University Times

Finding innovative teaching methods that get through to students raised in the fast-paced, information-rich world of music videos, instant messaging and the Internet is becoming increasingly important as a new generation of information consumers lands on college campuses.

Today’s students are more apt to click onto a web site than to pick up a book and, raised on high-speed Internet connections, they expect to have immediate access to a world of knowledge.

Among the tools professors can use to liven up their courses to meet the needs of tech-savvy students is the CourseWeb software suite. Its Blackboard course management software enables professors to enhance their classes with web pages that link students to class announcements, assignments, study aids and enrichment materials; live chat sessions, e-mails or discussion threads, and on-line grade books.

When Blackboard arrived at Pitt in 1998, professors were tentative, using it at first for the most basic tasks such as e-mail or as a quick way to post grades, said Barbara Frey, a senior instructional designer at CIDDE.

From modest beginnings, its use has grown each year. Today more than 1,700 course selections are available in Blackboard and about 75 percent of students are using it, she said.

Faculty members who have become comfortable with the basics are stepping up to use Blackboard in increasingly creative ways. “Now they’re starting to think about enhancing content: ‘What can we do with Blackboard to help our students?’” she said.

Judith Gallagher, who teaches in the School of Dental Medicine, told fellow audience members at Frey’s presentation that her students love Blackboard.

She’s used the discussion board function for virtual chats among students. One caveat is that students with dial-up Internet connections must plan ahead to have Java tools downloaded, because it can be a lengthy process for those who lack high-speed connections. “You’ve got to make sure two weeks ahead that everybody’s on,” she cautioned.

Frey shared some of the ways other professors from across the University are enhancing their classes using Blackboard.

* Links

History professor Tony Novosel uses the links function to allow students in his History of Ireland course to see and hear audio and video clips that bring issues to life. Students who weren’t even born during the bloodiest times in Northern Ireland can click on the links to hear BBC news reports or interviews with key figures such as then-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Psychology professor Cynthia Lausberg has linked a life expectancy quiz for students to her class site, while award-winning chemistry professor Joseph Grabowski has used the links function to develop an interactive Jeopardy-type game to help students study important concepts.

Yvette Conley’s introductory genetics and molecular therapeutics class uses it to view video and PowerPoint presentations.

* Survey

Novosel also uses the survey function as a means to get to know incoming students. A quick survey asks about students’ interests and what they hope to gain from the course. Communication professor Donald Egolf uses it in a different way: he has students log on to analyze nonverbal communication principles that have been discussed in class.

Susan Alman of the information systems department uses it for end-of-semester evaluations. “It’s really wonderful to do it in Blackboard and get your results in just a heartbeat,” Frey said.

* Class Photo

Biological sciences professor Melanie Popa uses the site to post a class photo as a way to help students get to know who’s who.

* Announcements

Popa also uses the announcements function to give her microbiology lab students a preview of what they’ll be doing in class.

* Lecture Notes

The lecture notes function gives health policy and management professor Wesley Rohrer a place to post PowerPoint slides to reinforce key concepts for students in his financial management foundations class. Joel Fishman has used it to replace an on-campus library tour for his legal research class with a PowerPoint how-to on using library resources.

* Discussions

The discussions function also is being used in a variety of ways. Alman’s students use the discussion board to debate management issues, while Abdesalam Soudi’s Arabic 3 class uses it to practice their language skills in an informal chat.

Grabowski or one of his teaching assistants go live during prime study time on Sunday evenings with tutoring help available in what he calls the “virtual fishbowl.” A whiteboard tool lets students see the teacher work the solutions to chemistry problems on their computer screens, Frey said.

* Assignments

On-line assignments also are becoming popular. To ensure uniformity, economics professor Frank Giarratani posts a standard template he expects his students to use when they write essays for his class. Giarratani also posts a grading rubric for assignments. “Students can see it before they do the assignment so they can complete it knowing what he’s looking for,” Frey said.

Anatomy professor Nicholas P. Piesco has developed a flash study tool to test students’ knowledge. “You can zoom it in and label parts of the head and neck for anatomy class,” Frey said. “After they’re done practicing, he e-mails them a Word document that labels all the parts of the head and neck,” she said.

Communication professor Janet Skupien has students analyze photos and audio recordings they can access via Blackboard.

* Images

Lisa DiBartolomeo’s Russian Fairy Tales class is enhanced with an on-line collection of images that relate to the stories being discussed in class.

* Quizzes

DiBartolomeo also offers “quickie quizzes” where students can practice their comprehension and get results instantly.

One caveat about this function, Frey noted, is that answers must match exactly or they may be marked as incorrect.

CIDDE instructional designers like Frey are available to help professors formulate concepts for on-line add-ons and CIDDE technical staffers offer faculty members a hand in making the ideas a reality.

Information is available by contacting Frey at baf30@pitt.edu.

—Kimberly K. Barlow