FACIT - Meeting Notes - March 3, 2009

FACIT Meeting Notes

March 3, 2009

Attending: Chris Roy, Michael Morton, Steve Mitroff, JoAnne Van Tuyl, Sheila Dillon, Shai Ginsburg
Andrea Novicki, Shawn Miller, Lenore Ramm, Randy Riddle, Amy Campbell, Amy Hendrix, Hannah Arps

CIT Faculty Instructional Technology Showcase

being held Friday 4/24/2009
Themes include video in teaching, mobile technologies, virtual worlds
Keynote Jim Groom, University of Mary Washington
Interactive demos from a variety of faculty and staff

How to communicate or get faculty interested?

Email with big headers to pull out the special sessions - they can send to their colleagues, or we can.
Pointing out the key gains from attending the day, what's the incentive to come at the end of a busy semester?
Feel like some faculty would come to one or two things only, not the whole day. Therefore, we can raise awareness now, but most might not make specific plans until closer to the date.

Materials Development

currently a program in the CIT that includes limited digitization for faculty and more involved development of teaching materials
based on a grant model; not a "drop off" service
CIT rethinking and updating program

Feedback on the program

Only for teaching or also for research? Materials need to have some relevance/usefulness for teaching.
For chemistry - what about recording new materials for faculty? The program typically is geared to do digitizing/materials conversion, but we have done other, more project-based things in the past.
AALL - what about taping student presentations? This might necessitate a consult - depending on whether you need to record the student PPTs, whether you have access to Lectopia, etc.
Slavics - getting things digitized is mostly what she needs, but what about consulting along with that? Also, if we provided labor for any materials creation, it would have to be a student who knows Russian to do the labor-intensive work.
Steve - most of us might be using materials in some way, but it might not be the best way - consulting on what IS the best way would be helpful.

Blackboard 8 upgrade

Blackboard will be upgraded to version 8 this summer
CIT looking at ways to communicate about the upgrade
brief demonstration of what is changing in Blackboard

How do you use Blackboard and how will the upgrade impact your area?

Shai - uses discussion board, emails, blog, no grading (uses spreadsheet)
Michael - minimally use it, posting materials (someone posts for him)
Chris - uses the gradebook and downloads to excel for doing stats, problem sets, discussion groups, email, streaming web links of filmed review sessions, lab manuals, lab safety videos, sections for all lectures, recitations and lab sections
Steve - announcements, discussion boards, reviews (students ask and answer questions), post grades, usage tracking (most students don't know you can see them)
Sheila - grading so students can see the grades, responses to readings, email (like that the sites are set up automatically)
JoAnne - post documents, email, announcements, good for organizing things, links to YouTube videos for assignments, links to iTunes U, grades in a little black book (has tried to automate but nothing is as efficient), testing for quizzing students, surveys, discussion boards

Reaction to the upgraded Blackboard Grade Center?

Chris - only has 3 or 4 graded assignments to enter through the semester, so the new version doesn't look to save him a lot of time. He can use data sorting in Excel. Would like Std Dev., median, mode (but this is not added in Bb 8).
They would like to know how to get quickly to the functions they want, in the new interface.
Overall, the FACIT members didn't seem to react strongly to the new version but was a desire for clear communications early about the change so facuty know what to expect.

WIRED! course - (Sheila Dillon)

Sheila gave a brief presentation about a course she is co-teaching this Fall that FACIT members showed interest in during the last meeting. The course combines in-depth work with new technologies with art history research.

200 level course, teaching with 4 other faculty, 9 students (5 undergrads, 4 grads); taught in Arts Warehouse
They are interested in understanding how new "representational technologies" will allow them to present their own data in new ways. Merging historical content and new technologies. Present architecture as a process, because building change over time.
Students learning Google Sketchup, Google Maps, Maia, Virtools, Strata Foto 3D.
All students have gaps in their skills - undergrads better with tech, grads better with the historical content.
Most of the students are going to Naples (funds from Trinity)
Started with a plan of an Italian convent - how to make something believable and historically accurate just from the plan?
FACIT members invited to followup individually if they wish to sit in on a class session.