|
E-lectures: Technology moving college classes online
Jan 17, 2010 (La Crosse Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Medical school interviews forced University of Wisconsin-La Crosse senior Brad Burmeister to miss three days of classes last semester.
He had to rely on a friend's notes to pick up cellular and molecular biology concepts.
But an easier and better method, he argued, would be to have those lectures available on the Web, through video and audio recordings.
Saint Mary's University and Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical, both in Winona, Minn., have had this lecture-capture technology for four years. Winona State University will test the system this spring.
Tech-savvy instructors at UW-L, Western Technical College and Viterbo University do already offer audio and video recordings and digitalized notes students can access online.
But officials at those schools say a campus-wide system would be costly to install and maintain, though they didn't reveal what those costs might be. UW-L is considering adding audio capture only in the new Centennial Hall.
And some instructors fear that recording lectures might disrupt their teaching style, lead to embarrassing gaffes that could be posted for all to see -- or, worse, have them talking to empty rooms.
Schools on boardSaint Mary's University relied heavily on its Tegrity recording system when both faculty and students were out sick last semester, officials said.
About 60 percent of SMU faculty use the technology, which follows every note, keystroke or move of the computer mouse. The instructor's voice and picture also can be recorded, and SMU installed cameras and microphones in classrooms as well to capture student interaction.
Tegrity use at Southeast Technical nearly tripled between 2005 and 2008, with about 70 percent of faculty now taking advantage of the system, said Chief Information Officer Mohamed Elhindi.
"Usually as CIO you are trying to sell the technology, but this time the faculty sold it to us," Elhindi said.
SMU chemistry professor Jaime Mueller lectured from home Dec. 9 after a snowstorm closed the campus.
The system recorded the motions of her pen as she wrote out equations and drew chemical structures on a tablet screen. She explained her work through a laptop microphone.
She even has classes while away at conferences. "The class doesn't have to suffer for my career development," she said.
It also improves student learning by allowing them to review any part of their classes, said Chad Kjorlien, SMU director of instructional technology.
Will students still come?But are students more likely to skip classes if they can just view them online?
SMU senior Karina Rajtar said she learned the hard way that Tegrity can't always substitute for the real thing.
She didn't feel up to class one day, she said, so opted to view it online -- then later found out her professor had given a pop quiz before turning on Tegrity.
Students also can't participate in discussions or ask questions, she said.
"By actually going to class, you personalize the learning experience more, and I think most students appreciate that value," she said.
Mueller and Bob Hoar, a UW-L math professor who records parts of his lectures, said it hasn't hurt class attendance.
And the technology lends itself well to math and science, Rajtar said. It was useful to watch her statistics instructor work out the equations, which otherwise can be difficult to catch while scribbling notes in class, she said.
"For me, math is not my strongest subject, so it was good to hear it more than once," she said.
Teaching on camera
The benefits that Tegrity offers students greatly outweigh any drawbacks, Mueller said. But learning to use it in fall 2008 added "another layer of difficulty" as a teacher. She had to adapt her style to fit the program.
"When you lecture with a blackboard, you are moving around a lot, pointing with arms. It's a lot more action," she said. "When you are lecturing from a laptop, you are confined to a small space, so you organize differently."
UW-L math professor Todd Will worries the system could force faculty to give up some positive aspects of lecturing that aren't conducive to recording, such as pop quizzes, asking questions or group projects.
"I don't think it would be as much fun for me or students if we were locked into a certain format," he said.
Some Saint Mary's University staff initially felt vulnerable recording lectures, Kjorlien said.
"We all have those moments that didn't go well," he said.
Such as the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa professor who left his wireless microphone on during a bathroom break, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Or the University of Florida business school instructor placed on administrative leave after appearing disoriented in a video later posted on YouTube under the heading, "apparently baked professor," according to The Chronicle.
Mueller still doesn't like how her recorded voice sounds, and sometimes has "oops" moments during lectures. But she'll risk embarrassment, she said, if it helps her students learn.
She also has the comfort of knowing only those enrolled in her SMU class have access to her recordings, so they can't be posted on YouTube, she said.
Despite the resistance, Hoar thinks all campuses eventually will adopt recorded lectures.
"We are getting to the point," he said, "that you don't have to be a high-tech expert to do it."
To see more of the La Crosse Tribune or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/. Copyright (c) 2010, La Crosse Tribune, Wis.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email
tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax
to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave.,
Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
|
TMCnet LOGIN
Webinars
