|
Curriculum
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Background - July 1997. A pilot project was funded to develop a general designation of "technology intensive" courses that could be used university-wide. "Writing intensive" courses were used as a model for development for the project. A committee of faculty members from a broad range of subject areas developed a set of technology intensive standards for the development of the courses. The Technology Intensive Standards were derived from three sources: the University of Hawaii General Education Standards, the United States Education Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) Report, and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Basic Endorsement in Educational Computing and Technology Literacy. |
|
Standards - The course subject matter should remain the priority for technology intensive courses. The technology should help facilitate communication, problem solving, analysis, research, and presentation. It is highly recommended that faculty planning technology intensive courses develop curriculum that utilizes at least one standard from each category. The more standards that are used; the more intensive the course becomes. The standards would form the basis of objectives, readings, discussion, and assignments that relate technology to course content. The standards include six categories based on: ethics, operations, analysis, retrieval, application, and attitudes. Among the categories are there 33 specific standards. No single course can cover all of these standards. The idea is that among the variety of courses students take, they will upon graduation have mastered these standards. It is allowable and recommended that the students be given the standards for the specific course. The instructor also has permission to duplicate all of the standards for students so that they may chart their achievements throughout their school career. Since technology issues change continually, the latest draft of the standards should be used for this purpose. Faculty - Technology intensive instructors should serve as exemplary role models for the use of technology. The openness to change and recognition that no one is truly an expert is of utmost importance. With technology changing so rapidly, everyone is along a continum of technology expertise. Acceptance of this is essential to being able to confidently teach and learn with technology. Being able to say "let's learn together" means more immediate use and advancement of technology in the classroom. Instructors should model good ethical standards when using technology such as adhering to copyright laws. Good instructional and visual design are fundamental to learning with technology. Instructors should become knowledgeable in these areas. Students - Technology intensive courses must have the essential component of student involvement. Students not only need to see technology used by a good role model; they need to use it themselves. They must become users, not watchers. Integration of technology into the curriculum is expected to have a very positive impact on student motivation, involvement, and learning. Technology provides more exciting venues for students to demonstrate their knowledge. Students should have opportunities to create course projects that include technologies such as multi-media, web pages, videos, and electronic slide-shows. Specific assignments related to course content should be designed to incorporate a variety of technological tools. New assessment tools should be designed that will accurately measure the way students demonstrate their knowledge when using technology. Discussing the use of technology frankly with the students is highly recommended. It is expected that the instructors will need to acknowledge issues of access, skill level, and anxiety. Helping students understand the need for growth in the area of technology is an important part of the process. |
|
