Faculty/IT Partnering to Transform Learning

1. Faculty/IT Partnering to Transform Learning George Watson Leila Lyons Janet de Vry University of Delaware

2. Agenda: IT/Faculty Partnership • 2 part interactive Case Study– 30 minutes • What is PBL? –10 minutes • UD institutional supports –15 minutes • Faculty projects–10 minutes • Questions–10 minutes

3. Case Study part 1 • Instructions to groups

4. Case Study part 2 • Instructions to groups

5. Case Study Debriefing

6. Characteristics Neededin College Graduates High level of communication skills Ability to define problems, gather and evaluate information, develop solutions Team skills -- ability to work with others Ability to use all of the above to address problems in a complex real-world setting Quality Assurance in Undergraduate Education (1994) Wingspread Conference,ECS, Boulder, CO.

7. Recommendations from theCarnegie Foundation Make research-based learning the standard. Build inquiry-based learning throughout the four years. Link communication skills and course work. Use information technology effectively. Cultivate a sense of community. Boyer Commission Report

8. What I know best I have taught… …the individuals learning the most in the teacher-centered classrooms are the teachers there. They have reserved for themselves the very conditions that promote learning: actively seeking new information, integrating it with what is known, organizing it in a meaningful way, and explaining it to others. Page 35, Huba and Freed, Learner-Centered Assessment on College Campuses: Shifting the Focus from Teaching to Learning, 2000

9. What is Problem-Based Learning? PBL prepares students to think critically and analytically, and to find and use appropriate learning resources. PBL is a learning approach that challenges students to “learn to learn,” working cooperatively in groups to seek solutions to real world problems.

10. “The principal idea behind PBL is that the starting point for learning should be a problem, a query, or a puzzle that the learner wishes to solve.” Boud (1985)

11. What are the CommonFeatures of PBL? Learning is initiated by a problem. Problems are based on complex, real-world situations. All information needed to solve problem is not initially given. Students identify, find, and use appropriate resources. Students work in permanent groups.

12. PBL: The Process Students are presented with a problem. They organize ideas and previous knowledge. Students pose questions, defining what they know and do not know. Assign responsibility for questions, discuss resources. Reconvene, explore newly learned information, refine questions.

13. The Problem-Based Learning Cycle Assessment (when desired) Overview Problem, Project, or Assignment Mini-lecture (as needed) Whole Class Discussion Group Discussion Preparation of Group “Product” Research Group Discussion

14. ITUE History • Created in 1997 to promote reform of undergraduate education through faculty development and course design. • Initially funded by NSF Institution-Wide Reform of Undergraduate Education • ITUE Fellows receive hands-on experience in employing active learning strategies (PBL) and effective use of technology in their classrooms.

15. ITUE–Faculty • PBL training from practitioners • Collegial environment • Ongoing peer support • Funding and recognitions through grants • Provide faculty who ask, “How can I make learning more active?”

16. Elements Encourage both Pedagogy and Technology Adoption • Administrative Vision • Robust Technological Infrastructure • Partnerships • Faculty Development/Encouragement • Institutional Support • Support Staff

17. Partnerships • Institute for Transforming Undergraduate Education (ITUE) • General Education Initiative • Written and Oral Communications Task Force (WOC-TF)

18. ITUE Fellow describes use ofWebCT Communication Tools Faculty member skilled in both PBL and WebCT Led class through a problem on justice for the terrorists Used online groups in class to address the problem

19. 10 Goals • Goal #1 All students will attain effective skills in • quantitative reasoning • the use of information technology • oral and written communication

20. Task Force on Oral and Written Communication Skills • The mission of the Task Force on Writing • formulate a plan with specific action steps • to ensure that undergraduates at UD obtain and improve • critical communication skills during their courses of study

21. The synergy of partnerships Active learning instructional technology

22. “Faculty friendly”

23. Collaborative workspace • Similarities between PRESENT and PBL classrooms • Flexible furniture • Flexible equipment

24. IT Support • Half of IT support staff have masters degrees in education • Wide range of skills—programming, digital media specialist, graphics, Course Management Systems expertise. • Instructional designer • Form support teams for faculty projects with Librarians and Center for Teaching Effectiveness staff

25. PRESENT programs • Collaborative winter and summer teaching, learning and technology institutes • Year long training program • One-on-one consultations and collaborations • Projects to implement faculty teaching/learning goals • Showcase and publicize faculty projects

26. Faculty Encouragement

27. Showcase Faculty Work

28. Institutional Support Elements of grant proposal

29. Course Redesign Projects • Biology • Education • Consumer Studies • Plant and Soil Science • Psychology • ITUE –technology assistance projects

30. ITUE Technology Assistance Grants • Grants staff and student time to apply active learning to a specific course • Awarded to ITUE fellows • 2 examples: • Harry Shipman and E-labs for Physics • John Deiner and Online Newspaper for Political Science

31. Departmental Support • Chemical Engineering

32. IT Support Lessons Learned • To change the curriculum, need to change how faculty perceive teaching and learning • Infuse the campus culture with a variety of ways for faculty to learn about pedagogy and to reinforce that learning • Partnerships with faculty can help with faculty readiness • At UD the ITUE is a major contributor

33. Institutional Support • Examples of additional elements of institutional support?

34. Faculty Perspective on Partnership • Complementary strengths • Ongoing technical support • Ideas into reality

35. Partnership Success Adoption rate of WebCT by ITUE faculty double that of full faculty

36. PBL/IT projects • John Deiner in Political Science • Charlene Hamilton in Nutrition and Dietetics • Harry Shipman in Physics

37. Online Newsletter for Politics of Developing Nations • Students learn by doing • Study contemporary economic, political and social issues in Third World • Take on collaborative roles and produce a newsletter • Research on the web and publish on the web

38. Nutrition and Dietetics Internship Simulates a real world interview: Student makes choices and receives feedback based on those choices

39. E-labs in Physics

40. Other IT/Faculty collaborations • Joint WebCT/ITUE weeklong institute • WebCT discussion group training co-taught by faculty and IT in PBL format • PBL Clearinghouse • Pilot of wireless carts for PBL classroom

41. Why partner to transform learning? • What do ITUE faculty bring to transforming education? • What do IT professionals bring? • What other campus groups are important? • What elements of the UD experience could you adapt to your own campus?

42. Wrap Up ?