What to do (regarding EdTech) in the financial downturn

The Caltech endowment has dropped significantly since Melany Hunt first thought about setting up an EdTech committee. Substantial increases in expenditure on classroom technology at Caltech over the coming two years is improbable. Our committee is, of course, concerned with the long term. This note, however, only addresses the coming two years.

Caltech should utilize the NewMedia Classroom. It has excellent features and support. I think it's unlikely that Caltech can purchase the same sort of equipment for another classroom in the short term.

When I brought up the idea of acquiring funds for a NewMedia Classroom for our new IST (Information Science and Technology) building with the faculty responsible for the building, the reaction was cold. This reaction was primarily because of the cost of maintainance. The discussions of our committee have also highlighted the problems and costs of mantainance. The NewMedia Classroom is, however, maintained well. So despite its limitations (small size, no restrooms, no ramp) we should use it over the coming two years, report our experiences, and analyze its technology. This will prepare us for getting appropriate classroom technology when the endowment does get back to its earlier peak.

   -- Mani

A Unique Caltech Opportunity: Apprentice-Based Learning

Caltech has two characteristics that allow us to offer a different kind of education to undergraduates:

1. Caltech has perhaps the highest ratio of PhDs (faculty members and postdoctoral fellows) to undergraduates among the top 20 universities. The ratio of faculty + postdocs + graduate students to undergraduates is over 1.5.
2. Caltech has among the brightest and motivated undergraduates in the country.

These characteristics allow us to offer a learning experience in which undergraduates learn by doing. They can learn by solving problems and doing reseach with a community of faculty members, postdocs, graduate students and fellow undergraduates. The Caltech culture today is already a learning-by-doing culture. Students live from problem set to problem set. We have an opportunity to make the student experience more valuable.

Though our culture is one of learning-by-doing, students complain of limited faculty interaction. Some undergraduates complain of limited interaction with everybody in the community except fellow undergraduates and TAs. We can change that. We can offer students a community-based learning experience in which undergraduates work closely with a community including faculty members, postdocs and grad students.

Let's explore the possibility of turning lectures into joint problem-solving sessions and research discussion sessions. We could provide all the material - notes, presentations, video, homework sets, research ideas - on the Web (e.g., Moodle). Students would be expected to read the material before coming to an interactive problem-solving session.

We could also set up research groups of faculty, postdocs, graduate students and undergraduates who interact synchronously in research sessions and asynchronously through chat rooms and blogs.

We should start exploring apprentice-based learning by first running an experiment with moderate sized (say 20 - 30) students. The experiment is to convert one or two courses into problem-solving or research sessions which may only meet formally for an hour a week and in which there are continuing asynchronous interactions through chat rooms. Let's try this out in 2009 and then report the results of the experiments to the faculty.

We could use Moodle as is, or ideally use the New Media Classroom to develop courses for the experiment.

  -- Mani Chandy

Educational Technology and the Context of Learning

Below is a link to the opening keynote address at this year's NMC Summer Conference at Princeton University. It presents a very relevant and, I think, very important discussion of educational technology and the larger context of learning. I think you will find it valuable.

When you go to the site below you will find multiple viewing options listed. If possible, I suggest you view it using the first option, i.e., the Sonic Foundry Mediasite link. Once the presentation begins, you will need to fast-forward a bit using the play-head controller <the small white dot beneath the video window> to approximately 24:45.

http://www.nmc.org/vodcast/technology-and-global-commons


Wayne

More EdTech links

Attached are some resources that I think might be useful to the
group's work. Several links connect to recorded presentations of class
sessions and other presentation materials produced in Digital Media
Service's NewMedia Classroom. Together they give an overview of the
NMC's educational support capabilities and a chance to see how others
on campus are making use of these capabilities. I've also listed
several papers that provide useful context and consideration
frameworks.

Wayne

Wayne Waller
Director of Digital Media Services, IMSS
California Institute of Technology <Caltech>

________________________________________________________________

1. The future of higher education: How technology will shape learning
<an Economist Intelligence Unit white paper, sponsored by the New
Media Consortium • October 2008>
http://viewswire.eiu.com/report_dl.asp?mode=fi&fi=53934390.PDF

2. 2008 Horizon Report
<produced as a collaboration between the NMC and the EDUCAUSE Learning
Initiative (ELI), an EDUCAUSE program>
http://connect.educause.edu/Library/ELI/2008HorizonReport/45926
http://www.educause.edu/eli/16086?time=1227624976

3. Information Technology: Its Impact on Undergraduate Education in
Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology <Report on an
NSF-hosted workshop seeking to define unique perspectives, concerns,
and desirable benefits of educational technology, April 1998>
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1998/nsf9882/nsf9882.txt

4. 4 examples of classroom & non-classroom presentation recordings
produced with DMS's Mediasite capture & publishing system. Feel free
to jump about and explore the presentations by sliding the playhead
located beneath the video image.
http://win-dms-ms1.caltech.edu/ms01/catalog/

A) An overview of the NewMedia Classroom and its educational support
capabilities, including class capture & publishing technology <begins
~25 min into the talk>
To view, select PUBLIC from the menu in upper right area of screen;
then click on DEMO OF CALTECH'S MEDIASITE SYSTEM. Presenter: Leslie
Maxfield.

B) An example of presenting and capturing class content that is
highly spontaneous, non-linear, and interactive in nature <eg,
beginning ~56 min>
To view, select CALTECH LIBRARY SERVICES from the menu in upper
right area of screen; then click on THE POWER OF THE SCIENTIFIC
eTHESIS. Peter Murray-Rust, University of Cambridge.

C) Example of a class session making extensive use of interactive
screen technology to present and capture handwritten content.
To view, select MS 115a; then click on 11/05/08 Lecture. Sossina Haile.

D) Example of a project-based class with heavy emphasis on student
workgroups and team presentations. The class also involved real-time
video collaborations with students in Guatamala.
To view, select E/ME 105 from the menu in upper right area of
screen; then click on E 102: 2008 Final Presentations. Peter
Murray-Rust, University of Cambridge.

Comments for 11-25-2008 meeting

I think that trying to gather information from the whole Caltech community by asking the Vice Provost to send an e-mail to everyone is appropriate.  However, do faculty read their Directory e-mails?  Is there a better way to encourage faculty response?  For graduate students, I can send a reminder about the e-mail sent by the Vice Provost via our weekly graduate student announcements.  Also, my understanding is that Melany Hunt is significantly revising the TQFRs.  Perhaps we could ask that a specific question be added regarding how technology was helpful in the class and how it could have been used more effectively.

 

Moodle is a constantly evolving program that has an ever-growing functionality.  Is it feasible to have IMSS identify the top ~10 functionalities that Caltech faculty would like to see, then make/design solutions before a campus wide launch?  Can IMSS commit to supporting (within reason) new functionalities as faculty begin to use Moodle and test its limits?

We should certainly make use of the work that other schools/groups have done in setting up Moodle, such as at UCLA's Office of Instructional Development (http://www.oid.ucla.edu/units/tec/tectutorials/tecmoodle).  Specifically, I can help with contacts at UCLA and perhaps arrange for some grad students working on Moodle at UCLA to give tutorials to our IMSS staff, if that would be useful. 

My understanding is that one convenient feature of Moodle is that, like access.caltech, it allows for a single log-on for a wide variety of features, including all classes that a student is enrolled in.  Thus, though it may not be efficient for Moodle to be used for quick survey in a single class, if its being used (to varying extents) in most classes and students can use a single log-in, then it may be worthwhile.  Moreover, this could make it particularly useful for students to coordinate their schedule between their several classes.  In addition to helping with timelines for problem sets and exams, this could be useful from the TA/faculty point of view, since it might facilitate better coordination of assignment timelines, especially among core courses.

As a result of a recommendation by the Academic Policies Committee last year, Moodle is already being implemented to a limited extent this year.  Courses that were using it (at least in part for students to report the number of hours spent on homework) as of early this term include:

Bi/Ch 110   

Ch 021A     

Ch 001A    

Ch 112       

MA 002A      

MA 112A      

MA/CS 006A   

ME 019A      

Ph 106A     

Ph 125A      

Ph 129A      

Ph 136A      

 

 

The chair of the undergrad Academics and Research Committee (ARC) indicated that video taped lectures would be quite useful.  In fact, she prefers having an online video so can go at own pace, as well as several of the reasons listed under point 7 of the previous meetings minutes.

 

 

One of the topics addressed by The Horizon Report (Educause) that Rich Fagen posted is Collaboration Webs.  Virtual meetings and conferences are useful on the research side, and could play a limited role in classes.  Perhaps more relevant, are online documents that can be jointly edited.  Caltech is small, and so students can often meet face-to-face when working on projects.  However, timing is often an obstacle, so the online group editing features provided by google documents (http://www.google.com/google-d-s/intl/en/tour1.html) may be useful for some classes, especially when preparing joint powerpoints.  This also saves us from having to e-mail large files back-and-forth.

 

 

A major concern about implementing any new educational strategy at Caltech is coordination across the entire Institute, including the Core Curriculum, TAs, and faculty.  The appointment of two Vice Provosts, including one for primarily academic/educational concerns, represents a major first step.  However, there still remains a deficiency of staff dedicated to pedagogy and educational issues, specifically.  I think that Caltech is nearly unique in this deficiency.  In addition to whatever other recommendations we eventually make, I think that we should seriously consider suggesting a 'Caltech learning center'.  Although our temporary task force is a good starting point, a learning center which constantly monitored and assessed the quality of teaching and learning in Caltech's educational program and provided assessment and recommendations for improvement, would represent a major improvement.  Such a center could also serve as a hub for future discussions of teaching technique and new faculty/TA support as well as discussions of how to continue to implement technology to enhance our educational programs.

 

Note that the concept of a 'Caltech learning center' was discussed with the WASC accreditation committee during their visit last week.  Moreover, other committees are likely to address the issue over the course of the year, and a joint resolution in support of a learning center by, at least, the Educational Technology Task Force, the Academic Policies Committee, the Graduate Study Committee, the Graduate Student Council's Academics Committee, and the undergraduate Academics and Research Committee would likely help this important concept to gain traction.

 

Sincerely,

Jai Shanata

G4, Chemistry

GSC Academics Committee, Chair

Educause survey on student use of Information Technology

Educause (the consortium of Higher Education IT professionals)
recently released a comprehensive survey regarding student use of
Information Technology.
It provides some information that might help frame our discussions.
The results are at:
http://www.educause.edu/ers0808/135156

Rich Fagen
Chief Information Officer
California Institute of Technology

Some more links relevant to EdTech

Some more links relevant to EdTech:

- Caltech IMSS did an IT survey in '07. the results are posted here:
the UGrad and Grad responses to the IT survey are located here:
http://www.imss.caltech.edu/cms.php?op=wiki&wiki_op=view&id=478
IMSS has already addressed the 3 top concerns: wireless, webmail, and
access.caltech.

- There will be a "Webinar" on
"How to integrate digital video into everyday curriculum" on November
12, 2008, 1pm PT.
More info: http://www.techlearning.com/makingmoviesinfo/

- Harvey points us to a couple more course-management systems:
Sakai: http://sakaiproject.org/portal
Sloodle: Moodle in Second Life: http://www.sloodle.org/moodle/

Welcome to the Caltech Educational Technology Task Force blog!

Welcome to the Caltech Educational Technology Task Force blog!

Our charge: To suggest technologies that would be benefit the undergraduate and graduate educational programs and be appropriate for the Caltech culture, both inside and outside the classroom.

Time frame: two quarters, so that by spring term we can be making recommendation to the administration. Quarterly updates to CUE. The CAC and CUE will be the committees that think about these issues long term.

Our work will primarily involve information-gathering, so I ask that you please spend some time thinking and researching various educational technologies. The list of things that I know of is not large:

. Things that live on computers, like:

- moodle-like things:
http://moodle.org/
https://courses.caltech.edu/login/index.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moodle
http://www.blackboard.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_learning_environment

- Blogs, wikis, web forums, etc. For courses and/or for everyone and
everything at Caltech ...

($ mainly for FTEs)

. Hardware like:

- clickers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classroom_Performance_Systems
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audience_response

- smartboards
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactive_whiteboard
http://smarttech.com/

- video ...

(ranging from $ to $$$)

We welcome your input.

Questions? Alan Weinstein, ajw@caltech.edu