Four outstanding instructors and online and blended courses were selected as recipients of the 2015 AT&T Award Competition in Instructional Technology.
Best Online
Leigh Graves Wolf and Michelle Schira Hagerman, CEP 811
Adapting Innovative Technology into Education is designed to push students to extend their conceptions of innovation. Focused on the integration of digital technologies in classroom settings, this course immerses students in the world of making, doing and creating with new tools in new ways. The single core idea that defines the course is that innovative uses of technology can happen with a range of tools, in a range of ways, in a range of contexts.
Honorable Mention
Charles Owen, CSE 335
Object-Oriented Software Design is a four credit, extremely work intensive course involving both individual and team activities, and is an important transition in the Computer Science curriculum. The goal of the course was to create a structure where students continuously learn then immediately apply what they’ve learned.
Best Blended Course
Robby Ratan, TC 401
Science Fiction, Communication & Technology focused on the ways in which science fiction portrays the use of communication technologies. The Zoom conferencing system, coupled with the Eli Review peer review platform engaged students, and kept them focused on the lectures and discussions at hand.
Honorable Mention
Steve Williams, MD, OST 576
In Integumentary System, students learn to diagnose common skin conditions by utilizing a flipped model in which preparation for class takes place elsewhere, while class sessions are focused on application. The course is organized the way physicians actually practice, based on evidence-based diagnosis. iClicker questions of increasing difficulty are presented at the beginning and the end of class.
Best Technology Enhancement
Melanie M. Cooper, CEM 141
General Chemistry is the introductory, large enrollment chemistry course for STEM majors. With support from a National Science Foundation grant, the instructors are currently transforming the course to focus on the big ideas of chemistry and how it is used. iClickers are used for class participation and homework is assigned in the beSocratic system.
Shannon Schweitzer, THR 811
Practicum Lighting: Design and Technology uses technology to help students with pre-visualization methods. The course teaches students how to design lights for theater, concerts, and architectural lighting. Built to emulate a true-to-life stage in a much smaller form, the Mini Light Lab allows students to gain hands on stage lighting experience in a low-risk environment.