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Summer Conference Roundup(2004) ...by Celeste Fenton

Summer. Hot days. Cool drinks. For educators, summer is often full of the three R's: research, reflection, and retooling. Instructors delve into subject matter and discern new developments in their disciplines or related areas; reflect on how new material relates to courses, and update their repertoire of instructional materials. Conferences are often an excellent means of acquiring and communicating new technology, pedagogy, and educational practices. In July, I was fortunate to attend two excellent conferences, WebCT Impact 2004 in Orlando, and Syllabus in San Francisco. Although the focus of the two conferences were very different, there was a convergence of similar topics and demonstrations of best practices. E-learning, Learning Objects, Open Source, Blogging, Learning Styles, Digital Databases, E-books, along with a host of fascinating educational technology vendor demonstrations dominated both conference programs.

One of the most engaging and entertaining presenters at the WebCT conference, was Professor Curtis Bonk of Indiana University. Robed as a Jedi Knight from Star Wars, Professor Bonk, a Senior Research Fellow with the Advanced Distributed Learning Lab within the Department of Defense and Professor of Educational Psychology and Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University, shared his learner-centered philosophy with specific tips on how to actively engage students in the learning process. His presentation, titled Active Learning with Technology: Myths, Magic or Just a lot of Bonk, provided dozens of active learning ideas and solutions to create deeper learning experiences and opportunities. Bonk believes that utilizing learning styles in planning course activities (even if you don't believe in learning styles), results in a richer experience for both instructor and student. Some of his suggestions include:

Auditory - course announcements, FAQ sheets, 3-4 page reflection papers, minute papers (nutshell, abstract, sum-up, muddiest point, pro/con, most interesting), blogging, oral histories, round robin wrap-ups
Visual - video/streamed lectures, expert commenting, concept mapping, flash movies or visuals, video library of concepts, case studies, movie assignments (link class topic/concept to movie plots/points), business case simulations and scenarios

At the Syllabus Conference, Dr. Dorothy Clayton and colleagues from East Carolina University shared their experiences in creating an online chemistry laboratory preparation web site. For years the department had distributed a 330-page printed manual for students to study prior to each weekly lab session. In collaboration with the Instructional Technology staff, chemistry faculty replaced the print manual with a web site that combined textual information with video, interactive animations, still photographs, and drawings illustrating equipment, procedures, and techniques for each experiment. Students complete the section for each experiment prior to attending the lab. Interactive animations occur where appropriate; students may be prompted to click and drag a piece questions to move forward in the unit. It is important to note that the online multimedia lab preparation web site does not replace the actual lab experience. Faculty attribute the success of the website to several factors: 1) students find visual materials easier to comprehend; 2) students experience active learning; 3) consistent demonstration of procedures and techniques across sections; 4) information accessible 24/7 and may be viewed multiple times.

For assistance in developing course activities or online course materials, contact CITT staff.