Using web-based tools (Web 2.0) for academic work

Instructors and students at Duke and other universities are making use of a new generation of web-based applications such as Google Docs, Flickr, del.icio.us and Second Life to support their course work. These new tools – often referred to as Web 2.0 – provide for dynamic user participation, social interaction and collaboration. Web 2.0 tools offer several benefits to instructors, including:

Ease of use
Interactions/integrations with other commonly-used tools
Filling needs not currently met with other tools
Inspiring creativity and exploration in teaching

Web 2.0 tools are used directly on the web; most are outside of Duke’s software environment. The use of websites and software tools not supported by Duke University raises some new issues for faculty and students to consider. This document describes how CIT helps faculty in using Web 2.0 tools for educational activities, provides tips for faculty using Web 2.0 tools with their students and offers case studies that apply these tips to teaching situations.

CIT help for faculty using new web-based tools (Web 2.0)

CIT will consult with instructors about how any software tool might be useful for their teaching. Although CIT does not provide extensive support for emerging Web 2.0 tools, we do attempt to stay knowledgeable about them where we see some usefulness for teaching and learning. We know instructors are interested in using them and are happy to support innovation in teaching with these tools. We suggest that instructors read our tips for using Web 2.0 tools and the case studies before using these tools in their courses.

CIT helps instructors by:

Providing information about uses, caveats, features and functionality on our web site and/or by request
Seeking tools useful across many disciplines
Consulting with faculty as they explore tools with special functionality or application to a specific discipline
Offering training in workshops and on request
Providing information about the use of non-Duke tools in relation to Duke policies and guidelines
Talking with faculty and instructors about what tools (Duke or non-Duke) will best meet their instructional needs

Because Web 2.0 tools are hosted outside of Duke and are evolving rapidly, CIT’s assistance is focused on applying them to educational activities and not on providing technical or help-desk support for non-Duke tools.