Every course at Dartmouth has a Blackboard site that instructors can make available to students, and every undergraduate is required to have a computer. Finding technology in classes is therefore no surprise. But what do Dartmouth students really think about the technology associated with their classes? That’s what Lucretia Witte ’10 set to find out through surveys and interviews with fellow students.
Lucretia shared the results of her study with a room packed full of faculty, librarians, technologists, and administrators on April 20, 2010. In preparation for the workshop and as a means to make her results accessible, Lucretia created a Blackboard site as a model for how it could be used for a class. Students and faculty were asked to share their opinions in response to questions she asked through the online discussion board before the session. While walking us through her site and examples for using Blackboard, Lucretia shared her findings and moderated a discussion.
The main message from students was a good reminder to us all: More important than any technology (or lack of) was feeling engaged and as if the instructor cares about the community in the classroom and about each individual student. The students feel small classes are the best and anything that helps them engage with the material, the instructors, and each other makes a good class. In fact, Lucretia pointed out that learning may not be the main criterion students use to evaluate a class. They want to know how much work the class will be and if that work will be rewarding. From this project, Lucretia learned that students were more likely to respond to her when they felt a personal connection to her and the project. The same holds true for classes.
Although many of the student comments focused on class size and personal interactions, some had strong feelings about how and when technology is effective in their courses. The consensus among students is that PowerPoint is most effective when used for images (from art to biology) and not for text. Lecture capture received mixed reviews. Many preferred video to audio-only, but some say any class recordings may make them less likely to attend the class, a concern raised by faculty as well. One student suggested that specific class sessions could be recorded if requested by a student who would be unable to attend. Pre-recorded short lectures assigned as part of class preparation were seen as a way to allow for more engaging class time. The interactive tools on Blackboard (discussion boards, blogs, and wikis) seem to be viewed favorably only when they are used to prepare and be more engaged in a class discussion. When they are used to wrap-up a discussion and the next in class meeting is on a different topic, they seem less effective. Many students felt their classmates simply wrote because they had to and the online discussions were not true discussions and often a waste of time. Pre-course surveys, on the other hand, that allow faculty to learn about their students before the class even begins, were praised by students and faculty.
We were reminded that most of the current Dartmouth students started using computers before the age of 10. They started reading on Reader Rabbit, relying on interaction, visuals, and sound. This may be why the students say images, music, and videos are what grab their attention outside of class – not the printed word. Most course materials are printed text and students think it’s “nice to change up assignments.”
A faculty member asked if the price of required reading influenced course choice. Lucretia responded honestly on behalf of students that they want easily accessible materials, and for some that means all readings should be posted on Blackboard, and some may not do readings that are difficult to obtain. Faculty were curious if students read electronic documents online or printed hardcopies and a discussion of reading preferences ensued. Lucretia’s advice was for faculty to make the readings available in different ways (books and readings that can be purchased, borrowed, read online or printed as hard copies) to accommodate students with different preferences. Copyright issues were mentioned as a barrier to posting readings, especially older works, electronically. The librarians in the room encouraged faculty to work with them to create e-reserves that could be linked to Blackboard.
The grade center is another Blackboard tool that was mentioned as useful to address another student preference – to be assessed and graded as fast as possible. Seeing assignments in the grade center and knowing what they are worth is also helpful. Students really like transparency and knowing the point of an assignment and why the received the grade they did. Many in attendance pointed out the importance of early assessments and ungraded work that give students the chance to fail and try again.
In the end, the student comments could really be summed up as the basis of good course design: What are the goals for the class? What do we want the students to learn and contribute? How can we best engage students in the class and with the materials? What technology, if any, will help us achieve those goals?
For those of you at Dartmouth, the discussion continues on Lucretia’s Teaching with Technology Blackboard site where a recording of the session is available. Let us know if you’d like access to the student and faculty posts already there and to add your own voice. Plus you may get ideas for how to set up your Blackboard site for your next class. You also can read more about Lucretia and her project in Josh Kim’s interview with her: http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology_and_learning/a_student_s_views
Really great article. Honestly..
Thanks Irvin!