Abstract for "Online presentation aids classroom teaching"

Derek Baker

ETEC 527

February 19, 2001

ABSTRACT NUMBER 2

CITATION:

Ganguli, Rajive. (November 2000). Online presentation aids classroom teaching. Mining Engineering, volume (52) no 11, 42-44.

SUMMARY:

At the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ (UAF) course “ES 201: Computer Techniques” uses several elements of online pedagogy and information technology. Technology in this particular class grew from a desire to make lecture notes available to students. The technology that was included into this class was an online delivery package that consisted of chat rooms, discussion groups, and online testing and grading. Since this school has an average student the age of 32, commute and not really up-to-date on their own computer software.

During class the students read the lecture notes on the Web browser, telnet to their university Unix accounts, check their e-mail and download programs sent by me, and then compile, run and modify the programs. The students were active most of the time, full attention, and better learning due to hands–on experience.

The teacher started this idea that way students would not have to buy expensive textbooks that the teacher would not use about half the time. This provided students with a set of free handouts covering the course in its entirely. This may be expensive due to all the printing of the pages but better since this is really their textbook. The first semester that this was used the Web enhanced and complement classroom teaching. This process was not easy due to transforming a course to an online format.

The following is the steps that were done to create this kind of a classroom:
Step one was to use the Web just to supplement classroom teaching. In order for this to be done the instructor needs to post everything of interest on the class Web page for the students to download. This takes lots of time since the instructor is substituting for a textbook. One of the major pitfalls of doing this is that the size of a file takes time to upload for the instructor and download for the student.

More technology was required from the students by using telnet and check e-mail at the beginning of class. E-mail was the backbone to this class since homework and tests were submitted this way.

PERSONAL REACTION:

It may seem like this classroom idea is being used for this ETEC 527 class. I like the idea that there was area in the chat rooms that allowed you to use your mouse to draw or even work out math equations. This chat room was also real-time basically like our class. This kind of technology is called Blackboard Inc. just in case anyone would like to know the name of this product. This idea would be great for either high school or college students. The idea behind this product is so great because the students could chat to each other and ask for help on any kind of homework. Math for an example, ask a friend to work out a problem for you. The friend could go to the area where he/she could work out the problem and the other friend, whom asked to be worked out for him/her, could see the problem to be worked in real-time just like if he/she was seeing it on paper. Technology like this would benefit all kinds of students especially those whom are extremely a visual learner. The article said the students started to help each other more and more since the real-time chats were easier to get together with one another. I know the feeling since some of my fellow peers and I have totally different schedules and live to far from each other. All one has to do is to request a time to get online and go from there. Both parties still can watch the kinds, eat, and do their homework. What more can we as students ask for.