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U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H |
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A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh |
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U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H |
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A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh |
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Faculty use varied technologies for teachingWe are all aware that we live in an IT-enabled world. The University and the School of Arts and Sciences have done a lot to provide the hardware and software that our students and faculty need. Our next challenge is to share and invent innovative and effective ways to take advantage of the extraordinary potential of modern information technology in delivering the best possible instruction for our students. - Dean N. John Cooper, School of Arts and SciencesThis edition of the Teaching Times focuses on some of the ways instructional technologies are enhancing teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh. Inside this issue, faculty describe how they are using several of the technologies that have the potential for broad application.
“One of the important challenges for the Center for Instructional Development & Distance Education (CIDDE) is introducing faculty to the variety of technologies that hold promise for enhancing teaching,” states Diane J. Davis, director. “Since CIDDE was created 10 years ago to unify faculty support services toward the mission of fostering excellence in teaching and learning, we have seen a remarkable change in the ways that faculty use technology in their teaching.” As evidence, she cites the 150 technologically renovated classrooms and continued growth in the use of emerging technologies and online tools. The number of faculty who borrow instructional equipment has been steadily increasing in recent years, according to Michael Arenth, assistant director of CIDDE’s Instructional Media Services (IMS). Computers top the list of in-demand technologies. Last year, 3,146 “notebook” computers were loaned to faculty for class-room Internet connections and PowerPoint presentations, notes Arenth. IMS also supplies screens and projectors for PowerPoint presentations to classrooms that have not been technologically renovated and equipped. Video equipment is the second most popular equipment IMS provides to faculty. Additionally, many faculty borrow wireless “mice” and microphones to enable them to lecture and change PowerPoint slides without being tied to a podium.
Arenth and his staff are frequently called on to demonstrate how to use equipment in the 150 classrooms that have been renovated with computers, projectors, and DVD players. At the same time, Media Services tries to keep faculty up-to-date on user-friendly technological advancements, such as USB flash drives, also known as thumb drives (because of their size), which provide extensive portable file storage.
The number of instructors using CIDDE’s Faculty Instructional Development Lab (FIDL) in the last two academic years has increased by approximately 40 percent, according to Restiani Andriati, manager. The biggest demand is for assistance in expanding and evolving uses of Pitt’s online course management system, CourseWeb, which uses Blackboard software. When CourseWeb was first adopted seven years ago, faculty used it primarily for uploading course materials but, in recent years, uses are expanding more in areas of communication (e-mails, discussion boards, and chats) and assessment tools (tests/surveys, file submissions, and gradebook). FIDL also has seen an increase in faculty use of scanning tools, especially for creating pdf files and importing images to PowerPoint. Most of the files created in the lab are then uploaded to CourseWeb. Instructors also digitize audio and video clips to be included in their PowerPoint lectures. Additionally, FIDL assists faculty in using plagiarism detection software (turnitin) and video capturing tools (i.e. Mediasite, Tegrity, and Janus), while also providing consultation for instructional application projects. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh |
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for Instructional Development & Distance Education |
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