Increasing Hands-On Technology Use Keywords: technology, state-of-the-practice, interaction, practical skills Increasing Hands-On Technology Use Jeffrey LaMondia, PhD Associate Professor, Civil Engineering Auburn University

Why? What problem are you solving? Students are required to understand current (and constantly changing) technology when applying for jobs Student need to be able to learn new technologies on the job Students retain more knowledge from a course when they are actively engaged in the material What are your educational objectives? Engage students in material they are learning Prepare students for future jobs by making them skilled using different technologies Teach students about the current state of the practice

When? What is the developmental history of your innovation? Geographic Information Systems Developed with support from the Breeden Grant for innovation in teaching Coordinating class activity materials with other GIS courses on campus Highway Geometric Design Developed in partnership with the City of Auburn Coordinating semester activity materials with colleague who also teaches this course Statistics for Scientists & Engineers Developed based on feedback from a campus-wide working group of faculty who teach statistics Coordinating class activity materials with colleague who also teaches this course

Where? Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Highway Geometric Design 9 hands-on class activities the mimicked real-world projects using ArcGIS software Example: Collect roadside data using GPS devices and import to ArcGIS Highway Geometric Design Semester project using class skills to design a roadway alignment using ArcGIS and AutoCAD software Example: Develop alignment to support additional bike lanes and walking paths that mimic city’s planned development Statistics for Scientists & Engineers Day class activity where teams collected data and ran hypothesis test experiments using Excel Example: Poll classmates to test whether women walk to campus more

What? What learning activities and materials have you developed? Step-by-step tutorials, Excel spreadsheets, project summaries and group activities What is your theory of change? When students have demonstrated confidence not only using technology but also being able to critically think about/ apply technology a step beyond what was taught What has worked really well? Assessment throughout projects has encouraged students to ask questions and push themselves knowing that there is support if needed

Prognosis? How are you documenting impact? Course evaluations Assignment/ project/ activity deliverables Student peer evaluations What challenges are you currently facing? Allowing too much freedom in activities can cause students to go off-course, so I’ve focused tasks more Some students are not self-motivated while others are, so tailoring activities that support both types can be challenging What advice would you like from others at FOEE? How do you encourage self-learning and exploration of technology? How do you incorporate group work as part of using technology?