How Technology Enhances Undergraduate Education Kathy Keairns Senior Instructional Designer University of Denver

Technology Initiatives at DU  Laptops DU requires that first-year undergraduate students come to campus with a laptop  Blackboard Online course management system  DU Portfolio Community Electronic portfolios & more

Laptop Initiative  Required for all DU undergraduate students since 1999  Students use their laptops in the classroom, dormitories, library, even on the lawn connecting to the Internet through our wireless network  More & more faculty are integrating laptops into the classroom environment

Beginning Spanish  Enhancing proficiency skills of beginning Spanish students  Classroom activities designed to help students memorize vocabulary, formulate complete sentences, make grammar corrections  Technologies used to reinforce what has been learned in class

Chemistry & Biochemistry  “Laptop Computers and Spectroscopy – Seeing is Believing”  Use laptops in every lab session in CHEM 2041  Students download ocean optics software to their laptops  Lab technique video clips posted to Blackboard

Psychology  Neural Bases of Perception (Cathy Reed)  Integrates publisher course cartridge content into her course via Blackboard  Students use their laptops to participate in online demonstrations or to physically participate in their own experiments.  Students work in groups or teams and interact with the computer-based simulations posted to Blackboard site

Blackboard – Online Course Management System  Online Content Syllabus Lecture Notes Multimedia Web resources  Online quizzes & surveys  Online gradebook

Blackboard – online course management system (con’t)  Communication Tools Announcements Discussion Board Chat Digital Dropbox  Groups

DU Portfolio Community  Electronic portfolios for DU faculty staff, and students  Showcase accomplishments and interests  Facilitate connections with others inside and outside the DU community  Program Assessment

Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education 1) Good practice encourages contact between students and faculty.   Chat  Discussion Board  Electronic Portfolios

Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education 2) Good practice develops reciprocity and cooperation among students learning  Electronic collaboration ( , discussion board, chat)  Laptops  Electronic portfolios  Electronic groups

Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education 3) Good practices uses active learning techniques  Interactive multimedia  Computer simulation and animations  Group projects  Discussion Board  Chat room  Web research activities  Virtual guest speaker

Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education 4) Good practice provides prompt feedback  Online quizzes  Discussion board   Online gradebook  Computer simulations  Interactive tutorials

Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education 5) Good practice emphasizes time on task 6) Good practice communicates high expectations 7) Good practice respects diverse talents and ways of learning