Interactive Learning That’s Customized
Enhancing Face-to-Face Learning With Computers
A Lecture-Discussion @
Ursinus College
Collegeville, PA. August 24, 2000
led by
David G. Brown, Wake Forest University
Professor, Dean (ICCEL), VP, and Former Provost
Major Points
• Congratulations-You’re doing it the right way!
• Celebrate Culture Change-It’s coming, so relax!
• KISS-First go for the low hanging fruit!
• Boost Teaching-with or without technology
The Ursinus Laptop Advantage
•Communications: a wired campus where communication is possible
virtually any time and in any place.
•Community: an ethical environment where students share values,
challenge ideas and arrive at collective community principles.
•Computer Competence: a functional environment where high-level
e-skills are the standard for all faculty and graduates.
•Equal Access to Computing for All: a college of shared and equal
means where, regardless of financial need, no one is left behind.
•Teaching & Learning Innovation: an intellectually charged
environment where cutting-edge resources excite faculty and students
with the newest and best educational technologies.
Source: Ursinus College, Web Site, August 21, 2000
Applause to Ursinus College for your
decision to move toward a situation where--
Teaching proceeds on the assumption
that your students have appropriate
access to the textbooks, libraries,
laboratories, and the Internet!
How the Laptop Program Has
Changed Wake Forest
THE WAKE FOREST PLAN
F96: IBM 365XD, 16RAM, 100Mhz, 810MB, CD-ROM, 14.4 modem
F97: IBM 380D, 32 RAM, 130Mhz, 1.35GB, CD-ROM, 33.6 modem
F98: IBM 380XD, 64 RAM, 233 Mhz, 4.1GB, CD-ROM, 56 modem
F99: IBM 390, 128 RAM, 333 Mhz, 6GB, CD-ROM, 56 modem
F00: IBM A20m, 500 Mhz, 11GB, 15”ActMatrix, CD-ROM, 90 modem
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Thinkpads for all
New Every 2 Years
Own @ Graduation
Printers for all
Wire Everything
Standard Software
Full Admin Systems
IGN for Faculty
Keep Old Computers
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40+30 New People
75% Faculty Trained
85% CEI Users
99% E-Mail
+15% Tuition
~$1500/Yr/Student
4 Year Phase In
Pilot Year
Order at--Plan for 2000
http://iccel.wfu.edu
ICCEL -- Wake Forest University, 2000
Consequences for Wake Forest
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+SAT Scores & Class Ranks
+Retention & Grad Rates
+Satisfaction & Learning
+Faculty Recruitment
What’s Being
Done?
“The Economists’ Way of Thinking”
A Course Required of All Freshmen
For 15 Students
ICCEL -- Wake Forest University, 2000
COURSE OBJECTIVES
• To understand a liberal arts education as an opportunity to
study with professors who think by their own set of
concepts
• To learn how to apply economic concepts
• To learn how to work collaboratively
• To learn computer skills
• To improve writing and
Learning is enhanced by-•
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Collaboration among Learners
Frequent student/faculty dialogue
Prompt Feedback
Application of Theory
Student Self Initiatives
Trustful relations
Personal & Individual Teaching
Brown’s First Year Seminar
• Before Class
– Students Find URLs &
Identify Criteria
– Interactive exercises
– Lecture Notes
– E-mail dialogue
– Cybershows
• During Class
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One Minute Quiz
Computer Tip Talk
Class Polls
Team Projects
• After Class
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Edit Drafts by Team
Guest Editors
Hyperlinks & Pictures
Access Previous Papers
• Other
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Daily Announcements
Team Web Page
Personal Web Pages
Exams include Computer
Materials Forever
ICCEL -- Wake Forest University, 1999
Results Compared to Other
First Year Courses
(Student Response to Brown’s FYS Over 5 Terms)
More
Same
How Much Learned? 2 of 3
1 of 3
How Much Time?
2 of 3
How Much Fun?
3 of 3
Less
1 of 3
Computers Enhance My
Teaching and/or Learning Via-Presentations
Better--20%
More Opportunities to
Practice & Analyze--35%
More Access to Source
Materials via Internet--43%
More Communication with Faculty Colleagues, Classmates,
and Between Faculty and Students--87%
Computers allow people---• to belong to more communities
• to be more actively engaged in each
community
• with more people
• over more miles
• for more months and years
• TO BE MORE COLLABORATIVE
ICCEL -- Wake Forest University, 2000
With Ubiquity--The Culture Changes
• Mentality shifts-- like from public phone to personal phone.
• Teaching Assumptions shift-- like from books in the
public library to everyone owns a copy of his/her own.
• Timelines shift-- like from “our class meets MWF” to “we
see each other all the time and MWF we meet together”
• Students’ sense of access shifts-- like from “maybe I
can get that book in the library” to “I have that book in my library.”
• Relationships shift-- like from a family living in many
different states to all family members living in the same town
Wake Forest University
Http://iccel.wfu.edu
ICCEL -- Wake Forest University, 2000
The most important benefits of laptop
computing for the entire college community are
that the powers of direct inquiry, exploration
and dialogue are placed in the hands of teachers
and learners at virtually any time and in an
place. Ongoing collaboration and
communication are especially improved by
enhancing the college's excellent facilities and
the opportunities for student to faculty
interaction.
Source: Ursinus Web Site, August 21, 2000 (bolding added)
Why Laptop Computers?
Chemistry-- Dartmouth, Millsaps,
Reed, Wake Forest, Worchester Tech
Physics-- Vassar, Arizona, Washington and
Lee, Michigan State, , Whitman
Business and Economics--- Vanderbilt,
Kansas State, Wake Forest, Middlebury
Fine Arts-- Tufts, Reed, Connecticut,
Williams, East Carolina
Writing and Literature--Johns Hopkins,
Northwestern, Missouri-Rolla,
Language--- MIT, Smith, California-Davis,
Texas-Austin, Northwestern
Biology and Medicine---Oberlin, Virginia,
Johns Hopkins, Texas-Austin, Hendrix
International and Politics---Tufts, Oregon
Computer Science and Math---Harvard, NYU,
American, Washington State
93 Essays
36 Universities
26 Disciplines
WHY COMPUTERS?
…the faculty answer
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Interactive Learning
Learn by Doing
Collaborative Learning
Integration of Theory and Practice
Visualization
Communication
Different Strokes for Different Folks
I know my students learn more
when I teach with technology!
• Technology increases collaboration.
More collaboration means more learning
• Technology enables different strokes for
different folks.
More customization means more learning
• Technology enables more interaction.
More interaction means more learning
• The opportunity cost of learning how to use
technology is becoming negligible.
WHY COMPUTERS?
…the institutional answer
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Communication!
Level Playing Field
After College Use
Faculty/Students Demand Them
Customized/Personalized
Digitized Scholarship
Competitive Disadvantage Without
WHY PORTABLE?
Academic Reasons
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Continuous Contact
More Collaboration
Greater Faculty Availability
Greater Sense of Ownership
More Flexibility: On site data collection &
essay writing. In class use.
• Study at best location, not limited to dorm
WHY PORTABLE?
Administrative Reasons
• Stronger Recruitment/Retention
• Quick exchange when machine is broken
• Fewer Computer Labs: More Space for
Other Activities
• Built in refresh mechanism
• Access to college continues when on
vacation, abroad, and after graduation
The Faculty Initiative
[KISS]
Beginning Assumptions
• Start by enhancing an existing course, not
total redesign!
• Use only techniques that can be learned by
faculty in less than an hour!
• Expect network reliability and access to
knowledge help when needed!
• Recognize that no experiment can
jeopardize the success of a student cohort
(Garden Metaphor)
I think we’re here because...
Our profession has
new gardening tools.
We want to learn
which ones will be useful
in stimulating growth
in our own gardens.
ICCEL -- Wake Forest University, 2000
Metaphors for Professors’
Role
• Coach and team
• Master and apprentices
• Sage on the Stage
• Guide by the Side
• Fountain of Information
• Salesperson
___________________
ICCEL --•Wake
Forest University, 2000
The Low Hanging Six
 Email & Listservs
 URL addresses (in syllabus)
 Annotations within word processed documents
 Powerpoint “lecture outlines”
 Mini-movies that show successive computer screens
 Practice quizzing prior-to-class (via WebCT)
LESSONS LEARNED
• Early investment in extensive multimedia
may be more fun than useful
• Chat sessions are rarely productive
• Threaded discussions work only when the
topic is narrowly defined, controversial,
and the response is time limited and graded
• Powerpoint is often abused and overused
Lessons Learned
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First Focus Upon Communication
Undertake achievable goals
Contact becomes Continuous.
Students expect messages between classes
Team assignments increase
Papers & Talks often include visuals
Departmental clubs thrive
Student Portfolios Emerge
Students teach faculty
ICCEL -- Wake Forest University, 2000
Lessons Learned
• Computer challenged students learn basic
skills quickly, without special classes
• Disciplines use computers differently
• The Internet is the place to put electronic
class materials (WebCT)
• Start with Learning Objectives, Not
Technology
• If Email is always up, everyone will be
happy
ICCEL -- Wake Forest University, 2000
Lessons Learned
• Greatest benefits are what happens
between classes, not during classes.
• Greatest gains from computing come from
some of the simplest applications
• Standardization speeds faculty adoption
and eases the pressure upon support staff.
• Standardization saves class time.
• Student groups are larger and more active.
ICCEL -- Wake Forest University, 2000
Main Impact of Computers
Upon Learning in College
• Student Self Confidence is Shaken When They
Aren’t Computer Savvy
• Availability of New Methods of Teaching &
Learning has greatly increased how much and
how we think about effective teaching.
• Different strokes for different folks-individualization w/o necessarily personalization
• Community is strengthened in every way!
[Always in Touch]
ICCEL -- Wake Forest University, 2000
David G. Brown
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, N.C. 27109
336-758-4878
email: brown@wfu.edu
http//:www.wfu.edu/~brown
fax: 336-758-4875