Developing Strategies for using IT in Teaching &

Learning

Tuesday 20th October 1998

Dr Jay Dempster

Academic Staff Development Office

Educational Technology Service

• Reasons/pressures for IT intervention

• Looking at models of teaching

• Identifying (new) teaching aims

• Establishing a basic strategy

• Looking at IT solutions

• Integrating a range of methods

• Evaluating effectiveness of changes

Developing Strategies for using IT in Teaching &

Learning

Reasons/pressures for IT intervention

• personal reasons

• national pressures

• departmental pressures

• TQA

• institutional?

Models of teachingOld model New model Technology implications

classroom lectures individual exploration networked Pcs withaccess to information

passive absorption(active learning)

apprenticeship requires skillsdevelopment &simulations

individual work team learning benefits from collaborativetools & email

teacher as dispenserof information

teacher as guide access to experts over thenetwork

stable content fast-changing content requires network andpublishing tools

homogeneity diversity requires a variety ofaccess tools and methods

Larger groups require changes in:

Format of seminarsmore student centred

Staff deploymentmore effective use of GTAs

Group skillspresentationsdiscussion leadersgroup facilitators

Tutor being a manager for learning

inducting students to student-centred learning so they know what is expected of them

setting up support structures for students: basic learning resources, contacts etc.

managing GTAs: giving them basic training, making clear what is expected of them, setting up procedures

In the new teaching & learning methodology

• the teacher becomes guide/manager of learning resources

• the student becomes more independent and manages his/her learning

• the student works collaboratively with peers, not competitively

• communication and resources are accessible via the internet

• multimedia resources become are delivered over the network for flexible access

Computers in Education

ResourcesCAL packagesWeb (internet)CD-ROMsText/Databases

CommunicationsElectronic mailMailbases/UsenetComputer conferencingWhiteboardingVideo conferencing

ToolsWord processorsSpreadsheetsDatabasesProgramming

Establishing a basic strategy• challenges faced

• current & future problems

• the overall vision

• course aims & objectives

• method/materials

• available delivery infrastructure

• course approval

• departmental priorities

• scaling up

• staff development needs

• student motivation & induction

• implementation planning

• evaluating effectiveness

Strategic thinking

IT in T&Lstrategy

Current teaching practice - new challenges & present problems

Overall departmental and programme aims

Specific course objectives

Investigate methodologies (IT?)

Discuss/collaborate with dept/faculty/ support services

Training needs (staff/ students), resources required, costing

Implement methods, monitor & adapt

Evaluate effectiveness

student feedback

TQA

support services

Teaching aims IT solutions

Check your basic assumptions

• Assessing your own level of technological ability

• Expectations of student IT skills after graduation

• Support for IT developments

Looking at IT solutions

• Communicate your ideas• Integrate admin, teaching and

assessment procedures if possible• Exploit the Web, CMC, databases,

other tools for flexible l.resources• Identify useful IT-based learning

materials & sources of funding• Integrate a range of learning

technologies as appropriate

Matching learning technologies to teaching & learning objectives

to liven up lectures presentation technologies& multimedia

work-based assignmentsto provide structured learning for corecontent

CAL packages

to deal with quantity and diversity ofremedial teaching

CAL packagessimulations

to get difficult concepts across tostudents

animationssimulationsproblem-solving

to give more feedback to students toreinforce learning;to reduce marking

objective testingcomputer-based

assessmentto teach more efficiently evaluate cost-benefits of

current vs IT methods

Matching learning technologies to teaching & learning objectives - 2

to improve student and tutor interaction &communication

electronic groupscomputer conferencing

to encourage student-centred explorationor discovery learning, better use of internetresources

resource-based learningenvironments, e.g. via the web

to avoid routine enquiries (e.g FAQs) email lists/newsgroupbulletin boards

to improve access to materials web-based delivery

to enable flexible learning fromremote sites at times which suitstudents

web-based learningenvironment

to enable the teaching of largergroups of students

combination of methods(e.g. web-based delivery ofmaterials with built-in CMC)

Integrating a range of methods

• Fit IT method(s) to the needs of a particular course

• Use a “pick ‘n’ mix” approach

• Find ways to motivate students to learning

• Make changes incrementally

• Monitor and adapt

• Evaluate against objectives

Your personal strategy• Main teaching aims

• IT solution /combination

• Motivators to action

• Barriers to progress

• (Seek support/funding)

• Check IT infrastructure

• Embed motivation for students

• Evaluating effectiveness

Further reading & resources• Rethinking University Teaching: A Framework for the Use of Educational

Technology, Diana Laurillard, 1993. ASDO student reserve collection area

• Educational Technology Service web site: http://www.warwick.ac.uk/ETS/

– Resources section for useful guides and case studies

• Academic Staff Development web site: http://www.warwick.ac.uk/services/SED/teaching/

– Teaching & Learning section for case studies and details of TDFund and funded project summaries

• LTDI publication “Implementing Learning Technologies”: http://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/ltdi/

• CTI Support Service journal, Active Learning - full of case studies

– http://www.cti.ac.uk/

• TLTSN case studies - series of 3 short publications

– http://www.tltp.ac.uk/tltsn/

Dr Jay Dempster

Academic Staff Development Office

Educational Technology Service

Humanities Building H.112

Web site: www.warwick.ac.uk/ETS/

Email: ets@warwick.ac.uk

Tel: x 24670

Fax: x 72736

Contact details

Computers in Education

ResourcesCAL packagesWeb (internet)CD-ROMsText/Databases

CommunicationsElectronic mailMailbases/UsenetComputer conferencingWhiteboardingVideo conferencing

ToolsWord processorsSpreadsheetsDatabasesProgramming

Check your basic assumptions

• Assessing your own level of technological ability

• Expectations of student IT skills after graduation

• Support for IT developments

Assessing your level of technological ability

• general skills:– can you set up video player,OHP, computer

• does the idea of using IT:– worry you or excite you

• computer-based materials:– text (keyboard, OCR)

– graphics (paint/draw packages, scanning)

– media (sound, moving images, animation, photographs)

Assessing your level of technological ability - 2

• managing files:– backing up data

– preventing and coping with viruses

– copyright of electronic materials

• using data projection devices• using email, discussion lists, conferencing

• understanding the web:– using it, browse/search skills, creating pages, managing

web sites

Expectations of student IT skills

• Dearing skills specifications• “graduateness”• Public accountability of HE• Employers in industry/commerce/business• Quality assessment

– TQA Learning resources:• looking for overal strategy of IT in teaching and

learning, and specific provision of IT infrastructure including support

Support for IT developments

• Academic development• Computing services• Librarians• National CTI Centres

– discipline-based expertise and resources

• Nationally available courseware materials – TLTP, ITTI, FDTL ...

• Departmental• Teaching Development Fund