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Considerations of Selecting Learning Technology
Category: Educational Technology (What would you like to do?)
Accessibility
Accessibility tools ensure that all persons, including those with significant disabilities, are provided equitable access to digital content and opportunities to receive effective educational services, with the needed support services. Accessible digital content benefits everyone - not just those with disabilities! Click on the link to learn more about Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
Assess Learning
Assessment tools enable instructors to gather information about what students know, understand, and can do. The intent of assessments is not only to gauge the learning process, but also to improve the process.
Conduct Peer Review
Peer review tools can present an opportunity for student self-reflection, get feedback from peers, and also promote peer-peer learning.
Conduct Synchronous Live Sessions
Web conferencing tools are used for synchronous meetings, including class sessions, guest lectures, team meetings, and more. Meeting hosts and participants can share screens, slide shows, explain spreadsheets, play videos, and collaborate in real-time.
Create & Manage Courses
NDSU uses Blackboard Learn Original as its learning management system. These tools can help in the creation, management, and delivery of course content and resources.
Encourage Collaboration
Collaboration tools can facilitate social and peer learning in online environment. These tools can allow learners to work together in groups to solve a problem, complete an activity or design a product, thereby fostering their learning experience.
Encourage Academic Integrity
There are probably no tools that can prevent 100% exam cheating. But, some tools might dissuade or discourage students from cheating, thereby improving academic integrity. There are other evidence-based ways of assessing students learning than high-stake tests and exams. For instance, instructors can consider Alternative & Authentic Assessment Strategies such as projects, and low-stakes exams, as an alternative to high stake exams.
Facilitate Discussion
Discussion tools can enable the facilitation of engaging conversations that allow students to process information, exchange ideas, and develop their thinking and reasoning skills. These tools, if appropriately utilized, can also enhance interactions and engagement within the learning community.
Polling
Polling tools are great to engage and encourage students participation. Polling allows instructors to gather instance responses from students to questions and generate discussion points.
Promote Communication
Communication tools can be used to communicate between the instructor and student, for student-to-student communication, or for personal reflections. These communications can be internal (within Blackboard Learn Original) or external.
Record Mini Lecture
Mini-Lecture capture tools can help present course content. The recommended practice is that videos should not be more than 6-9 mins (Mayer & Moreno, 2003).
Simulation Tools
MATLAB software is used for numerical computation, visualization and programming. It lets users explore and visualize ideas and collaborate across disciplines including signal and image processing, communications, contro systems and computational finance. Simulink is a block diagram environment for multi-domain simulation and model-based design.
Considerations of Selecting Learning Technology
Proponents of educational technologies argued that, if appropriately used, they can foster student learning experience and assist faculty to be more effective and efficient. However, there are important questions to ask before implementing educational technologies.
Know your student:
Who are your students? What demography is most prevalent among them? What is their technology literacy level? Do they have access to the technologies required to be successful in your course?
Functionality:
Will the use of the technology meet your desired learning outcomes? Can the tool be scaled to accommodate large class sizes? Is the tool easy to learn and use? What educational resources and technical support are available for your students to use the tool?
Accessibility and Security:
Is the tool accessible? Is there any cost associated with the tool? Was the tool designed to address the needs of diverse users and their capabilities? Does the tool protect student privacy? Does it meet FERPA requirements? If you would like to submit a tool/software request to be evaluated by IT security, please complete this form.
References:
- A rubric for selecting active learning technologies. EDUCAUSE. (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2022, from https://er.educause.edu/articles/2022/4/a-rubric-for-selecting-active-learning-technologies
- Mayer, R. E., & Moreno, R. (2003). Nine ways to reduce cognitive load in multimedia learning. Educational Psychologist, 38(1), 4352. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3801_6
- Rubric for elearning tool evaluation - western university. (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2022, from https://teaching.uwo.ca/pdf/elearning/Rubric-for-eLearning-Tool-Evaluation.pdf
- Tool Wheel. (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2022, from https://tutorials.library.maastrichtuniversity.nl/Tool_Wheel/