Postdoctoral Fellow of Psychology Karen Kochel was looking for a way to encourage students enrolled in her Child Development course, to become active participants in their learning. In an effort to enhance her students’ academic experience, Dr. Kochel decided to pair mobile technology (the iPad2) with community based learning.

CTLT Liaison, Matthew Trevett-Smith discusses the importance of tablet computing in higher education.

Plus the CTLT Calendar of Summer Workshops and Events, and the Blackboard Tip o’ the Month!

Please click here to download this issue.

If you have questions or would like training about other software, please access Atomic Learning, or contact your CTLT liaison directly with your question or to setup a training session.

Faculty and staff from across the University of Richmond are invited to participate in an informative networking event sponsored by the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology that aims to highlight innovative strategies in teaching, learning, and creativity.

These incredible projects demonstrate the innovation made possible when University of Richmond faculty work together with their Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology Liaisons, and each other.

Presenters include Kevin Bruny (SPCS) who will focus on the impact of iPads in the classroom, Stephen Long (Political Science) who will discuss the use of Adobe Connect in an environment to mix face-to-face and computer-mediated activities, and Fiona Ross (Art) who will talk about her interactions with 3D printing.

CTLT Liaison, Matthew Trevett-Smith discusses the importance of conversation.

Plus the CTLT Calendar of Workshops and Events, and the Blackboard Tip o’ the Month!

Please click here to download this issue.

Overview

The purpose of this initiative is to enable University of Richmond faculty members to explore, and ultimately utilize mobile technology in their teaching. Since the beginning of this program, we have found that incorporating these mobile technologies can enhance the student educational experience as well as the potential to aid in research and personal productivity. These mobile technologies certainly provide for interesting and unique opportunities in higher education.

We believe that mobile technologies have the ability to transform learning, change how professors transmit knowledge, and effectively change how students acquire, interact with, and use knowledge.

This program is intended to support faculty members interested in integrating a mobile device, apps, and web-based tools into a specific course that they teach. For those accepted into the Mobile Device Initiative, the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology will distribute the mobile technology to faculty for one full year. The students participating in the course for which the application was submitted will receive the mobile device for one semester.

When drafting your application, faculty are strongly encouraged to collaborate with their CTLT Liaison. Your CTLT Liaison is available to work with you to further develop and implement classroom activities during the semester.

Faculty members selected to receive a mobile device will be asked to collaborate and share their experiences with other program participants. In addition, faculty members will be asked to share their experience with the campus community through other CTLT initiatives (such as the Learning@Richmond Newsletter, Workshop participation, Pizza & Pedagogy Lunches, PETE events, PETE: After Hours, etc.) Participation in these events is optional. To add to our growing knowledge base of learning impact, students will be asked to complete a brief survey on their experiences with the mobile device, at the end of the semester. (Results from previous surveys are available.)

Procedure

Submit your proposal to ats@richmond.edu by Tuesday, April 30, 2013 at 5:00pm. You will be asked to address the following questions in your proposal:

• How will learning improve by providing ready, portable access to course materials for reference and review?
• How will the device support collaborative learning by facilitating storage and sharing of course-related materials among students and between students and instructors?
• How will the device provide richer learning experiences through the integration of audio and/or video-based resources?
• How will the device support learning and research in authentic field settings?
• How will the device simplify course delivery or reducing time needed for course management?
• … be specific, including which apps you plan to use on the device.

Process

Proposals will be reviewed by CTLT staff. Priority will be given to first time applicants. Applying faculty members will be notified by a CTLT Liaison regarding the selection decision via email. The device will be distributed to selected faculty as soon as possible after the selection process.

Ownership of the mobile device will rest with the University. Faculty and students will be able to download free apps, however additional apps for purchase will be the responsibility of the individual faculty/student, and made through his or her personal iTunes account. A $50 iTunes gift card will be provided to each participating faculty member.

The CTLT has inventory for supporting 2-3 classes using iPod Touches and 2-3 classes using iPad 2s. The iPod Touches do not have a camera but can perform audio recordings. The iPads have front facing (webcam quality) and rear facing (720p video quality) cameras. The mobile devices contain WiFi access only. Please contact your CTLT liaison for more device dependent information.

Application

Please download and complete the MDI Fall 2013 Application. When drafting your application, faculty are strongly encouraged to collaborate with their CTLT Liaison. You should submit your finished proposal to ats@richmond.edu by Tuesday, April 30, 2013 at 5:00pm.

Inside this issue:

Using Digital Storytelling, Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Communication Studies Nicole Maurantonio teaches her students how to bridge theory and practice in her department’s Capstone special topics course titled, “Remembering and Forgetting Richmond’s Past.”

CTLT Liaison, Jon Messer discusses the important distinctions between cooperative and collaborative assignments.

Plus the CTLT Calendar of Workshops and Events, Blackboard Tip o’ the Month, and another 2¢ from the CTLT Liaisons!

Please click here to download this issue.

There are three articles in this series, which began on February 21. The series is written by Ron Berk.  I think you will find that the articles are both provocative and practical. Part 1 is now available online for free download. Parts 2 and 3 on creating an effective LinkedIn profile will be available in March and April.  Here’s the link: http://www.newforums.com/jfd

When:  Monday, May 13, 2013 to Friday, May 17, 2013
Where:  Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology, Boatwright Library

Incoming students described as “digital natives” are arriving at colleges and universities with significant expectations of how technology should be used and integrated to support their learning.  These expectations include the opportunity to access and interact with course information online, collaborate and connect with others through the social web, and produce multimedia projects that can digitally express their ideas and creativity.  In order to meet these expectations, faculty should be aware of modern tools and pedagogies that allow them to use technology innovatively and effectively (Roberts, 2005).  Moreover, faculty should continue expanding their comprehension of instructional technologies so that they are able to apply them in creative, meaningful and influential ways.

The Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology will host its Faculty Academy 2013 (FA 2013) to help prepare faculty to utilize emerging technologies and teaching strategies to enhance the learning experience for Richmond students. This five day professional development opportunity immerses participants in a variety of hands-on workshops, training sessions and thought-provoking discussions about innovative pedagogy, instructional technology and new media.  Faculty can choose one of two themes: Technology-Facilitated Course Design or Digital Media Production.

The learning objectives of the Technology-Facilitated Course Design track will allow faculty to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of instructional design principles as they relate to face to face and blended learning environments.
• Design online assignments and develop activities to assess students in blended learning environments.
• Create or redesign a course that fully utilizes Blackboard and includes rich media, web-based discussions and relevant assessments.

The learning objectives of the Digital Media Production track will allow faculty to:

• Produce digital video and design learning experiences that incorporate media production tools and blended learning resources to promote student reflection, creativity and information technology fluency.
• Create a digital story and integrate a new media narrative assignment that incorporates audio, image and video editing.
• Advocate for student media literacy and communicate the ethical use of digital media, including respect for copyright and Creative Commons licensing.

On Monday (5/13/13 from 1p-4p), an orientation will highlight the week-long activities of FA 2013 and introduce faculty to each other to discuss their interests and expectations.  Selected participants from FA 2012 will then share their lessons learned and new practices they’ve integrated in their courses because of prior participation.

On Tuesday (5/14/13 from 9a-4p), Wednesday (5/15/13 from 9a-4p) and Thursday (5/16/13 from 9a-4p), faculty will break into their selected theme and engage in discussions and hands on activities that allow them to create a capstone project (design a blended course or produce a professional video interview and digital story).

On Friday (5/17/13 from 10a-2p), faculty will present their capstone to their FA 2013 peers and discuss project challenges, affordances and implications for innovative teaching.  Afterwards, an informative discussion with current Richmond students about their thoughts on technology use in the classroom, blended learning and new media projects will conclude the week long event.

Eligibility criteria
Candidates must be a University of Richmond faculty member actively teaching credit courses in any of the five schools.  The application must be submitted by March 18th, 2013.  Selected participants will be notified by March 22nd, 2013.

A total of 10 faculty (5 in each theme) will be selected.  A $1000 stipend will be provided to each participant upon attending all 5 days, presenting a capstone project and completing an evaluation.

If you have any questions about Faculty Academy 2013 or the application, please contact your technology liaison: http://is.richmond.edu/academic/