Using multiple technologies to promote lifelong learning to engineering students & faculty Kathryn Kennedy Engineering Outreach Librarian University of Florida Libraries
Overview Lifelong learning (LL) & why I’m interested My depts & their needs Technologies used Successes & roadblocks Projects for the future
LL & why I’m interested What is lifelong learning? · ·Learning beyond traditional schooling · ·Professional development · ·Personal development ABET Vision Statement · ·“ABET is responsible for…encourag[ing] the highest quality…education through accreditation so that each graduate possesses the skills necessary for lifelong learning and productive contribution to society, the economy, employers, and the profession.”
LL & why I’m interested (cont.) Personal Development Professional Development Formal Career Development: Ex. Dreamweaver training for creating work NonformalInformal Development for one’s own self Ex. Learning violin or prepping for interview Development for a social context Ex. Learning IM to stay in touch Tan et al (2005)
LL & why I’m interested (cont.) The way I see it: · ·Keeping people in the know by using multiple technologies · ·Enabling people to help themselves · ·Making it fun and/or interactive PhD in educational technology Concentrate more on how technologies can help people learn effectively throughout their lifetime
My depts & their needs Masters Distance Program (EDGE) Six departments CCE, CISE, MSE, ECE, EES, & MAE 41 faculty 191 students 45 courses 327 enrollments Nuclear & Radiological Engineering (NRE) 11 faculty, 4 postdocs 197 students 79 graduates 118 undergraduates Biomedical Engineering (BME) 16 faculty, 11 postdocs 79 graduate students Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering (MAE) 53 faculty 1682 students 225 graduates 1232 undergraduates
My depts & their needs (cont.) Academic year – faculty focus · ·ABET accreditation 2006 looming… · ·Concentrate on graduate students · ·One-shot library course & integrated into course using WebCT · ·EDGE Academic year – student focus · ·Non-threatening, comfortable environment · ·Worthwhile & useful information · ·Collaborative space
Technologies used WebCT on-campus WebCT off-campus Technical Writing Blog Instruction on Web 2.0 technologies Game
WebCT on-campus Professional Orientation class – Prep students for future One-hour lecture/demo to 200 students Quiz as learning assessment in WebCT
WebCT off-campus EDGE – currently working in the field Faculty unwilling to integrate me Made library portal in the EDGE WebCT template
Technical Writing Blog All text, including comments is searchable TA provided examples of past projects Labels are used to tag posts Then: extra credit for students Now: a wealth of information for current and future students
Technical Writing Blog (cont.) If I need to use the information provided on this website later on in life when I'm out in the real world and need to write a document, will I be able to access it?
Instruction Web 2.0: RSS Feeds & Feed Aggregators Teach faculty and students how to stay up with latest news/articles Teach them how to create their own feeds on websites
Instruction Web 2.0: Blogs, Wikis & Tagging Blogs – Journal club Wiki – Lab mgmt Tags/Labels
Instruction Web 2.0: Google Services How Google services can benefit them i.e. Google Documents/ Google Groups/ Google Talk/ Gmail for collaborative projects
Interactive Fiction (IF) Game Makes learning fun Learning keyword searching, for catalog and databases
Roadblocks & Successes Communication/Marketing Diffusion of technologies Constant change in curriculum Positive communication Make change comfortable Involvement with faculty increases
Ideas for the future Keep up with Literature & Technologies… Keep up with the departments – always changing and doing dynamic projects Get blog & wiki software that the library hosts on their servers Survey
References ABET Vision Statement. UPDATE/White%20Papers/Vision.pdf UPDATE/White%20Papers/Vision.pdf Tan & Morris. (2005). Undergraduate college students, laptop computers, and lifelong learning. Journal of General Education, 54 (4).
Any questions? Kathryn Kennedy Engineering Outreach Librarian University of Florida Libraries