• Winter 2008
• Fall 2007
• Winter 2007
• Fall 2006

Teaching with Technology Initiative (TTI) - Winter 2008 Program

This program can support courses with up to 300 students in the auditorium (150) in Telus Centre and up to 60 students in the tiered classroom (134).

An instructor interested in participating in TTI is asked to submit a two page letter of intent with the following information:

Title of the course and a brief course description.

• Number of students typically registered for the course.
• Name(s) of the instructor(s) and contact information.
• Support staff available within the Faculty who might join the project team.
• Goals for improving the course.
• How they propose to use the student response system to achieve the course goals, including the new teaching strategies and instructional approaches that will be tried out.
• Information and communications technologies that will be used to enhance learning outcomes and/or increase access.
• Proposed evaluation methodology.
• Previous experience by the course instructor(s) in using innovative, evidence-based teaching methods.
• A description of how the course redesign project might contribute to improving teaching within their Department and Faculty.

The goal of Teaching with Technology Initiative (TTI) is to assist instructors in exploring the ways to enhance student learning through the appropriate use of educational technologies. For the Winter 2008 Term, we are focusing on the effective use of student response systems. Other technologies are available, as well.

TTI provides instructors with instructional design and evaluation support. A Graduate Assistant (GA) will be assigned to each instructor to setup technology and provide hands-on support. The over all intent of TTI is to foster educational practices that promote discovery learning. 

Instructors selected to participate in TTI will be given teaching space in Telus Centre. For Winter 2008, there will be space available for courses in the Tiered Classroom (Room 134) in Telus Centre. This room has capacity for 60 students. One or more Breakout Rooms may be allocated for student team discussions, if requested by the instructor.

Technologies available within Telus Centre include:

• A student response system
• Wireless access
• Dual digital projection
• A digital whiteboard
• Ten laptop PCs
• A digital production studio for students and instructors

An instructional designer will work with the instructor to explore ways to increase student engagement and enhance learning.

 Specifically, the instructional designer will collaborate with each instructor to:

• Develop active learning strategies for engaging students and augmenting learning
• Design of the research study and research questions related to the effectiveness of the use of technology and related active learning strategies
• Design and administer student surveys

Each instructor supported through TTI will be asked to do the following:

• Regularly meet with the instructional designer before and during the course to design the questions that will be used in the lectures and be willing to make changes in their teaching approach in order to design and implement the effective use of questions.
• Participate in orientation sessions regarding the use of the student response system and the design of effective questions.
• Research the extent to which his or her goals for improving the course are achieved. This will involve obtaining an Ethics Approval in a timely manner.
• Complete a written report after the course is completed.
• Provide a presentation to the campus community about their course redesign project through University Teaching Services.

Instructors will receive feedback from students on their teaching and how they use technology. Instructors will receive complete copies of the formative and summative student survey data so that the instructor obtains timely and detailed feedback from students about their learning experience. The student survey questions will be specifically designed to evaluate the stated objectives that they instructors have for using technology in teaching. The instructors will also have the opportunity to meet with the instructional designer to discuss what the results mean and their implications on their teaching and the impact on student learning. TTI also collaborates with the instructors on journal articles and conference papers.

Support for TTI is available for any instructor teaching a GFC approved course.

Letters of interest should be emailed to Stephen Addison (stephen.addison@ualberta.ca) by November 23, 2007.

Results will be announced by November 30, 2007.

For more information about TTI visit - http://www.ualberta.ca/~tti/projects.htm

Also there will be an information session on November 20th from 3pm to 4pm in Telus 214.

Please feel free to contact Stephen (4920164), if you have any questions regarding TTI.