Evidence of the effectiveness of instructional technology

Decades of research have shown many uses of technology can improve both the teaching process and the learning outcomes for students. When planning to evaluate instructional technology use, identifying what outcomes to measure begins with considering existing evidence about effective uses of technology in instruction.

Below is a list of pedagogical objectives summarized from Kozma and Johnston* for which instructional technology has been shown to have a positive effect. In the left hand column each objective includes links to related strategies, ideas, and tools; the right hand column links to profiles on the CIT Web site of Duke faculty projects where these strategies have been put in practice.

Objective	Duke Examples
Support students in actively building knowledge rather than being passive receptors of information Incorporate the use of Web 2.0 tools Publish student work beyond the boundaries of the classroom as podcasts or web sites	Web 2.0 and podcasting projects: Gary Gereffi's interactive value chains web site Trudy Abel's geotagged photography of Durham Andy Read's use of student blogs and videos in Marine Conservation Biology Rochelle Schwartz-Bloom's development of a biological/chemical 3D virtual model Julie Reynolds' work with Biology students to map invasive species in the Eno River State Park--Google Earth for Teaching and Learning Showcase Presentation
Bring real-world situations into the classroom Connect your research with teaching Invite guest speakers via videoconference Incorporate research service learning into your course (CIT profiles) Also: Research Service Learning at Duke	Authentic learning projects: Cary Moskovitz in the writing program collects professionals' reviews of student work Brenda Neece's use of ultra mobile PC's for field research in Musicology class William Noland's use of image manipulation tools in photography course Julie Reynolds' work with Biology students to map invasive species in the Eno River State Park--Google Earth for Teaching and Learning Showcase Presentation Andy Read's use of student blogs and videos in Marine Conservation Biology Using video in law school clinics
Move beyond text only to rich multiple representations of ideas Use visualization in lectures Create engaging lectures Use digital images in teaching	Projects incorporating visual and auditory representations: Satendra Khanna's use of Hindi film and literature examples to increase student engagement with authentic language and culture Anathea Portier-Young's virtual tabernacle and temple experience J. Kameron Carter's use of group polls and concept maps to increase student engagement and understanding of concepts in "Christology" course Alyssa Perz-Edwards' annotation of Powerpoint images using a Tablet PC in Biology Alex Glass' use of Powerpoint animations to illuminate difficult concepts in Earth Sciences course Susan Denman's use of high quality digital video to instruct nursing students Claudia Karagoz' use of tablet PC to annotate text and images in Italian class
Reinforce basic concepts to achieve mastery Using technology to assign and grade problem sets Self-assessment tools: iQuiz and StudyMate	Reinforcing basic concepts: Sherryl Broverman's use of tools to foster active learning in large Biology classes Kevin Caves example of videoconferencing in biomedical engineering Claudia Karagoz' use of tablet PC to annotate text and images in Italian class
Enhance collaboration in learning Extend the classroom experience between class sessions Assign a video project in a class	Collaborative learning: Martha Reeves' use of student discussion board posts to facilitate deeper understanding in sociology course Elizabeth Hill's use of timeline software in large nursing courses Betsy Verhoeven's use of tablet PC for whole-class writing workshops
Explore connections using digital and hypermedia environments Model 3D objects for student understanding Use visual data for student understanding Use online modules and exercises in class	Visualizing data connections: Peter Malin's 3-D visualization of geological spatial relationships between sediment layers, faults, and topography Rochelle Schwartz-Bloom's use of a biological/chemical 3D virtual model Scott Huettel and Michael Platt's use of 3D (virtual) brain model for neuroanatomy class Anathea Portier-Young's virtual tabernacle and temple experience
Employ simulations in place of laboratory experiments or other virtual applications Use technology to improve student learning in laboratory sections	Simulations: Scott Huettel and Michael Platt's use of 3D (virtual) brain model for neuroanatomy class

* Kozma, R. B. and Johnston, J. (1991) The technological revolution comes to the classroom. Change, 23 (1), 10-23.