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Home > Resources > Library and Links > Online Postings & Articles > Educational Technology > Online Classrooms

Online Classrooms - April 11, 1995

Presenters: Al Stavitsky (Journalism), John Nicols (History), Dan Gilfillan (Germanic Languages), Steven Ongena (Economics), Neil Fargher (Accounting), Erick Heroux (English), Robert Parker (PPPM), JQ Johnson (UO Library)

I asked the following questions of each of our presenters with these results:

Briefly describe what you are doing with your class using instructional technology.

Al Stavitsky (Journalism)-Teaching over Ed-Net to remote sites; using WWW for class materials; publishing radio programs as audio files on the net

John Nicols (History)-I post extensive lecture notes for my HIST 414 course on the web (http://darkwing/~jnicols/), and beginning to incorporate images into the text. The notes are usually posted two days before the lecture. Also run an electronic bulletin board, KLIO, that serves as a discussion group for students and allows me to update the course.

Dan Gilfillan (Germanic Languages)- I am a GTF for a 3rd year German language course, which has a primary focus on writing. I had a newsgroup set up for my students winter term, seeing it as an additional resource for them-a kind of classroom extended beyond the classroom setting. I framed the newsgroup as a vehicle for their questions concerning grammar problems experienced while writing, for their discussion of texts read for class-an exchange of ideas, and for their specific questions to me. I need to reformulate my own expectations of the newsgroup, however, as I find the open nature which I had tried to foster is not working all that well.

Steven Ongena (Economics)-Use of a syllabus +homework/exams on WWW, use of email

Neil Fargher (Business)-Email accounts, course notes, exam solutions, news available on the WWW, WWW links to related accounting sites, some use of overhead display panel projection system connected to a portable PC.

Bob Parker (PPPM)-I have used it in several classes, most extensively in my Electronic Data Resources (EDR) class. I have set up newsgroups for all of the classes I teach. For the EDR class I set up a series of WWW pages that includes a variety of information. This is a natural linkage because the class focuses on the use of technology in academic and professional research.

In the EDR class, I have posted some assignments exclusively to the course newsgroup, and WWW pages. I have also required some assignments to be submitted by email. I have used the information exclusively as supplements to in-class material.

Erick Heroux (English)- During fall term, I used both a customized WWW site for literary course material, and also a mailserv program for class discussion online. Winter term, I served as a consultant for the Composition Program, again constructing a WWW site and also assisting writing classes with a networked writing classroom program, Daedalus Integrated Writing Environment.

Approximately how much time has it taken to do this and is this time over and above what you normally put into your course(s)?

Al-The distance Ed course is extremely time consuming.

John-A fair amount of time to learn the method of posting (I do have a very good handout that interested faculty may find useful as it makes no assumptions.) There is "upfront" investment, but I anticipate that there will be dividends in terms of my time. So far, the students have got the most out of the two programs.

Dan-Maintaining the newsgroup has not taken up a lot of my time. It is something that I can do during my office hours, and I find it very intriguing.

Steven- None. I typed all the assignments immediately in HTTP. Saves valuable class time. No need to spend time on administrative details. I send the students e-mail + have a section on the homepage with important messages.

Neil-No idea how much time. Did it largely within my normal preparation time. Of course, I always did spend too much time on teaching.

Bob-A lot. I haven't kept track. Publishing information electronically takes time, but isn't that difficult. In terms of over and above what I would normally do-somewhat. The benefit is once the general structure is set up, the revisions are significantly easier.

Erick-I have no idea how much time it has taken, all things considered, but it is certainly far beyond normal time requirements.

What level of computer expertise was necessary in order to do what you are doing? What hardware and software were required?

Al-Moderately high level of computer expertise (including lots of help from our computer guru, Mick Westrick). Mac Quadras and various software packages.

John-Need Windows or equivalent; some knowledge of Pico and the language of http.

Dan-Luckily the support network available through computing services is very reliable here. I was able to have the newsgroup set up in a matter of an afternoon, and the newsgroup itself is accessible via numerous programs, i.e. pine, lynx, netscape, gopher, etc.

Steven-Hard to answer. I guess some knowledge is required. Regular stuff which is available on Darkwing.

Neil-Computer expertise was minimal. Expertise is available at the university to get help. Expertise far exceeds resources. The hardware and software are all on resources commonly available to faculty. None of it is set up in a user friendly way for teaching normal classes.

Bob-I can't answer this objectively. I don't think that the tools are that hard to use, but, I've been using them so long that I can't remember how much of a struggle it was to learn them.

Erick-For the WWW site construction: takes about a week to learn, and actual construction depends upon the nature and amount of material involved. It does take considerably longer than assembling a class packet for photocopies. For e-mail and mailserv discussion group: familiarity with e-mail. For networked writing classroom: A few days to learn the software and to revise assignments accordingly.

How have your students responded to the use of instructional technology in the course?

Al-We have conducted evaluations for the distance Ed courses-but I haven't yet crunched the numbers. Radio experiment was very well received.

John-Very well. Over 95% of the students now have electronic accounts; about 50% had them at the beginning of the course. A large number of students show up with the notes printed out and say that it is much more satisfying intellectually to devote more attention to listening and discussing than to taking notes.

Dan-Unfortunately, my students have shown very little interest in the newsgroup, hence my desire to reformulate its use next term. This lack of interest could stem from a variety of reasons-inaccessibility to computer support for undergrads, lack of training in the use of the programs, and overuse of such forums form other courses

Steven-Since this is a computer oriented class, the students perceive it as a normal part of the class. However, some students were facing a barrier in the beginning and I have the impression some still didn't take it.

Neil-E-mail availability has gotten a good response. I only get 12-15 messages a quarter, but students like the idea of availability. Notes on the WWW have a "take it" or "leave it" response depending on the students acceptance of technology. The notes also generate interest form faculty around the world. Overhead projection system is cumbersome and ineffective for large class groups due to the cheap equipment in use.

Bob-Mixed. We tried to use a newsgroup for Planning Analysis and got very little response. Students complained that they didn't have time to learn how to use it. I have also experienced a significant hesitancy among many students to post questions or comments to newgroups. I'm not really sure why. Finally, I asked the students in EDR class to comment on the use of technology in education. See the uo.classes.pppm.edr newsgroup for their insights.

Erick-Student feedback is mixed. Some are excited at first, but then become "bored" when they discover that these techniques require real reading and writing. Others are hesitant at first, but later become engaged when they experience a new mode of communication. Students required more time, also, than I provided in order to become proficient at using computers this way. Many students were also frustrated by the difficulty in obtaining access to computers here, where something like 200 machines are available for 15,000 students.

In your opinion, has the way in which you have used instructional technology in your course significantly improved the teaching and learning?

Al-Yes, though it has increased the prep time for me and asked more tech know-how of students

John-Perhaps it is premature to state that with much certainty. I will know more when I see the evaluations and read the exams. I feel that I have been able to reach out to more students, especially to those who do not feel comfortable sharing in class.

Dan-At this point, I would say it has potential, but further development is certainly necessary.

Steven-It adds a degree of flexibility which I appreciate. It is a helpful tool, but it will never replace the learning effort by the student and teaching effort by the teacher.

Neil-The technology has had a significant impact in making most students technologically aware. That is, they can use the Internet. This is minimum technology literacy. The technology has not had an impact on effective teaching because of the lack of classroom facilities. The technology will only be effective when the teacher can arrive at the classroom and use, say, a computer accessible projection system. Accountants could use spreadsheets in class instead of describing what real accountants do. All course could project their lesson plans direct form a presentation package or even a work processing package without making overheads. There is not one lab available for classes of 30-50 students where students can effectively get hands on experience during a scheduled class. Given the standard class size the technology has to match the need.

Bob-In my EDR class, yes. This class, however, is unique in that its purpose is to teach students how to use this technology. Students have commented that having information available electronically is an excellent educational tool. I also think that until students have invested the time in learning how these tools work, their effectiveness in the classroom will be compromised. Without a fundamental understanding of how the Internet works, many students simply give up before becoming comfortable with using network technology. Thus, I feel it is important for the university to stress fundamental computer literacy at every level.

Erick-Overall, no. A singular successful use was the mailserv discussion. group. That proved to be well worth the effort. But other Internet use, e.g., WWW sites, need much more class time than I have allotted so far before students feel comfortable making use of them. The latest media/advertising stereotype of this age-group as "Screen Agers" and techno-literate or heavy cyber-citizens etc., has not been my experience. Most students need extensive introductory coaching about desktop computers, e-mail, and the Internet. As a group, only a minority are mildly interested in this before they come to class. The networked writing classroom using Daedalus is still too early in our use to evaluate. I think that it has been moderately successful in the case of a seeing and hearing impaired instructor that I assisted all term.