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Abstract: This chapter
describes a strategy of inquiry designed to help an academic
program use technology to improve educational outcomes.
Specifically it shows how to use data to help increase
faculty-student interaction, active learning, student time
on task, student-student collaboration, and other activities
consistent with the "Seven
Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education."
This strategy can be adopted as part of institutional
development, program review, or self-study for
accreditation.
The Challenge
Frequently asked question: "After all we
spent on computing and the Web over the years, has learning
here actually gotten any better?"
Frequent answer: "Maybe..."
If you had the data,
maybe you'd discover the answer is 'yes, our use of
technology has been helping to improve the quality of
learning, year by year!" If so, that evidence would help
accrediting, planning and fund-raising to have data to
document that success. But maybe the answer is
disappointing. In that case, it would even more important to
have data that could help that "no" into a "yes!" over the
next few years. Evaluation such as this can help change the
dialogue in an institution. It can help reshape practice.
And it can help draw fresh money, time and energy to the
barriers that have, until now, blocked improvements in
teaching and learning.
Next
Section - The Seven Principles.
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