The Integration and The Integration and Effectiveness of Information Effectiveness of Information

and Communication and Communication Technologies in Canadian Technologies in Canadian Postsecondary EducationPostsecondary Education

Dr. Carl Cuneo, Director, EvNet, Network for the Evaluation of Education and Training Technologies, McMaster University, http://evnetcanada.org/ cuneo@mcmaster.ca

Thanks to Brian Campbell and Delsworth Harnish

Communication & Information Technologies & Communication & Information Technologies & the Seven Principles of Undergraduate Educationthe Seven Principles of Undergraduate Education

1.Student-faculty contacts 1. Email

2. Peer student cooperation2. Online collaborative projects & group work

3. Active learning 3. Online search, explore

4. Prompt feedback 4. Real time chat, email

5. Time on task5. Efficient remote access to material

6. High expectations6. Use web publishing as displays to class & others

7. Diverse learning7. Linear v nonlinear hyperlinking

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Methods of communication very important Methods of communication very important or important to students’ course or important to students’ course

experienceexperience

Face to face in class 84%

Face to face outside class with students 70%

Telephone 63%

Face to face outside class with prof. 61%

E-mail with professors 50%

E-mail with students 34%

Newsgroups, listservs 12%

Live real time computer chat 11%

10 campus student surveys (Campbell)

Double-Sided View towards ICTs: Double-Sided View towards ICTs: Per Cent Students Agreeing WithPer Cent Students Agreeing With

“Computer skills are important for my student work”

83%

“Communicating with instructors by email is generally effective”

71%

“Computer skills are important for most of the jobs in which I am interested”

67%

“Computers do not replace the need for lectures and discussion”

90%

“Communicating with instructors by e-mail is better than talking to them face to face”

18%

“Computer based instruction should replace all face-to-face contact in some courses”

6%

10 campus student surveys (Campbell)

What Technologies Do Faculty & Students Use?What Technologies Do Faculty & Students Use?

TechnologyTechnology FacultyFaculty StudentsStudents

Wordprocessor 98% 88%

Personal email 94% 71%

Web surf 92% 79%

Email faculty or student 89% 49%

Library search 82% 50%

Computer presentation 45% 27%

Database 28% 36%

Games 17% 66%

Programming 13% 15%

16 Campus Faculty & Student Surveys (Campbell)

Student Learning Styles, Faculty Teaching Styles Student Learning Styles, Faculty Teaching Styles and Appropriate Technologiesand Appropriate Technologies

Technology Policy Choices

Appropriate Technology Infrastructure

Student Surface Learning

Student Deep Learning

Faculty Guide on Side

Faculty Sage on Stage

Effective Teaching & Learning with Technologies

New Economy Skills & Canada’s Global Compet- tiveness+

+

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-

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-

Learning Styles:Learning Styles: Students Who Restrict Students Who Restrict Communications to Registered Online Communications to Registered Online

Course Conferences OnlyCourse Conferences Only

• Competitive learners (marks ultimate goal of learning)

• Surface learners (facts; memorization)• Syllabus Boundness (stay within

bounds of course)• Extrinsic motivators (interested in

paper certificates only)

3 campus online CMC surveys (Cuneo and Harnish)

Learning Styles:Learning Styles: Students Who Students Who Communicate & Explore Across Communicate & Explore Across Non-Registered Online CoursesNon-Registered Online Courses

• Comprehension Learners (explore free association of ideas)

• Deep learners (seek the understand the meaning of what is leaned)

• Relate ideas (draw concept map of ideas)• Intrinsic motivators (passionate interest in

learning, no matter where it takes them)

3 campus online CMC surveys (Cuneo and Harnish)

Teaching Styles:Teaching Styles: How Do Sages on How Do Sages on Stage Use Computers in Teaching?Stage Use Computers in Teaching?

• Prepare tests with word-processors• Record grades in spreadsheets• To deal with large class sizes• To cover more material• To transfer the faculty member’s knowledge of

computing to teaching• To compensate for the lack of teaching assistants• To teach students more computing techniques

6 Campus Faculty Surveys (Campbell)

Teaching Styles:Teaching Styles: What Kinds of What Kinds of Technologies do Sages on the Stages Use?Technologies do Sages on the Stages Use?

• Course Management Systems (WebCT; Blackboard)

• Spreadsheets & Database programs

• Presentation software; computer projection; electronic slide shows

• File transfer protocols (ftp) on web

• Computerized testing; question & answer drill programs

• Preparation of paper tests with software

• Demonstrations/simulations6 Campus Faculty Surveys (Campbell)

Teaching Styles:Teaching Styles: How Do Guides on How Do Guides on the Side Use Computers in Teaching?the Side Use Computers in Teaching?

• Prepare lectures and class notes (writing)

• To get students to write more (normally not encouraged in large classes)

• To help students work in groups• To build informal links between

students

• To communicate more effectivelybetween teachers and students

6 Campus Faculty Surveys (Campbell)

Teaching Styles:Teaching Styles: What Kinds of What Kinds of Technologies do Guides on the Side Use?Technologies do Guides on the Side Use?

• Wordprocessors (creative writing)• Web search engines (exploring

hyperlinks on web)• Library and other reference search

engines (for exploring bibliographies)• Group messaging systems so students

can communicate with one another• E-mail to students as formal part of

course6 Campus Faculty Surveys (Campbell)

Six Levels of Technology Six Levels of Technology Integration into Teaching & Integration into Teaching &

LearningLearning1. Campus site license

2. Instructor adoptions

3. Integration into course design

4. Easy student access to the technology

5. Efficient use by students

6. Effective impact on student learning

Policy Recommendations: Policy Recommendations: Investment DecisionsInvestment Decisions

• Make evaluation of learning technologies an a priori requirement of implementation of ICTs.

• Incorporate learning and teaching styles into technology investment decisions– Too often, decisions are made by technical and

administrative staff with little awareness of learning and pedagogical practices

Policy Recommendations: Policy Recommendations: Diverse Teaching & Learning StylesDiverse Teaching & Learning Styles

• Implement somewhat different technologies for: – Sages on the stage– Guides on the side– Deep and comprehension learners– Surface and syllabus bound learners

• Teachers and learners may be at risk if they are forced to work with technologies inappropriate to their learning and teaching styles