Sample Consulting Questions and Requests

Did you know?

CIT answers over 1,200 inquiries a year from faculty, staff and graduate students at Duke about uses of instructional technology.

For faster service, though, if your question is about....

....Blackboard, contact the OIT Help Desk.

...classroom support in Arts & Sciences classrooms, contact A&SIST classrom support.

....e-reserves, contact Perkins Library System reserves.

....desktop support on your computer, contact your local IT support person or use your standard IT support method.

We can put you in touch with these groups, too, when you contact us!

CIT consults with faculty about many topics related to using technology in teaching. To give an idea of the types of things we can help with, here are some examples of the types of questions and requests we get.

These are meant to give you ideas about the scope of our work and how we can help - this is not an exhaustive list!

If you have questions like these, please contact us!

Get ideas for updating a course

I want my students to collaborate more. Are there technologies or activities that can fit into my course?
I'm interested in creating some online modules to go along with my course, and to share with other instructors. Has anyone else at Duke done this, and can I see some examples?
I’ve been teaching this class the same way for a few years. What can I do differently that would be interesting for me and the students, but not take too much time to revise the course right now?

Learn about new technologies and their pros and cons

I've heard about Google Earth and it sounds intriguing. Show me how it might be useful to me.
What is a tablet PC? How can one help me teach? Can I borrow one?
I have heard a lot about blogs but I'm not sure how they differ from discussion boards and when to use them in class.

Learn how to best use existing tools

I've been using Blackboard dropbox to collect student assignments, but it's pretty cumbersome. There has to be a better way to do this! I'd love some advice.
My students have asked me to use PowerPoint, but I’m not sure it’s appropriate for the way I teach. Are there pros or cons I should be aware of? Can you provide training?
I'd like to use better visual materials in my lectures but don't want to recreate all the slides and overhead transparencies I already have. Is there anything you can suggest to help?

Find a solution to a teaching issue

My students do not completely understand a key concept in my course. How can I help them?
How can I spend less time grading?
I used group work in my class last term, but I think it could have gone better. Do you have suggestions which could help?

Plan an instructional technology project

I'd like to have digital video segments of my classroom demonstrations for students to review on my Web site after the class is over, but I'm not sure what would be involved in a project like this. How do I start?
Several instructors in our department use a set of 35 mm slides. How can we put these materials online in order to share them more easily and use them in course presentations?

Find resources for a project

I want to try a new interactive technology in class, and I need some funding. Can CIT help me?
We're developing an instructional technology proposal that might be suitable for funding by a federal agency or a foundation. Can CIT help us with the grant proposal and with the project if it is funded?

Evaluate the impact of technology on teaching

How can I know if students are learning what they need to learn in my course?
I started using a new type of final project in my class this year and I'd like to get some anonymous information about how students felt about it, so I can decide whether to do it again next term. Can you help me design an appropriate survey?