Educators search for best mix of IT, tradition

Combining technology with traditional teaching methods to enrich
undergraduate education will be the focus of a program headed by
the Faculty Committee on Educational Technology and the Office of
Instructional Development.

Known as the Blended Instruction Case Studies, faculty members
have been asked to submit proposals that will use information
technology innovatively to further the undergraduate learning
experience.

“This is not about adding another technology in the
classroom,” said Ruth Sabean, assistant vice provost and
director of education technology with the College of Letters &
Science.

The goal is to find the best mix of electronic and traditional
instruction that will make learning more active, Sabean said.

“What UCLA is looking for are just different faculty and
departments to come up with innovative ideas,” said Robert
Gould, professor of statistics and a member of the FCET.

The study will also map the type of technology that works for
various disciplines and examine its applicability in others.

This is the first study that will systematically collect
information on the types and various methods of technology that
improve student learning.

The way the success of student learning will be measured is
still unclear, although there are obvious ways such as how students
and professors feel, and grades that students receive, Sabean
said.

The final selection will be made early winter quarter by members
of the FCET and OID. Those selected will work with a pedagogy and
technology team to carry out their proposals.

Examples of possible proposals include smart test banks
accessible from students’ computers that recognize whether
the student has a good handle on the specific subject, Gould
said.

Faculty and teaching assistants would be able to get a printout
of the results the following day so they know how well their
students, which number over 150 in some courses, grasp the lessons,
Gould added. 

Currently, the Web is used extensively in many courses to
disseminate information that might otherwise take up valuable class
time.

“It’s helpful in communicating with students,”
said Steven Kivelson, professor of physics and astronomy.

However, technology doesn’t revolutionize the classroom
““ it is not a substitute for conventional teaching methods,
Kivelson said.

Some students are wary of the idea of professors using current
educational technology in the classroom, simply because the
professors might not understand how to use it.

“I had a lab professor who took 10 minutes to figure out
how a program worked,” said Brenda Chang, a second-year
mechanical engineering student.

“If you want technology in the classroom, you have to
teach the professors how to do it so it would be less distracting
and take up less class time,” Chang said.