A new semester means a fresh start, an opportunity to atone for past mistakes or aspire to new heights. Professors across the country want to find new ways to engage their students, and some believe technology can help them achieve those goals.
"Inside Digital Learning" reached out to instructors in a wide range of disciplines (and in one case, a pair of librarians) to find out what's new in their teaching this semester, and how they plan to determine whether their efforts are paying off.
Sandi ConnellySandi Connelly, leader faculty in online learning in science, Rochester Institute of Technology
What's new: I’m using two pieces of technology to better engage my classes, both online and face-to-face.
Firstly, I’m using Microsoft Translator, an AI-powered automatic speech recognition (ASR) software tool that uses a library-trained algorithm to generate real-time captioning, in my online class. Translator was initially onboarded to assist the deaf and hard-of-hearing students in our classrooms, but I have found that it significantly benefits all of my students -- especially those for whom English is a second language and those who struggle to focus on materials. It will allow students to interact better with one another and with me during review sessions and virtual office hours.
I’m also launching JoVE Core Bio (beta) in my courses, an interface that provides opportunities for students to explore content through text, quizzes, assignments and countless videos of research being done in the field. The videos and the lower price point (compared with textbooks) are what really sold me on the product. JoVE Core Bio has the potential to make nonmajor biology students feel like real scientists and engage them with cutting-edge research. The research vignettes that demonstrate techniques are putting the “Wow!” of science back into my classrooms -- in person and online.
Why: I am constantly looking for ways to engage the students with the use of multimedia. Giving students options for their learning path and letting them choose -- reading, videos and engagement in research -- makes the learning more personal and applicable to them.
I am looking for increased engagement with materials in my courses, for increased application of content knowledge and for increased student satisfaction with their own learning. Further, I am hopeful that this will also make it easier for students to get that “wonder” about science.
Measuring success: I’ll be looking at the qualitative analysis of student responses on written exams. Going beyond multiple choice, how do students apply their knowledge to scenarios that weren’t presented in the course materials? This level of critical thinking is often overlooked in courses for nonmajors, and we are doing them a disservice by continuing this trend.
Why experimentation is valuable: We have to be on the constant lookout for what will help us build our leaders of tomorrow -- who just happen to be taking a nonmajors bio course for some elective credit. Our courses should help build students into effective communicators and practitioners of science in the future, regardless of what they want to do in their careers.
Stephen ElyStephen Ely, associate professor of medical education, Nova Southeastern University
What's new: The Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine (NSU MD) welcomed our first class of 53 doctor of medicine students in July 2018. As a new medical school, we have the opportunity to develop from the ground up.
Johannes Vieweg, dean of NSU MD, recognized the unique opportunity to create a medical curriculum that integrates medical education, research, patient care and community engagement to fulfill a mission of advancing human health through innovation. A diverse faculty of medical education specialists, researchers and physicians asked the question “What will tomorrow’s physicians look like?”
We have developed our curriculum with a goal of shaping our graduates to become master adaptive learners: self-directed, lifelong learners, adept at (self-)assessment, critical thinking, reflection and adaptation on an ongoing basis. We have designed an integrated curriculum that is a hybrid of lectures; small-group learning sessions (seven to eight students), which utilize problem-based learning; and team-based learning formats as a flipped classroom where students are responsible to themselves and their teams for learning. Our goal is for our students to celebrate diversity, be champions of underserved populations and be poised to push the envelope of medicine through service, research, technology, innovation and leadership.
Through our innovative curriculum and integration of ethics, humanities, genomics, interprofessional collaboration, biomedical informatics, leadership, population heath, societal problems and cultural competencies, we are setting our students up for success as measured by national standardized board examinations, obtaining competitive residency positions, and becoming competent, compassionate physicians, and leaders in medicine.
Technology plays a major role in modern health care, and we have embraced the use of technology to facilitate teaching and training our students through the use of iPads, ebooks, handheld ultrasound equipment, smart TVs and 3-D anatomy software with augmented reality. Simulation activities allow students to engage in clinical scenarios using preprogrammed interactive mannequins to prepare them for performing procedures and real-life clinical encounters.