ten minnie-myths of using technology in higher education dr. curtis j. bonk alias: mickey mouse...

Ten Minnie-Myths of Using Technology in Higher Education

Dr. Curtis J. BonkAlias: Mickey Mouse President, CourseShare.comAssociate Professor, Indiana Universityhttp://php.indiana.edu/~cjbonk, cjbonk@indiana.edu

With supporting Help from:

Ms. Minnie MouseOrlando, FloridaMinnie@disney.com

Myth #1.College instructors can just

teach the same way they always have.

Little or no feedback given Always authoritative Kept narrow focus of what

was relevant Created tangential

discussions Only used “ultimate”

deadlines

Provided regular qual/quant feedback

Participated as peer Allowed perspective sharing Tied discussion to grades,

other assessments. Used incremental deadlines

Poor Instructors Good Instructors

Dennen’s Research on Nine Online Courses

(sociology, history, communications, writing, library science, technology, counseling)

Myth #2.I must have a technology

background to use effectively.

You Just Need a Different Mindset

Myth #3.My university cannot afford

the technology.

Nicenet is Free!

Tons of Resources are Free!

Of course, some freebies are no longer free!

Myth #4.Learning is not improved when using technology.

Brains Before and After Technology Integration

BeforeAfter

Basic Distance Learning Finding?

• Research since 1928 shows that DL students perform as well as their counterparts in a traditional classroom setting.

Per: Russell, 1999, The No Significant Difference Phenomenon (5th Edition), NCSU, based on 355 research reports.

http://cuda.teleeducation.nb.ca/nosignificantdifference/

Bob Wisher’s Wish List

Effect size of .5 or higher in comparison to traditional classroom instruction.

Web Based Instruction

CBIKulik [8]

CBILiao [18]

Average Effect Size

.31 .32 .41

Number of Studies

11 97 46

Myth #5.There are no models for

assessing the quality of any technology integration

efforts.

The Sharp Edge of the Cube: Pedagogically Driven Instructional Design for Online Education

Syllabus Magazine, Dec, 2001, Nishikant Sonwalkar

five functional learning styles—apprenticeship, incidental, inductive, deductive, discovery.

http://www.syllabus.com/syllabusmagazine/article.asp?id=5858

New Methodology for Evaluation: The Pedagogical Rating of Online Courses

Syllabus Magazine, Jan, 2002, Nishikant Sonwalkar

The Pedagogical Effectiveness Index:(1) Learning Styles: (see previous page)(2) Media Elements: text, graphics, audio,

video, animation, simulation(3) Interaction Elements: feedback,

revision, e-mail, discussion, bulletin

http://www.syllabus.com/syllabusmagazine/article.asp?id=5914For more info, e-mail: Nish@mit.edu

Myth #6.There are no models or

best practices for teaching with technology.

Part I. Best Practices:Who are some of the key scholars

and players…???

Myth #7.It is too new to really know

what to do.

Exponential Growth of the Web

Myth #8.If I wait long enough, it will

go away.

-5

5

15

25

35

45

55

E-Mail InternetResources

WWW Pages ComputerSimulations or

Exercises

PresentationHandouts

Multimedia CD-ROM BasedMaterials

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

The Rising Use of Technology in Instruction(percentage of courses)

Myth #9.There is a constant learning curve since technology will

always need to be upgraded.

The Creation of Learning Objects will allow for interoperability of content

“Learning Objects are small or large resources that can be used to provide a learning experience. These assets can be lessons, video clips, images, or even people. The Learning Objects can represent tiny "chunks" of knowledge, or they can be whole courses.”

Claude Ostyn, Click2Learn

Myth #10.No Worries--The campus

administrators are there to help me teach with

technology.

Survey Finds Concern on Administrative Computing

Chronicle of Higher Ed, June 22, 2001, A33, Jeffrey R. Young

“Campus-technology leaders say they worry more about administrative-computing systems than about anything else related to their jobs.”

(survey by Educause—an academic-technology consortium)

Questions?

Comments?

Concerns?