FACIT Notes 9/29/2008
Introductions and announcements
Members present: Mark Goodacre (Religion), Michael Morton (German), Steve Mitroff (Psychology and Neuroscience), Chris Erlien (Thompson Writing Program), Dick MacPhail (Chemistry), Marcy Uyenoyama (Biology), Shai Ginsburg (Asian and Middle Eastern Studies)
CIT and A&SIST staff present: Hannah Arps (A&SIST), Samantha Earp (CIT), Andrea Novicki (CIT), Amy Campbell (CIT)
Guest: Kevin Smith, Scholarly Communications Officer, Perkins Library System
1. News for members
DDI Programs available for 2008-09 (Samantha Earp)
DDI this year focuses on effective uses of digital video in teaching and learning. Through DDI faculty and students can access a variety of equipment and software for exploration and use of video, and faculty can connect with CIT for consulting and advice on including video in class presentations and assignments. The Duke Digital Initiative website has a wealth of information about DDI programs, which can be accessed via two "tracks": Give Me Ideas (ways you can use video in teaching) and Give Me Tools (the tools you and your students can use to create digital video). Equipment is available for loan or through "grants," and application forms for both are on the DDI site. Students are also welcome to apply to relevant programs separately from faculty.
Equipment and software available to faculty include Flip video cameras, web cameras, camcorders (including some which record in high definition), iPod Touch devices, Camtasia screen recording software, Quick Time Pro media editing software, Adobe Connect web conferencing software, VoiceThread media annotation software, and more. Faculty can get more information via the DDI website, or by contacting CIT at cit@duke.edu.
2. What’s new in your department?
Open discussion about any instructional technology-related questions or issues in members' departments, or reactions to the DDI programs described.
Some interest in Quick Time Pro and Camtasia to screen record videos on the web which are otherwise difficult to embed in PowerPoint (which is used as a "collation" method for media displayed during class presentations). Some members use PPT to integrate still images, videos, music and sound, and it's awkward to switch between PPT and the relevant media players.
Samantha suggests VoiceThread might be useful when teaching with video, because it allows display and annotation on media even if the actual clip isn't on one's local computer (can annotate video accessed through a web link).
Chemistry Dept. is using video more than it has before - e.g., safety videos, Camtasia movies. These can be displayed in labs because there are screens to do it. Some faculty are using Lectopia to record lectures - it's not perfect but it is better than nothing for students who miss a class or want to review.
One member mentioned that it's difficult to get conversation going in his department about computers as communication and sharing devices; colleagues there mainly seem to focus on issues related to their own personal computer (very individualized conceptions of computing). Also, in small-class teaching (at least for this member), technologies not really useful for main tasks of looking at and commenting on texts. Others suggested tablet PCs might be helpful in this regard, especially if all the students had them.
In Writing Program most technology use seems to revolve around Blackboard, and the tools in it. All faculty seem to use Bb to some degree, some more (discussion boards, blogs) and some less.
The group discussed a number of Bb-related issues and questions they had, ranging from whether it would be possible to get instructors associated with Bb sites updated as student enrollments are (Amy will check on this), to managing sections (what to do when sections aren't correctly combined), to Bb vs SISS alphabetizing and how that can cause problems when it differs and grades are uploaded from SISS to Bb.
Amy reminded members to send in help tickets when they have these types of Bb issues, particularly the section problems or if some student enrollments are missing and we can resolve those problems at the source.
3. Input from you
Kevin Smith, the Library's Scholarly Communications Officer, began a discussion related to author's rights.
Kevin's role at Duke is to assist faculty with issues of copyright and intellectual property (both using someone else's material and protecting your own scholarly work). He is in the process now of making faculty aware of issues which can arise if faculty blindly sign publication contracts for their work - often these may result in faculty signing away their copyrights, meaning that faculty no longer have the right to do with their work what they wish.
Kevin advocates that faculty read contracts very carefully AND that they retain their copyrights when publishing, so that they might also license their works in various other ways, including to open access repositories if that is their wish. Publishing work under a Creative Commons license would let faculty allow others to use their work freely for academic purposes, as long as the work was attributed, but disallow commercial use without permission.
Kevin answered several questions from the members about publishing, student dissertations, repositories and putting content freely on the web. He also handed out information from the Create Change group, which advocates for new and different scholarly publishing models. Kevin wo.uld like members to share this information with their departments, and he is happy to come to any department meetings to discuss these issues, or to meet with faculty individually. Contact Kevin at kevin.l.smith@duke.edu
4. Tour of the Link Teaching and Learning Center in Perkins
Andrea Novicki lead FACIT members on a short tour of the Link Teaching and Learning Center, a collection of classrooms and group study rooms in the lower level of Perkins Library, in which seamless technologies have been incorporated into flexible teaching and learning spaces.
The Link Service Desk is a fully-staffed help desk, providing support in the classrooms as well as DDI-related equipment loans. Link classrooms can be reserved for the whole semester use through the normal classroom reservation process (already completed for Spring 2009). Ad-hoc classroom requests for Fall 2008 can be made at the Student Services Center classroom request form (or start at the Link request form) and will be accepted beginning 10/6/2008. Ad-hoc classroom requests for Spring 2009 will be accepted only after the Spring 2009 course schedule has been finalized.
Faculty who would like consulting or advice about how best to use the flexible, technology-enhanced spaces of the Link can contact CIT at cit@duke.edu. Those with questions specifically about the Link space and reservations can contact linksupport@duke.edu.
