November 29, 2001
2:30 - 4:30 PM 105 Bluemle Life Sciences Building

Computers are such an integral part of daily life today that college and university students fully expect to use information technology in their courses, even in traditional classroom settings. As a result, many faculty who have little or no interest in teaching online courses are turning to information technology (I.T.) to enhance their classroom environment and make their teaching more efficient and effective. Increasingly, educators in all disciplines are re-examining the complexities of the learning process and asking themselves how I.T. can be used to expand and re-define classroom teaching. Many educators believe the most significant contribution of I.T. lies in the growth of "hybrid" classroom courses, which blend the personal touch of face-to-face instruction with the high-tech benefits of the Internet, the Web, and other technological resources in meaningful ways. These "hybrids" offer new opportunities for enhancing both teaching and learning, while leaving the professor in control of the creation of this new--but not completely "untraditional"--paradigm.

This live event will provide how-to skills and strategies faculty need for this evolving classroom environment. Expert panelists will address key issues and present effective techniques for teaching a dynamic "hybrid" course. The program will use specific examples and illustrations to actually demonstrate the creative infusion of I.T. into traditional classrooms.

What leading educators say about infusing I.T. into the learning process:

• "It is not what the teacher does but what he or she gets the student to do that results in learning."
  Carol Twigg, Center for Academic Transformation
• "Digital technology can give professors the means to use teaching methods that have been recognized as far more effective than lecturing."
  Frank Newman and Jaime Scurry, Futures Project and Brown University
• "Most school teachers and college faculty will opt for...traveling an intuitive and personal footpath that navigates between high touch and high tech to create a hybrid approach...the best of the traditional practice with the best of what's coming."
  Kenneth C. Green, Campus Computing Project

• The attractiveness of "hybrid" courses that combine face-to-face classroom interaction with the greater flexibility and resources of online learning
• Making the transition from "traditional" to "hybrid" teaching methods
• Using class meetings for higher order tasks such as interpreting data, identifying trends and themes, and discovering meaning
• Specific examples of using I. T. creatively and effectively in classroom courses

Donna Rebadow teaches psychology, health science, wellness education, physical education and business/personal computers at Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix, one of the Maricopa Community Colleges. She began using instructional technology in her classes in the early 90s and has continued to expand her use of multimedia and the Internet to "open up" and increase learning for students. Rebadow feels that instructional technology allows her to spend more class time on higher order thinking skills such as applications. Rebadow has extensive experience leading workshops for faculty in the Maricopa colleges and at conferences throughout the U. S. and in Canada.

Robert Rook is an associate professor and chair of the department of history at Fort Hays State University in Kansas. He has used instructional technology as a research and teaching tool for several years, and often uses approaches and techniques developed for distance learning to make his teaching in traditional classrooms more efficient and effective while also freeing up more time for his research projects. Rook believes that instructional technology may have its strongest impact in "hybrid" classroom courses, rather than in online distance learning. He has taught for ten years at the university level, plus ten years in secondary schools in the United States and abroad.

Steve Rossen manages UCLA's Faculty New Media Center where he trains faculty to use information technology to teach both in traditional classrooms and online. To accomplish this, Rossen organizes workshops, teaches online, consults, creates customized applications, organizes campus-wide forums, edits a webzine, and produces CD-ROMs. He has also written articles and books on this subject, including "Teaching Online: A Practical Guide" (Houghton Mifflin: November, 2000). Rossen believes that integrating the Web into the traditional classroom environment can significantly improve both teaching and learning.

Part 3 in this series will be on February 28, 2002 2:30 - 4:30 PM (location to be announced).

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