U N I V E R S I T Y  O F  P I T T S B U R G H

Volume VIII, Number 2

Digital video will be used in the Robert Henderson Language Media Center and the classroom to improve student learning of sign language in the project ASL Goes Digital: Integrating Digital Movies into ASL Activities and
Assessment, directed by Dawn McCormick, linguistics. Working with McCormick on the project are assistant directors Michelle Balfe, Debra Hast, and Claire Bradin Siskin, all of linguistics.

Since American Sign Language (ASL) is a visual-spatial language, faculty have relied on video for years. Now, using Web cams and digital camcorders, they will be able to exploit the versatility and flexibility of digital video: It can be broken into frames or segments, captions can be added, and files can be edited. It can be saved on a student disk, added to Web-based courses, or stored on the Language Media Center server for convenient student access. Finally, it does not deteriorate like VHS videotape.
Hand shape, palm orientation, hand location, movement, and non-manual markers (e.g., facial expressions) are the major components of sign language. Since experience in observing and interpreting different people’s signing styles is critical to the learning process, digital video has been a boon. It allows students to both study and practice signing; it increases their confidence because they are able to easily obtain feedback from their instructors and peers; and it permits them to scrutinize their own signing techniques.

Following a pilot study using digital video, Department of Linguistics instructor Debra Hast noted, “Initially the students were hesitant to watch themselves sign, but after attending the first hands-on training session and developing their first digital video assignment, they saw improvement in their ASL skills.”

According to McCormick, “We’re at the beginning of what we can do in teaching with digital video.” Therefore, ASL faculty will participate in hands-on training workshops this fall so they can begin to incorporate the technology into their fall courses. As a result, over 200 graduate and undergraduate students will benefit from this innovation.

Common Concepts Project: Community

A strong commitment to teaching and to interdisciplinary collaboration is the foundation for the Common Concepts Project: Community at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. During the 2002-2003 academic year, the project committee of six faculty, a librarian, and one student will work to incorporate the theme of “Community” into their courses. Led by co-directors Don Ulin, English, and David Champion, administration of justice, the project has as its goal the forging of links between courses and departments, thus encouraging students’ appreciation of these interconnections and their power to create new knowledge and perspectives.
At UPB, Champion believes, “Our departments and disciplines are so small and integrated that there is already a collegiality and interdisciplinary warmth. The faculty here are concerned with our primary mission—teaching.” Ulin agrees: “This project grows out of connections that happen naturally across disciplines. The idea, therefore, is to take those connections and bring them into our classrooms.”
With common themes that will change yearly, the project involves a number of innovative features. For example, in the spring it will host an interdisciplinary undergraduate conference. “But rather than having a poster session followed by a keynote speaker, followed by another session, we’re considering films, performances, and other things promoting the notion of community,” explains Ulin. Furthermore, the students in attendance will have the opportunity to produce papers or other material for presentation. As Champion notes, “For students who go on to graduate schools or to professional schools, participation in a professional conference is a valuable lesson.” Additionally, the project will include a Common Concept Seminar, online resources, interdisciplinary discussion groups, and a lecture series featuring visiting scholars.
For both students and faculty, working collaboratively to enhance learning is the real goal. Ulin emphasizes that the project “will address a disconnection I’ve felt between what students are doing in my class, and what they are doing in someone else’s class.” Echoing the importance of creating these larger connections, Champion adds, “The big joy of teaching and learning is when something clicks and students can understand the connections. We’re pushing them to think across disciplines. That’s where the real intellectual revelation takes place.”

A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh

Center for Instructional Development & Distance Education
1996-2004 © University of Pittsburgh, CIDDE. All Rights Reserved.
Editor: Carol DeArment, Production: Joyce Walsh
Questions or comments, please contact CIDDE Webmaster, 04/09/2004