Faculty and student feedback of synchronous distance education in a multi-university learning consortium

The Texas Learning Consortium (TLC) began as a partnership between the foreign language departments at 5 small, private, liberal arts universities, where each specializes in a small number of different world languages to increase the course offerings to their students without the expense of adding additional faculty on every campus. Each university offers their language courses to consortium students in a real-time, interactive, distance education format. In Fall 2017, the consortium expanded beyond foreign languages, and the first engineering course, Statics, was offered in this synchronous, distance format. As background, this paper will provide an overview of the technology used in the classrooms and some of the administrative obstacles that were overcome in scheduling, registration and information technology. The paper will also reflect on the impact of this particular technological implementation on various teaching styles in both foreign language and engineering courses, especially compared to other distance engineering education in the literature, with a purpose of analyzing the model’s suitability for expansion into other engineering courses or a fully accredited consortium based engineering program. Student and faculty satisfaction surveys will additionally provide insight as to whether this distance format is the right fit for campuses used to high-touch learning environments.Cockrell School of Engineerin

Computing Technologies and Paperless Classroom in Library Schools in Rivers State

Paper has been a convenience medium of communicating information, accessing information, as well as delivering and receiving lecture. However, as time changes, the mode of communication and instructional methodology takes a paradigm shift. This has resulted to the use of paperless classroom. Paperless classroom is the use of computing and communication technologies to replace the traditional method of teaching and learning in the classroom. It offers speed and ease of using electronic means in delivering lecture to a large number of students which is cost effective to students and lecturers. Consequently, schools are using computing technologies to ease the cost and stress of using paper-based classroom. Notwithstanding, despite the benefits of using computing technologies in facilitating paperless classroom, there is a poor usage of computing technologies towards promoting or achieving a paperless classroom in library schools in Rivers State, Nigeria. However, colleges, universities and schools have different approaches when putting in place the paperless classroom. Thus, the study investigated computing technologies and paperless classroom in library schools in Rivers State. Two objectives, two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a correlational research survey design. The population of the study was 45 lecturers in library schools in Rivers State. Census sampling technique was used to select the respondents. Questionnaire was used to gather the data. 37 copies of the questionnaire were found valid for analysis. The data was analysed using mean scores and standard deviation for research questions and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) to test the hypotheses. The study revealed that there is a significant relationship between mobile computing, cloud computing and paperless classroom in library schools in Rivers State. The study recommended that library schools management should as a matter of policy implement the use of computing technologies in library schools in Rivers State

Computing Technologies and Paperless Classroom in Library Schools in Rivers State

Paper has been a convenience medium of communicating information, accessing information, as well as delivering and receiving lecture. However, as time changes, the mode of communication and instructional methodology takes a paradigm shift. This has resulted to the use of paperless classroom. Paperless classroom is the use of computing and communication technologies to replace the traditional method of teaching and learning in the classroom. It offers speed and ease of using electronic means in delivering lecture to a large number of students which is cost effective to students and lecturers. Consequently, schools are using computing technologies to ease the cost and stress of using paper-based classroom. Notwithstanding, despite the benefits of using computing technologies in facilitating paperless classroom, there is a poor usage of computing technologies towards promoting or achieving a paperless classroom in library schools in Rivers State, Nigeria. However, colleges, universities and schools have different approaches when putting in place the paperless classroom. Thus, the study investigated computing technologies and paperless classroom in library schools in Rivers State. Two objectives, two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a correlational research survey design. The population of the study was 45 lecturers in library schools in Rivers State. Census sampling technique was used to select the respondents. Questionnaire was used to gather the data. 37 copies of the questionnaire were found valid for analysis. The data was analysed using mean scores and standard deviation for research questions and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) to test the hypotheses. The study revealed that there is a significant relationship between mobile computing, cloud computing and paperless classroom in library schools in Rivers State. The study recommended that library schools management should as a matter of policy implement the use of computing technologies in library schools in Rivers Stat

Updating the art history curriculum: incorporating virtual and augmented reality technologies to improve interactivity and engagement

Master's Project (M.Ed.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2017This project investigates how the art history curricula in higher education can borrow from and incorporate emerging technologies currently being used in art museums. Many art museums are using augmented reality and virtual reality technologies to transform their visitors' experiences into experiences that are interactive and engaging. Art museums have historically offered static visitor experiences, which have been mirrored in the study of art. This project explores the current state of the art history classroom in higher education, which is historically a teacher-centered learning environment and the learning effects of that environment. The project then looks at how art museums are creating visitor-centered learning environments; specifically looking at how they are using reality technologies (virtual and augmented) to transition into digitally interactive learning environments that support various learning theories. Lastly, the project examines the learning benefits of such tools to see what could (and should) be implemented into the art history curricula at the higher education level and provides a sample section of a curriculum demonstrating what that implementation could look like. Art and art history are a crucial part of our culture and being able to successfully engage with it and learn from it enables the spread of our culture through digital means and of digital culture

Towards a framework for investigating tangible environments for learning

External representations have been shown to play a key role in mediating cognition. Tangible environments offer the opportunity for novel representational formats and combinations, potentially increasing representational power for supporting learning. However, we currently know little about the specific learning benefits of tangible environments, and have no established framework within which to analyse the ways that external representations work in tangible environments to support learning. Taking external representation as the central focus, this paper proposes a framework for investigating the effect of tangible technologies on interaction and cognition. Key artefact-action-representation relationships are identified, and classified to form a structure for investigating the differential cognitive effects of these features. An example scenario from our current research is presented to illustrate how the framework can be used as a method for investigating the effectiveness of differential designs for supporting science learning