Successful FacetoFace Strategies for the Virtual Classroom

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Successful Face-to-Face Strategies for the
Virtual Classroom

• Ralph Buchal
• Spring Perspectives on Teaching
• May 4, 1999

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Outline

• Teaching vs. Learning
• Technologies for teaching
• Technologies for learning
• Can technology improve teaching and learning
  effectiveness?

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Teaching vs. Learning

• Teaching happens mostly in the classroom, and is
  instructor-centred
• Learning happens mostly outside the classroom,
  and student-centred

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Technologies for Teaching

• Powerpoint presentations
• Multimedia
• Web browsing
• Software demos
• Entertainment

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Technical Hurdles

• Most lecture rooms not multimedia equipped
• Difficult to set up
• Troubleshooting often required
• Plan on bringing backup transparencies, or
  cancelling the occasional class
• Wrong screen resolution
• No instructor monitor
• Remote pointer hard to use
• Keyboard and mouse hard to use

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Other Problems...

• Students tire of PowerPoint
• Passive - little interactivity or engagement
• No need to copy notes
• Dark room
• Result boredom, sleep, and declining attendance!

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Technologies for Learning

• Self-paced learning
• On-line notes, course website
• Interactive multimedia
• Discussion and communication
• Email, discussion groups
• Synchronous communication (chat, voice, shared
  whiteboard)

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Technologies for Learning

• Collaborative learning and knowledge building
• Shared workspaces
• Testing, evaluation and feedback
• On-line quizzes and tests
• On-line surveys and questionnaires
• Document red-lining and mark-up
• What-if exploration
• Modelling and simulation

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Technologies for Learning

• Practical application
• Projects and assignments
• Motivation, relevance, accountability, pride of
  achievement
• Real problems and applications
• On-line publication of student work
• Competitions

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Do these Technologies Improve Teaching and
Learning Effectiveness?
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Access, Cost, Efficiency

• On-line learning any time, any place
• Elimination of transparency costs
• Electronic distribution of notes
• Paperless submission, marking and returning of
  assignments
• Peer evaluation
• Self-directed learning
• Electronic record keeping