Purpose - It
is possible that the most important curriculum reform necessary today
is establishing standards for the integration of information technology
into the general education experience across the system. According to
the October 1996 Research Briefs for the Office of the Vice President
for Student Affairs "about three out of every four students at the University
of Hawaii at Manoa own their own computer. Of those who own computers,
67 percent have modems and the capability of connecting with the University
of Hawaii information systems and the Internet" (p. 1). The students are
ready for the integration of information technology into their classes,
but are the faculty ready to provide it? Faculty are using information
technology for their research and for communication, but how many are
truly integrating information technology into their courses? Are faculty
willing to redesign their courses to accommodate information technology?
Are the faculty willing to spend the extra time to be trained as good
role models as technology users? When does the integration of information
technology improve learning and when may it hinder learning? What kinds
of standards have been established for information technology integration?
How should these standards be tested and refined? This project is designed
to address these issues.
The goal of this
project is to establish and refine standards, and develop a two-week
training program for a new designation of "information technology intensive"
courses. The target within the first year is to redesign 15 to 20 courses
for the technology intensive designation. The project will provide course
development support and training for a pilot group of 15 to 20 faculty
members. The project team will consider "writing intensive" courses
as a model for development.
General education
- Information technology was one of the priority issues discussed by
the General Education Committee's (GEC) Seminar Discussion Groups. The
goal established by the group was: "To develop students who are informed
users of appropriate electronic and other information technologies,
and who are able to make informed choices among changing technologies."
(p. 1) Basic skills in any area may be initiated in a single course,
but to become "informed users" requires consistent practice. This is
certainly true in becoming a good writer, and is equally true in becoming
an information technology user. A student enrolled in technology intensive
courses would have the opportunity to practice and demonstrate these
skills.
The GEC has laid
the foundation for this project in the development of general goals
and objectives for information technology. Technology intensive courses
would help the University in meeting these goals by requiring students
to: (a) access information from a variety of Internet related sources;
(b) organize and analyze information using statistical and data analysis
software; (c) use electronic media to communicate with others via electronic
reports, articles, papers, and documents; and (d) keep up with changes
in technology by accessing "on-line" tutorials and help materials. (p.
2-3)
Impact -
The purpose of the information technology intensive project is to develop
a general designation that can be used university-wide. The initial
pilot group will include faculty who are involved in general education.
It is reasonable to expect that 15 to 20 faculty members could be trained
in a two-week summer program and continue development in the fall. The
first technology intensive courses could be ready for the 1998 school
year. Because of the need for resources in a computer lab, and extra
effort on the part of faculty, student numbers would be equivalent to
writing intensive courses. The initial impact would be 18 to 20 students
per class for a total of 270 to 400 students the first year. The project
would encourage a train-the-trainer effort so that faculty members trained
through this grant would then serve as mentors and instructors for faculty
in the future.
Integration of information
technology into the curriculum is expected to have a very positive impact
on student motivation, involvement, and learning. Technology provides
more exciting venues for faculty and students to demonstrate their knowledge.
Students would have more individualized opportunities to create course
projects that include multi-media, web pages, videos, and electronic
slide-shows. The barriers imposed by dwindling on-campus library resources
would be substantially lowered by access to electronic information.
Each course developed
during this project will need to undergo considerable curriculum restructuring
to meet the standards for technology intensive courses. Faculty will
have to rethink their teaching methods so that they demonstrate effective
technology use. Materials will have to be designed and developed that
provide exemplary models for students. New assessment methods will have
to be considered that are relevant to the new types of technologies
used for projects.
Project Description
- The first principal investigator for the project is Catherine P. Fulford,
Ph.D., an Associate Professor in the College of Education's Department
of Educational Technology. Her expertise is in instructional design
and development in the area of educational technology. Instructional
design (the systematic process of applying research to the development
of instruction as a way to improve learning) is the foundation for the
field of Educational Technology. Before coming to the University, she
was a practicing designer for 12 years. Dr. Fulford currently teaches
courses in the development of media with an emphasis on how technology
can improve learning.
The second principal
investigator for the project, Curtis P. Ho, Ph.D. He is the Chair of
Office of Faculty Development and Academic Support. His expertise is
in the design of mediated courseware, particularly multi-media, world
wide web, and distance education. He is affiliated with the Department
of Educational Technology and teaches courses in these areas. As Chair
of OFDAS, he is well acquainted with faculty training. He is a designer
and instructor for many of the faculty workshops. He will be responsible
for serving on the standards development team, and acting as a reviewer
for the training design and instructional materials.
Objectives
1. Develop a set of standards required for the information technology
intensive course designation.
2. Design a two-week training program and set of instructional materials
for faculty to redesign their courses and integrate technology based
on the standards for technology intensive courses.
3. Train 15 to 20 faculty members to develop information technology
intensive courses.
4. Assist faculty members in the redesign of their curriculum and
in the development of course materials.
5. Deliver 15 to 20 information technology intensive courses during
the 1998 school year.
Evaluation
- There are four phases of evaluation. The first phase will be the evaluation
and review of the draft standards. The project faculty members will
be asked to participate in this review. They will assess what should
be refined or added from the draft standards for defining information
technology intensive courses.
The second phase
of evaluation will be the formative evaluation of the training program
and instructional materials. Key faculty members will be chosen to work
one-on-one with the developers to review the materials. Then, a dry
run of the training will be conducted within the Educational Technology
Department. Revisions will be made at that point. After the training
there will be another evaluation. A self-assessment tool and quality
survey will be used to assess the training. The training program and
materials will again be revised.
The third phase
of evaluation will be in the last month of the grant year. Participating
faculty will be interviewed as to the success of the project.
The fourth phase
of the evaluation will be to assess the quality of the information technology
intensive courses. An instrument will be developed that will be given
to students in all of the courses. The instrument will be based on the
information technology intensive course standards to insure that these
standards have been met. Revisions will again be made to the standards,
training program, and instructional materials.
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