Cornell faculty at expo pass on the keys to teaching with technology

By Leslie Intemann

On Oct. 14, faculty from across the Cornell campus shared new teaching techniques at the semiannual Learning and Teaching with Technology Expo held in the Biotechnology Building. The two-day expo was sponsored by the Cornell Unified Service Working Group, which includes Cornell Information Technologies, Cornell University Library, the Center for Learning and Teaching, Communication and Marketing Services and the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions.

Professor Charles Walcott talks with members of the audience after his presentation at the Learning and Teaching with Technology Expo, Oct. 14. Frank DiMeo/University Photography

During his plenary address on the second day, Charles Walcott, dean of the faculty and professor of neurobiology and behavior, discussed how he and his team of faculty have been incorporating technology into Biology 101. Walcott, along with colleagues Thomas G. Owens and Jon Charles Glase, has added Web-based lecture outlines, film clips and animation to the basic lectures of a traditional class formerly taught only through lectures and labs. Automated quizzes greatly reduce the grading time for instructors and help keep 500-plus students current with their work. New animated tutorials are also helping students, because they have to interact with the tutorials to figure out the challenges presented.

"Our hope is that by using some of these techniques, we can improve the quality of communication in Biology 101 and we can involve our students more in their own learning, so it isn't just somebody up there lecturing," said Walcott.

James Blankenship, senior lecturer in molecular biology and genetics, discussed using an autotutorial format in a large enrollment course. "Biochemistry is the study of living cells at the level of single molecules, such as enzymes and DNA. Using sophisticated techniques, research laboratories learn about these molecules by determining their three-dimensional structures. Traditionally, students learn about them by reading a textbook and by looking at static two-dimensional images in these textbooks."

Blankenship's ongoing challenge is to identify an approach that is more instructive and engaging than textbook images, accessible to all students and more effective for visual learners.

"Through the Faculty Innovation in Teaching Grant Program," Blankenship said, "we have located and produced many excellent activities through which students learn about molecular function by actively manipulating three-dimensional structures. These activities are available on the students' own computers or from a cluster of student workstations in the Biochemistry Study Center that were provided by the grant."

Sally McKee, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and 2003 Faculty Innovation in Teaching Grant recipient for engineering in the real world, gave a talk titled "Introducing Electronic Student Portfolios to Assess Learning."

McKee said she feels technology has helped her teaching in several ways. "Taping my presentations and the students' presentations enables all of us to see what we do well and what needs work," she said. "Web surveys let me know what parts of the class are working the way I want and what parts need tweaking. Web pages via CourseInfo give us access to streaming video presentations, including guest speakers and accompanying slides.

"With Web portfolios, my students can team up and be more creative when making their final project report," McKee said. "Let's face it, making cool web pages with multimedia is much more fun that writing a 15-page paper."

The Faculty Innovation in Teaching Grant Program was created in 2001, with substantial support from the provost, to support faculty who have innovative ideas for using technology to improve teaching and learning.

To learn more about the expo and view many of the lectures, visit http://lttexpo.cornell.edu/.