Teaching Practices When Laptops are Required

This post is the third in a row utilizing links to papers in Learning Technology. This journal deserves a tip of the hat from me. It's published in Great Britain and covers a wide range of topics, including some of the more interesting papers I've seen on teaching with technology. The rather unwieldy title of the paper I'm posting about is Laptop use in teaching practice: Current research in the QuinnSchool of Business, UniversityCollegeDublin.

It's common in the U.S. for business schools and even entire universities to have a ubiquitous computing initiative in place. Some schools are changing their initiative to require Tablet PCs. Whatever the case, what are students and faculty to do with the machine once it's use is universal?

The paper brings up the significance of communities of practice:

Palincsar et al (1998: 17) suggest that learning is social in nature, reminding us that “sharing our (teaching) experiences in terms of (the) principles and practices” is important if we are to broadly understand the best use of laptops in teaching activities. Palincsar et al take “sharing further,” by creating an academic community of practitioners, in order to see how community based learning supports development amongst academics.

The paper continues:

The following summary points were abstracted from a series of exploratory interviews and focus groups with staff members from 4 courses over the academic year 2003/2004. Results from research presented key themes (obtained from data analysis and transcripts) in which is was identified that:
1. of the four courses studied, one course implemented a customised and content related “laptop policy” which was used to mediate interaction and use of laptops in class between lecturers and students engaged in learning.
2. all four courses had different implementation plans for the use of, and inclusion of, laptops in class and for assignments. In conversation all staff members mentioned the use of office tools extensively in assignments.
3. the use of small group teaching classrooms were conducive to a more intimate and “interactive learning environment.” Teaching staff also supported this trend and felt there was more interaction and communication in small group settings.
4. lecturers learned “through experience” when to use and when not to use laptops in class for teaching activities, reflecting instruction to use laptops at “appropriate” points in the curricula and learning process.

More research is needed on how teaching practices change once a ubiquitous computing initiative is implemented. For now, until we can prove it, we can only hope that learning is enhanced by these initiatives, which are costly for students.

The Tablet PC--The Future of Teaching and Learning?

I've been meaning to get around to writing a long post about the potential of the Tablet PC to facilitate teaching and learning. That long post will have to wait, but now's a good time to bring up the subject.

In September of 2004 I organized a demonstration showing how one faculty member uses the Tablet PC in his teaching. More than 40 faculty attended. After witnessing the capabilities of the Tablet PC and its pedagogical possibilities, at least 35 of the 40 left breathlessly anticipating that Socrates Tech would undertake a ubiquitous computing initiative requiring Tablet PCs. When faculty see how a Tablet PC can be used in class, it usually bowls them over.

For example, with a Tablet PC I can walk into class and start writing my lecture notes on the surface of a Tablet PC, instead of on paper, a transparency, or on the board. I can easily draw graphs, which is impossible to quickly do using a mouse and a standard laptop or desktop PC. After class, I can go to my office and upload the file containing my class notes from the Tablet PC to WebCT.

The author of the linked paper has it figured out:

The suggested approach provides a method to quickly create live digital lecture presentation material that does not require an instructor to significantly alter his existing mode of teaching. The digital content produced during the lecture can easily be used to create a course website with minimal required skills.

The laptops are becoming very common these days and the cost of a Tablet PC is slightly higher than a regular laptop. A combination of networked Tablet PC with a wireless projection system would eliminate the need to purchase expensive electronic blackboard system. The suggested combination could also be used in a portable mode to convert any regular classroom into an electronic classroom.

The lecture notes created using this process lack the instructor’s voice due to the missing capability of the program to include the digital audio files. There is a need to improve the suggested process to provide a richer multimedia experience.

E-CaD: A New Curriculum Model at the University of Phoenix

E-CaD (Enhanced Curriculum & Delivery Model) represents a change in the distance education practices of the University of Phoenix, implemented to allow for larger classes. E-CaD has the following key features:

Student Academic Expectations

• students actively participate with substantive remarks in online discussions 4/7 days a week (previously 5/7 days)
• final week of class has optional student participation in online discussions (previously students participated all weeks of course)
• weekly summaries are optional ( previously these were required)

Faculty Academic Expectations

• provide detailed syllabus (change only in specific E-CaD details)
• share two weekly online discussion questions (previously 3-6 questions)
• freedom to assign weekly online discussion questions to learning teams (previously dialog questions created only for individual students)
• share weekly lectures can be optional if course has weekly overview of material in rEsource
• respond to student comments 5/7 days in online discussions (no change)
• share weekly grade reports with students (no change) (E-CaD, 2004)

Since the University of Phoenix is considered a leader in best practices in online education, these changes in expectations will be taken into account by course designers across the academic universe.

QuickTake: Technology and Cross-Cultural Learning

From a research proposal: Multiple Perspectives: The Role of Technology in Cross-Cultural Learning in Undergraduate Courses at Kent State University,Theresa Minick, Kent State University and Vilma Seeberg, Kent State University:

Under what conditions does synchronous and asynchronous Computer Mediated Communication (CMC), e.g., chats and threaded discussions, and/or video conferencing promote, a. learning in various cultural settings, or cross cultural learning, and cross cultural awareness (integration state)? b. student problem solving, inquiry, discovery, creative and critical thinking? c. integration of CMC and video conferencing into the conceptualization of professional practice on the part of undergraduate Spanish students and instruction on the part of pre-service teachers?

QuickTake: Does Wi-Fi Facilitate Student Learning?

From: Final Report for Wireless Internet Grant, Funded by Research Center for Educational Technology, Kent State University,June 2004:


The research found that wireless Internet can promote student-centered learning by providing a choice of location, better learning environment, flexibility of time, easy involvement in group projects, and improved communication with instructors and other learners. New teaching strategies and models need to be developed to take full advantage of wireless technology.

QuickTake: Do Students Learn Better with Technology?

Although the linked paper by Gay Fawcett is 5 years old and applies to younger students, the question is still relevant. Do students learn better with technology? I think the answer is yes, and in future posts I'll direct you to research on the question.

Embedded Assessment for Improved Teaching and Learning

Assessment involves feedback. Just-in-time feedback can be used to tweak course design and thus improve course delivery. This is true whether a course is delivered online or F2F.

Embedded assessment refers to the process of continuous assessment designed to improve teaching throughout the term. Traditionally, courses have been assessed once a semester, such as through the IDEA survey or one of its competitors. Embedded assessment calls for continuous assessment.

The problem with traditional assessment relates to its timeliness. By the time instructors receive the results, it's too late to make changes to improve teaching. With embedded assessment, the feedback can be utilized to make continuous improvement.

Technology offers a method to embed assessment. The survey feature of WebCT is the one I am familiar with. By conducting weekly surveys of student opinion, with questions similar to those on the IDEA survey, instructors can tweak their course design on the fly rather than next semester. That's a good thing!

Moore's Law--Revolutionizing Teaching with Technology

At first glance the linked article would appear to be about the advances built into games that are in or near release by Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony. A closer look reveals that the development of more powerful processors, reflecting Moore's Law, is revolutionizing product offerings. There must be implications for teaching, but since these are not discussed in the article, I'll speculate a bit.

Instead of ever more powerful general purpose PCs, the application of computing power is leading to the creation of specialized devices. One of these is the "mobile media station," which combines the telephone, camera, and music player in one unit. Another is the entertainment device, such as games. Finally, we have the standard PC.

It's not far fetched to add a fourth category, which I'll call the "learning tech unit." Combining media and educational functions, specialized learning tech units could easily be created which would displace today's separate clickers (keypad technology such as Classroom Performance System (CPS)), iPods, and laptops. The core of such a unit would almost certainly be a tablet PC, but a super tablet enhanced with communications abilities.

As football coach George Allen used to say, "The future is now." Or at least in education, right around the corner.

QuickTake: The Launch of Trump University

Donald Trump has found the time between running his real estate empire, making TV appearances, and getting married, to start his own university. Given that nonprofit state universities have been slow on the uptake and failed to fill the needs of learners, it's not surprising that yet another for-profit university has made its way onto the educational scene.

Trump University utilizes a myriad of technologies and pedagogies in delivering courses. Mr. Trump has attracted some well-respected educators to the endeavor to ensure quality. We here at Socrates Tech welcome Mr. Trump to higher education and wish him and his students well.

QuickTake: 47 Tips for Bloggers

I found these 47 tips for bloggers through a link in Instapundit's FAQ. These will be useful for my student bloggers to read next fall, before they start their blogs. If you're new to the blogosphere, check them out.

Ten Ways Online Learning Can Help on the Job

Fast Company has performed a public service in posting its list of ten ways that online learning increases on-the-job effectiveness. Here's the list:

1. It helps you think globally.
2. It enhances your critical thinking.
3. It strengthens your electronic business communication.
4. It promotes active participation.
5. It builds your time management skills.
6. It fosters flexibility.
7. It highlights a virtual team environment.
8. It sharpens your tech savviness.
9. It allows you to stay abreast of industry advancements.
10. It accelerates your advancement.

It's hard to believe that some universities haven't found a place for online learning in their strategic plans. If you click on the link and read the specifics behind each of the items on the list, I think you'll come away a believer in distance learning.

SPlaT--The Self-Plagiarism Detection Tool

Splat! It's the sound a bug makes when a car collides with it at 70 miles an hour. It's also the name of software designed to fight self-plagiarism. I have the feeling that some unethical faculty self-plagiarizers are going to feel just like the proverbial bug on the windshield when SPlaT comes into widespread use.

Previous posts on the Socrates Tech blog have given you plenty of insight into the use of technology to fight student plagiarism. SPlaT is designed to help journal editors (and possibly colleagues) identify faculty members who recycle their papers over and over again. It's called self-plagiarism and it's as serious an ethical problem as any other form of plagiarism, including student plagiarism. Self-plagiarized papers crowd out other deserving papers from scarce journal space, thus harming other faculty who do not self-plagiarize.

SPlaT is a free download from the link in the post. Once a few self-plagiarizers are outed, self-plagiarism should become less common. That's technology in action, making academic life a little better for faculty of character.

QuickTake: Next Internet Explorer Will Have Tabs . . .

. . . and hopefully better security. Computers here at Socrates Tech are equipped with IE6 rather than Firefox, which already facilitates Internet searching by providing tabs.

Student Blogs for More Learning?

Blogging is an application of technology that would not have been easy to forsee. After all, who would have predicted that 9 million blogs would exist today, with a new one being created every seven seconds. Millions of Americans sit at their computers daily yakking away at the keyboard about their hobbies, boyfriends, girlfriends, and misery. Yak, yak, yak. Blog, blog, blog. It's cathartic, I suppose. Educational blogging is an even more improbable concept.

Student blogs, like faculty blogs, are new to the blogosphere. As such, their efficacy in promoting learning is untested. There are a few English faculty who have students create blogs in order to improve their writing skills. As far as I am aware, I will be the first economics instructor in the world to require students to blog as a way to increase their learning of economics.

That's right! My plans are to require student economics blogs in my honors macro principles class this fall. Will blogging improve their writing skills, their research skills, their facility with technology? I hope so, because monitoring and commenting on as many as 35 student blogs is going to be some work. That midnight oil is going to be burning a lot this fall.

I'll need to develop a rubric so that students will know how their blogs are going to be graded. I'll also have to teach them how to create a blog plus a little HTML. I'll show my students what I consider to be an exemplary student blog. You can see it too. Just click on the title of the post and visit Cantillon's Paradise.

QuickTake: Computer Software to Grade Papers

Dr. Ed Brent is a professor of sociology at the University of Missouri, Columbia with too many papers to grade. The onerous task of grading all those student papers in his large classes led him to develop a computerized essay grading program--human eyes not needed and each paper graded in seconds. Listen to Professor Brent discuss his creation in a National Public Radio audio file.

Individualized Interactive Instruction--3Is for Better Learning

Professor William Kaiser and Students

Good professors listen to students. That's one of the hallmarks of excellence in teaching. Imagine a class where students are allowed to ask questions anonymously. No more fear of asking a "stupid" question because no one in class will know who asked it.

Individualized Interactive Instruction (3I) is software created by UCLA electrical engineering Professor William Kaiser. Here's the best part. It's free! With 3I installed on student and professor laptops equipped with wi-fi, students can solve problems and ask questions, while the professor monitors students' keystrokes as they work on problems. The UCLA Daily Bruin reports,

This allows the instructor to pinpoint areas of deficiency for students, and offers an anonymous forum for students when they are stumped, which Kaiser and his students say enhances the learning environment.

In recognition of his achievements in creating and using 3I, Professor Kaiser was presented with the 2005 Brian P. Copenhaver award for faculty who promote innovation in teaching with technology. Kaiser comments, "I've always felt as a professor that I haven't been able to act with a lot feedback," Kaiser said. "For example, I might interpret a quiet group as bored, but it could be because I am going too fast in the lecture."

Future improvements in the technology that Professor Kaiser is considering include a laptop version and even a version that would work with text messaging on cell phones.

Here at Socrates Tech we haven't looked into adopting 3I yet. If we decide to move in that direction, we'll contact the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing for more information. The center, housed at UCLA, aims to improve the quality of eduction in the United States by studying how students learn and educational testing methods. Greg Chung, a senior research associate at the center, comments, "The technology is simple and it makes sense. I think it will help support large classes where instruction is really lecture-based."

Kaiser claims that 3I could easily be implemented in many disciplines. "It's not only the benefits for the students but there is a benefit for the instructor as far as reshaping the quality of the instruction. Students might find that their professor is becoming more effective."

As for the competition, Kaiser created 3I to go head-to-head against the Educational Testing Services' costly Discourse. In contrast, 3I is free, open source software, customizable by adopters. Bravo, Professor Kaiser.

Gaming for Grades--Plug in the PlayStation Now!

From the Wired Campus blog comes the link to this story about the use of games in higher education to develop business skills. Let Chip Luman, Human Resources Vice President at Charles Schwab give you his take:

The people who play games are into technology, can handle more information, can synthesize more complex data, solve operational design problems, lead change and bring organizations through change.

Here at Socrates Tech our faculty were already aware of Mr. Luman's insights. In fact, his thoughts mirror those of our founder Socrates, "I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think." Mr. Luman is saying that those sexist, violent, and sometimes racist video games that he's referring to in the quote enhance the thinking abilities of gamers. What turned him on to these insights? He read and reflected on Got Game: How the Gamer Generation is Reshaping Business Forever by John C. Beck and Mitchell Wade. This book received a five-star rating from reviewers on Amazon.com. What's the Beck and Wade bottom line?

Gamers are better risk-takers, show particular confidence in their abilities, place a high value on relationships and employee input and think in terms of "winning'' when pursuing objectives.

I don't play games myself, but maybe I'll start. If playing games can make me smarter, then why not? I should add that for years I've advised my students that a good leisure-time activity that develops the ability to think is poker. I haven't done any research to prove my contention that poker makes you smarter, but poker involves math, reasoning, risk-taking, self-confidence--in short, many of the skills that are of value in the business world.

The interest in the relationship between gaming and business success is just starting to prompt academic research into this fascinating subject. As those of us with the coveted Ph.d. after our names know, things are not always as straightforward as they appear to be. It could well be the case that smart people self select to play games. Thus, it wouldn't be the gaming that made for smarter people, but the other way around.

Gamers' families must have a nice disposable income. A couple of hundred bucks for a PlayStation plus the cost of the games wouldn't be a good use of money for many families. More family income provides those gamers with additional advantages in life that non-gamers don't possess. Better schools, clothes, diet, and medical care are examples.

Then, too, my understanding is that the great majority of gamers are male. If you buy in to Beck and Wade's gaming theory, then where does that leave women and female students, few of whom play games. I guess it leaves them to be sex objects, the way they're portrayed in so many games-- skimpily clad, extra large bosoms heaving, and at the mercy of powerful, ruthless males. Now that I think about it, I think I see why females avoid games. Gaming does seem like macho territory, doesn't it?

My female students do just as well in my courses as the male students. Maybe better. That tells me that gaming isn't the only game in town when it comes to success in the classroom.

Parscore--Technology for Easier, More Accurate Grading

I used to spend a lot of time grading, but no more. The good people at Scantron developed a product that saves me a lot of time and provides more accurate grading for students. The product is Parscore. Because this post is going to sound like a commercial, I should mention that I'm not a stockholder in the company.

Here's how Parscore works. The Parscore grading service on my campus creates an electronic gradebook for me. After my students take their exams on the Parscore forms that they purchase at the university bookstore, I walk the forms over to the Parscore office where the Parscore staff grade them and record the results in my gradebook. It's all accomplished with a Scanmark scanner, a computer, and a sharp PC specialist who knows the Parscore software. The grades are provided to me in printed form and in a spreadsheet. It takes the Parscore office about 15 to 30 minutes to grade 300 exams, with zero errors in grading and in recording the grades. In the old days, it would always take me about two days to process 300 exams and then key in the students' names and grades into an Excel spreadsheet. I made a lot of mistakes, too. Parscore is a huge improvement for students and faculty. Like me, the faculty on my campus love the service. As a Jewish mother would say, "What's not to love?"

I was responsible for bringing the Parscore technology to our campus back in 1997 or so. When I took over direction of our Teaching and Learning Center in 2000 I was pleased to be able to oversee the growth of the use of Parscore by our faculty. By the time I left the director's chair in 2004, the center was grading over 200,000 exams a year. It was all done quickly and efficiently, saving thousands of hours of valuable faculty time every year. Parscore is a technology that pays for itself. I once wrote an economic analysis of our Parscore service that showed the value of faculty time saved was over $200,000 a year. Of course, since faculty are paid salaries, not hourly wages, the $200,000 in savings does not appear on the university's bottom line.

It's no wonder that when a faculty member from Algeria visited our center several years ago, his head was turned by the Parscore technology. He wasn't aware than anything like Parscore even existed. His mission in the U.S. was to visit faculty development centers and bring back to Algeria a model for the creation of a center on his campus. Judging from his enthusiasm for Parscore, it wouldn't surprise me if, indirectly at least, I was partially responsible for the sale of the ONLY Parscore system in Algeria that year!

Whatever it's Called, the Outcome isn't Good

The headline on the linked story from the AACSB's Biz Ed is about as misleading as I've seen lately: Distance Learning Disappoints Some. Even if the headline were true, it wouldn't be news. Once I began reading the story, I realized that the disappointment was not with a distance learning class, as I think of distance learning, but with a televised course. Students in a satellite location watched a course unfold 100 miles away, communicating with the instructor via "press-to-talk" microphones. The students who were graced with the in-person presence of the instructor were more satisfied and provided more favorable evaluations of the course than the distant students.

I've taught a course myself in which I appeared in-person before a group of students while simultaneously a second group of students at our downtown campus watched me on a large screen. The results were not good, at least for the group that only saw the digital me projected larger than life. I like to call videoconferencing classes like this an abomination, but that's just me.

There's nothing in the story that tells us about the grades earned by the two groups of students. In my case, the downtown students suffered in terms of grades when compared to the students in the same room with me. Did videoconferencing cause that difference, or was there a self-selection process involved? I don't know. The anecdotal evidence I've heard from other instructors suggests that whatever the reason, it wasn't anything that I did. It seems that the students in the distant location always suffer. Maybe they should be given a tuition discount since it is economics that drives pedagogically shaky classes like these. At least, I've never heard anyone say that students learn more by watching classes on screen.

QuickTake: Powertool

I found this new software that is designed to eliminate some of the problems that crop up during PowerPoint presentations. I haven't used it, so can't vouch for it.

A Blue Ribbon to Neil Fleming's Vark

The Socrates Technological University Award of Excellence

I've attended at least a dozen of the outstanding teaching and learning workshops offered by New Zealander Neil Fleming. Neil shares numerous practical techniques with attendees that really work in the classroom. This Blue Ribbon Award goes to Neil for making available free of charge his Vark guide to learning styles. Just click on the link. No password needed, no fee to pay. Both students and faculty answer a few simple questions and find out more about their learning styles. There is also advice on how to study that is tailored to each learning style. Thanks, Neil.

Is Student Plagiarism Worse than Faculty Plagiarism?

I ran across two posts on plagiarism by Professor Gary Becker and Judge Richard Posner on their Becker-Posner Blog. If you are not an economist you might not recognize their names. Suffice it to say that Becker is a Nobel prize winner and that Posner is his match in intellectual debate. These two titans of thought have some disagreements when it comes to plagiarism.

Becker makes a point that we've made here before: Technology has made it easier to plagiarize. Surprisingly, he disputes our contention that technology has also made it easier to detect plagiarism. He argues that plagiarism is harder to detect and so should be punished more severely than in the past. We here at Socrates Tech, leaders in teaching with technology that we are, are well acquainted with all the high-tech tools that exist to detect plagiarism. We would argue that detection is easier. If you grant that point, then Becker's conclusion that the plagiarists of today should be punished more severely than in the past falls apart.

The Becker-Posner debate distinguishes between faculty and student plagiarism. Becker's take is that faculty should be punished more severely (fired!) for plagiarizing, but Posner's view seems to be that professors should get off more lightly. Posner justifies his argument on the basis of the contention that less harm is done by faculty plagiarism than by student plagiarism.

I have problems with both men's arguments. The idea that a faculty member should have his or her livelihood taken away for a single instance of plagiarism seems unduly harsh. The line between the legitimate use of sources and plagiarism of those sources is sometimes blurred. A significant loss of income would seem to be sufficient punishment. As for Posner's argument, the problem is that by treating faculty plagiarism differently from student plagiarism, we encourage it.

QuickTake: Plagiarism Resources

The University of Virginia offers a page of downloads relating to WCopyfind, software to assist instructors in fighting plagiarism. There is no charge for the software. I haven't used it, so can't vouch for it.

Hearing Impaired?--Let Guido Point the Way

Guido, the "virtual signer"

From Britain comes news that an animated "virtual signer" has been developed to help the hearing impaired navigate their way across cyberspace. As I'm fond of saying, the era of silent movies ended in 1928, so why should the Internet mostly be silent? But sounds are only of value if you can hear them or have them translated.

I don't know for sure how Guido will go about doing his job. What I do know is that I have 50 sound-enhanced PowerPoint tutorials on WebCT. If hearing-impaired students are to hear those files, they would need a live signer to interpret. Guido will work for nothing and thus make it practical to provide interpretations of sound files to hearing-impaired students. I have a feeling that unlike live signers, Guido could be on duty 24/7. According to the BBC, Guido utilizes British sign language. Maybe that's different from the American version. If it is, then Guido won't be up to the job in the U.S.

Can America come up with its own competitor to Guido? What shall we name the all-American virtual signer, if one is developed here in the colonies? With a name that sounds Italian to me, Italy could get the credit for developing Guido. That may be OK with the British, but we wouldn't want another country to get the credit for our virtual signer. We Americans have too much pride for that. According to this source, it was Thomas Gaullaudet who invented American sign language. Perfect! Let's call our virtual signer Tommy. The name is about as all-American as they come.

QuickTake: Wanna Blog?

MSN and Yahoo have joined blogger.com in hosting blogs. Click on the link to see the services to the blogging community they provide. Excellent review if you want to start blogging.

QuickTake: When Less is More

You may have noticed that I've added something to the title of some of my posts. I've introduced a new feature to my corner of the blogosphere: the QuickTake. Posts that carry this label will be short and sharply focused. Like this post!

QuickTake: The Loneliness of the Online Instructor

From Dr. Tammy comes this very personal, very revealing insight into the life of a distance educator:

So, when you read about isolated online students...don't forget about us online faculty. We are the ones that keep our learners motivated...and ourselves too! Send us an email...or drop us a call sometime. Don't forget about us. Just because we are "out of sight"...don't leave us "out of mind." We need to feel connected to our peers and university also!

Read more in her May 2, 2005 post titled In a connected world...just how connected are we?

QuickTake: Technology For More Productive Learning

From this week's Chronicle of Higher Education comes this insight:

Students have long had the ability to work almost anywhere. As Cynthia C. Froggatt observes in her book Work Naked: Eight Essential Principles for Peak Performance in the Virtual Workplace (Jossey-Bass, 2001), students study in their dorm rooms, the library, the student union, and other places around the campus, depending on their work style.
Those who study in their rooms tend to blur their work and personal lives, while those who study in the library like to keep the two separate. Students who work in the student union generally prefer to be around other people, using the background noise to help them focus. Ubiquitous laptop computers, data connections, and wireless networks have encouraged such idiosyncratic work habits, enabling students to be more productive in whatever setting appeals to them.