Category: Teaching with Technology

Dr. Grossman, an associate professor in Computer Science & Engineering at UW Seattle, chose to make his first online class a MOOC. “Programming Languages“ is a Coursera adaptation of a course he has taught several times already at UW. Dr. Grossman is also helping coordinate the adaptation of four other courses from UW Computer Science & Engineering to MOOCs, working with instructors and TAs to learn best practices for teaching MOOCs, and for the Coursera platform.

Why a MOOC? “For me, it is largely about being passionate about the course material and how to present it. Given this passion, why would I not want the largest rooftop I can find from which to shout?” More than 65,000 students signed up for “Programming Languages” on Coursera, and 3,500 completed the first two assignments. “I try to compare the impact to what I might have from writing a textbook; the ability to reach learners via videos, assignments, and an online community is exciting. It is an opportunity for UW and for me personally to exhibit educational leadership.”

Educational value of MOOCs: “With so many students, some will have a transformative educational experience, others will learn very little, and most who express some interest will not end up participating. To compare it to a conventional course where students get personal attention, have significant financial investments, and have shared background as part of a coherent curriculum, is difficult. I instead prefer to compare it to writing a textbook. Just as many people touching a book do not read it and those who read it have a wide range of understanding as a result, the learning in MOOCs defies description.”

Student reactions: “Because of the large size of the classes and the physical separation of the students, the sheer amount of (attempted) learning and self-motivation is stunning. In the first day of my course, more people watched my course-introduction video than have ever taken one of my conventional courses.”

How he sees his role: “Like a book author, I am primarily making content available and providing learning opportunities. I do interact on the discussion forum as time allows, but it is often more as a firefighter than as a pedagogue.”

Student learning: “The amount of student learning is difficult to judge, but even if we grant, as others would vigorously contend, that it significantly trails conventional courses, is that the right comparison? What if many of the students spending their evenings participating in my Coursera course are doing so instead of watching reality television or going shopping?”

Advice: “It can be deeply rewarding, but have no illusions. No matter what you do, many students will complain and many more will not finish.”

“It is an enormous amount of work. To continue my favorite analogy, it is perhaps as much work as writing a textbook. Make sure you have a great course and a solid set of materials that will translate reasonably well to an online setting. Start early — months early.”

“Work with TAs who share your passion for the material and for the excitement and novelty of MOOCs. I may be the talking head in the videos getting all the credit, but I have a small but unbelievably fantastic team keeping things afloat.”

Links: Dr. Grossman’s faculty web site

Learn More

Read the full Provost report on how UW faculty are enhancing teaching with technology.

Dr. Ackerman, an assistant professor of Social Work at UW Tacoma, was a 2012 UW Tacoma Tech Fellow. She has used Twitter in and out of the classroom to engage students in a broad conversation about criminal justice issues.

Twitter: “Setting up Twitter was the easy part for all. Operating Twitter was a little more difficult for students. I created a ‘how to’ document for them to follow, which seemed to shorten the learning curve. Within a week or two, most students were using Twitter effectively.”

Student reactions: “Student reactions have been mixed. Some students love the instant interaction.”

Benefits for students: “I believe that Twitter enhances student learning. This is especially true when I have invited ‘guest lecturers’ to class via Twitter. I have done this with authors of books, journalists, and other scholars. This allows students to benefit from the reactions of others in the field in real time. Another added benefit occurs when the students ‘tag’ authors of articles and the author responds directly to them.”

Brevity requires focus: “I believe that having to condense one’s thoughts into 140 or so characters provides focus. Some students welcomed this challenge, while others would much prefer the traditional essay.”

Leveraging social media expertise: “Students already know how to use social media, but learning how to do so in a professional and articulate way can only benefit them in the long run!”

Advice to other faculty interesting in using Twitter: “Be patient and have a lot of structure regarding what you want from students.”

Links: How-to document about Twitter Dr. Ackerman created for her students.

Learn More

Read the full Provost report on how UW faculty are enhancing teaching with technology.

Dr. Martin-Morris, a principal lecturer in the Department of Biology at UW Seattle, has flipped her classroom for her large Biology courses. She uses the Tegrity lecture capture tool to create online materials and uses class time to assist student groups in synthesizing information.

Student reactions: “My students report enormous gains in confidence and understanding, but also that they feel they had to spend way too much time getting there.”

Her learning curve: “Quarter 1: scared and ineffective. Quarter 2: much better but still received a very challenging collegial evaluation. Quarter 3: I’ve got this down. I’m in quarter 4: still learning how to improve, which is fun.”

Assessment: “I am excited to assess more effectively, including longitudinally; how do these students perform in subsequent classes?”

Classroom dynamic: “Every day I walk into a very lively and exciting classroom that challenges me but challenges students at least as much. That’s exciting. Most days I have to remind students when class is over; that never happened when lecturing.”

Advice for others interested in flipping: “Do not over-lecture. Be ready for a little blowback. This type of learning is challenging for students and you have to be ready to sell it every single day.”

Learn More

Read the full Provost report on how UW faculty are enhancing teaching with technology.

Dr. Wills, an associate professor in the Milgard School of Business at UW Tacoma, has been flipping his economics classes — both for undergraduate and MBA students — for years. As a UW Tacoma Tech Fellow, he also developed an online “Introduction to Microeconomics” (TECON 200) class during summer 2012.

Benefits of flipping: “Flipping the classroom opened up possibilities that have made teaching much more exciting and rewarding. To go back to the standard chalk and talk (or more accurately now, ‘PowerPoint and talk’) with largely unengaged students is now inconceivable.”

Benefits for the instructor: “I am much more involved in my classes, not only because the interaction with students is so much more useful and enjoyable, but there are so many more possibilities.”

Advice: “If you’re thinking of doing it to improve your teaching, then be prepared for a lot of investment of time and be prepared to innovate and experiment. There is a lot of value in learning from others about the technology (and no, it’s not really about the technology) and basic principles of hybrid/online.”

Why try it? “You only learn how to do this well by doing it.”

Learn More

Read the full Provost report on how UW faculty are enhancing teaching with technology.