hands of students with a chance to innovate can be an exciting time for all involved.

Viewing technology as an evil intruder will cause one to miss out on an opportunity to make time in the classroom and get to those projects you always wish you had the time to do.

Understanding and harnessing the potential of educational technology and accepting the role it will inevitably play in a changing world can allow institutions to move the devices from a perceived state of distraction to ones of instruction and innovation.

David Huckleberry is an Educational Technologist in Teaching and Learning at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.

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