| Conference Registration WebCT Homepage | |
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| Friday, July 14, 2006: 8:30 AM-9:30 AM | |||
| Ohio Room (Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers) | |||
| L-5: Leveraging Online Technology to Teach (Very) Large Classes | |||
| Detailed Description: | Will students learn anything in a course with 2,000 students and 10 professors? Can a professor give individualized feedback for 10 separate writing assignments to over 100 students (and still have time to sleep)? Absolutely! This session will describe how University of Illinois faculty have met these challenges to create effective teaching environments in (very) large classes by using online technologies. | ||
| Presentation Format: | Showcase | ||
| Topic: | Enabling learning: Effective instructional practices and student support models | ||
| Target Audience: | Course Designers, Faculty and Other Instructors, Senior Administrators, E-learning Managers | ||
| Appropriate Audience Level: | Beginning or new users of WebCT, Experienced WebCT users | ||
| Abstract Text: | Will students learn anything in a course with 2000 students and 10 professors? Can a Spanish language course give 350 graded assignments to 750 students in one semester? Can a professor give meaningful and individualized feedback for 10 separate writing assignments to over 100 students (and still have time to sleep)? Absolutely. At the University of Illinois instructors have leveraged WebCT Vista and other online technology to effectively teach in very large classes with limited teaching resources. The sheer number of students in large courses provides a challenge to instructors who wish to use teaching strategies and methodologies other than a traditional lecture. However, with course management systems and other online technology, instructors have a variety of tools with which they can directly engage their students and manage complicated groups, assignments, and tasks. By creating specific educational goals and properly matching their teaching strategies with available technologies, Illinois instructors have used technology to address particular challenges within large classes. For example, an introductory Spanish language course moved all its drill and practice activities online so that face-to-face class time could be devoted solely to conversation and active learning exercises. At the division of Educational Technologies, we have committed ourselves to supporting effective teaching in large classes. Through training sessions, individual consultations and course development assistance, and an extensive website devoted to teaching with technology, we have been nurturing faculty engaged in providing excellent instruction in large classes. At this session, we will showcase large courses which have successfully used technology to create engaging and active learning environments in large classes, suggest strategies for using technology to alleviate the challenges of managing large numbers of students, and discuss how the University of Illinois is supporting the use of technology for effective teaching in large classes. | ||
| Session Leader: | Alfred Weiss University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | ||
| Co-Presenter: | Kostas Yfantis University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | ||
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