Summer institute helps liberal arts faculty create new teaching tools using technology

Stephen Balfour, director of information technology, assists a participant with her project.

This past summer, seven liberal arts faculty members learned everything from building a website to developing podcasts during the week-long Liberal Arts Summer Institute for Instructional Technology.

Prior to the workshop, faculty submitted proposals that were competitively reviewed for their impact on student learning and technical innovation. The participants selected received a $3,000 professional bursary to further support their project.

“The Summer Institute for Instructional Technology is important because it gives faculty new tools they can use with students to increase their learning,” said Stephen Balfour, director of information technology and institute coordinator. “Findings and research suggest that students who are actively engaged and have multiple ways to look at information learn more. In this case, participants use these tools to create new applications for multimedia or interactive information technology to help students learn.”

Faculty participants use technology to enhance research and to make learning fun for students

The seven liberal arts faculty who participated were: Lisa Geraci, assistant professor of psychology; Sylvia Manzano, assistant professor of political science; Evan Parker-Stephen, assistant professor of political science; Dale Rice, director of journalism studies and lecturer in communication; Harvey Tucker, professor and director of management information systems; Françoise Vionnet-Bracher, senior lecturer in French; and Joseph Williams, lecturer in English at Texas A&M University at Qatar.

Here are examples of three projects:

• Rice learned how to introduce a video component into his Advanced Media Writing course, in order to teach students how to incorporate video into a news story to enhance the larger story.
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• Vionnet-Bracher used eLearning/Vista where students can learn about elements of French culture independently. The project aims to expand students’ experience by utilizing new avenues to enhance their curiosity and thought processes.
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• Williams learned how to podcast so he could teach his students how to create them. Once developed, the podcasts will be peer-evaluated, and the final product would be posted on the Texas A&M page on iTunesU.
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”We measure the success of the summer institute by tracking faculty after they’ve completed the workshop. We’ve had some faculty do some amazing things with what they learned,” said Balfour. “For example, Joanna Gibson, senior lecturer in English and director of Writing Programs, created an intranet for graduate students who will teach the Introduction to English course. She has resources for 3-4 different ways they can teach the course and even tips for lesson plans, a full suite of tools there.”

The institute is supported by the College of Liberal Arts Office of the Dean, Instructional Technology Services, the Center for Teaching Excellence, the University Writing Center, and the home departments for participating faculty.

Find more information about applying to next year’s Summer Instructional Technology Institute here.

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Contact: Monica Sales, sales22@libarts.tamu.edu, 979.862.4879