Ten Minnie-Myths of Using Technology in Higher Education Dr. Curtis J. Bonk Alias: Mickey Mouse President, CourseShare.com Associate Professor, Indiana University With supporting Help from: Ms. Minnie Mouse Orlando, Florida

Myth #1. College instructors can just teach the same way they always have.

Little or no feedback given Always authoritative Kept narrow focus of what was relevant Created tangential discussions Only used “ultimate” deadlines Provided regular qual/quant feedback Participated as peer Allowed perspective sharing Tied discussion to grades, other assessments. Used incremental deadlines Poor InstructorsGood Instructors Dennen’s Research on Nine Online Courses (sociology, history, communications, writing, library science, technology, counseling)

Myth #2. I must have a technology background to use effectively.

You Just Need a Different Mindset

Myth #3. My university cannot afford the technology.

Nicenet is Free!

Tons of Resources are Free!

Of course, some freebies are no longer free!

Myth #4. Learning is not improved when using technology.

Brains Before and After Technology Integration Before After

Basic Distance Learning Finding? Research since 1928 shows that DL students perform as well as their counterparts in a traditional classroom setting. Per: Russell, 1999, The No Significant Difference Phenomenon (5th Edition), NCSU, based on 355 research reports.

Bob Wisher’s Wish List Effect size of.5 or higher in comparison to traditional classroom instruction. Web Based Instruction CBI Kulik [8] CBI Liao [18] Average Effect Size Number of Studies

Myth #5. There are no models for assessing the quality of any technology integration efforts.

The Sharp Edge of the Cube: Pedagogically Driven Instructional Design for Online Education Syllabus Magazine, Dec, 2001, Nishikant Sonwalkar five functional learning styles— apprenticeship, incidental, inductive, deductive, discovery.

New Methodology for Evaluation: The Pedagogical Rating of Online Courses Syllabus Magazine, Jan, 2002, Nishikant Sonwalkar The Pedagogical Effectiveness Index: (1) Learning Styles: (see previous page) (2) Media Elements: text, graphics, audio, video, animation, simulation (3) Interaction Elements: feedback, revision, , discussion, bulletin asp?id=5914 For more info,

Myth #6. There are no models or best practices for teaching with technology.

Part I. Best Practices: Who are some of the key scholars and players…???

Myth #7. It is too new to really know what to do.

Exponential Growth of the Web

Myth #8. If I wait long enough, it will go away.

Myth #9. There is a constant learning curve since technology will always need to be upgraded.

The Creation of Learning Objects will allow for interoperability of content “Learning Objects are small or large resources that can be used to provide a learning experience. These assets can be lessons, video clips, images, or even people. The Learning Objects can represent tiny "chunks" of knowledge, or they can be whole courses.” Claude Ostyn, Click2Learn

Myth #10. No Worries--The campus administrators are there to help me teach with technology.

Survey Finds Concern on Administrative Computing Chronicle of Higher Ed, June 22, 2001, A33, Jeffrey R. Young “Campus-technology leaders say they worry more about administrative-computing systems than about anything else related to their jobs.” (survey by Educause—an academic- technology consortium)

Questions? Comments? Concerns?