0.3 Findings  (Page 10/22)

Ken felt the Online Day resources helped streamline the process of set-up and teaching. The students were relieved that they didn’t have to develop the whole curriculum for the course themselves. While Ken followed the textbook chapter by chapter, he was able to personalize instruction through use of the discussion board and use of email.

Vision for technology in teaching

Ken’s vision for the use of technology in teaching demonstrated his commitment to its use. Because he felt it would become increasingly important, he spent considerable time learning to make his pedagogy fit the medium.

My sense is the majority of teaching at the university level is beginning to move toward technology-based teaching. Especially when you’re looking at the admissions and they get 20,000 applications for a thousand admissions, there’s a real hunger for education, and it’s clear the traditional university is not able to meet that demand. I think that many alternative ways of teaching is primarily technology. I think that when students see that they can keep their jobs and get an advanced degree as well, there’ll be more of them coming back. And when they find out they don’t have to go into a traditional academic environment per se, I think technology is going to explode.

Ken was very positive about using technology. He was at the beginning of a new career in which he found himself very stimulated. Ken took full advantage of working with the technology experts on campus, and led the way in trying the new campus-wide technology. Ken did not seem to feel constrained by the norms of the program. He was willing and able to take the time to learn new software, and enjoyed setting up new structures in which to work that he felt afforded the students more options for learning.

Carrie, the nurturer

Carrie had taught counseling at the graduate level for 10 years at a university in a Middle Atlantic state. She had been teaching with technology for the past nine years. Historically the college had always been a teaching institution, and her attitude toward the students reflected that orientation, showing sincere concern for her students.

Discovering online day

Carrie discovered the Online Day course material through happenstance while walking through the book exhibits with two of her students at a professional conference.

Well, I had two students with me and they’re like, “Dr. Farrow, this is great!” But really, to have all the resources in one place to go with that textbook and to be able to have the students have access to that--I want the students to have everything they can have access to when it comes to their learning.

The encouragement of the two students caused her to consider taking a closer look at the Online Day resources. Although Carrie was not looking for online course material at the time, she felt the online version provided many more resources than the printed textbook, which she had used before. Carrie particularly liked certain aspects:

Having everything built into the online course, and having students being able to have access to the PowerPoints, to the case studies. They also enjoyed the in-text definitions that you can just click on the link and hear it and read it, they really enjoyed that.