DE Oracle

QR Code Generator / Reader Tutorial

Part I - Generate a QR Code

In Part I of this tutorial, we will complete the following tasks:

Obtain a URL for an e-book. (For demonstration purposes, we will use Project Gutenberg, a site that offers links to free e-books.)
Use a QR Code generator to covert the URL to a QR code. (For demonstration purposes, we will use the code generator from Kaywa.)
Paste the QR code into WebTycho.

Show Me

Video (click play button)

Navigate to the Project Gutenberg Web site and perform a search for Alices Adventures.
Click on the link for the e-book.
Right-click on the link for the appropriate format. (NOTE: For this demonstration, we will right-click on the PDF link.)
Choose Copy Link Location from the context menu.
Navigate to Kaywa, the Web site for the code generator application.
Click the URL radio button.
Right-click in the URL field and select Paste from the context menu.
Select the appropriate QR code image size from the Size drop-down box.
Click the Generate! button.
You can choose to copy/paste the QR code image into your classroom or you can use the provided embed code.The better option, however, is to copy/paste the QR code image. To do this, right-click on the image and select Copy Image from the context menu.
Navigate to the conference area of your classroom and create a new conference topic.
Right-click in the text editing box and select Paste from the context menu.
Click the Submit button to publish the conference note.

Part II - Read a QR Code on a Mobile Device

In Part II of this tutorial, we will complete the following tasks:

Use the i-nigma QR code reader. (NOTE: i-nigma is one of many code readers currently available for Windows, iPhone, and Android mobile devices.)
Scan the QR code that was placed in the conference area during Part I of this tutorial.

From your mobile device, open the i-nigma app. (NOTE: This tutorial assumes that you have i-nigma already installed on your mobile device. If you dont, you can install it now.If you prefer not to download i-nigma, you can use the QR/barcode scanner app of your choice.)
From your computers browser, navigate to the conference note that you created in Part I of this tutorial. (The QR image should be on the screen.) Hold your mobile device toward the screen so that the i-nigma app can capture the QR code.
Click the Go Online button to navigate to the URL that i-nigma identified from the QR code image.
The mobile devices browser opens to the URL so that you can begin reading the e-book.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Laddie Odom for his content and video contribution to this tutorial.

How to Create a Timer in Microsoft PowerPoint

(NOTE:This tutorial uses Microsoft PowerPoint 2010.The steps are similar when using PowerPoint 2007).

Part A - Creating the Images Needed for the Timer

1. In PowerPoint, start a new slide and give it a blank layout.Later, you will be able to move the timer wherever you want, but during construction its easiest to use a blank slide.

2. Click the Insert tab on the toolbar.

3. Choose the rectangle icon from the Shapes drop-down menu.

4. Draw two rectangles.One of these will be the terminators for the timer. The other will be the timer bar that moves across the screen to indicate the lapsed time. (NOTE:You can format the terminators and timer bar as desired by selecting the shape, then selecting the Format tab from the toolbar.)

5. Because two terminators are needed for the timer, select the original terminator shape, then copy and paste (Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V) it into the same slide.

6. Hold the Shift key on your keyboard and select both terminator shapes, then right-click and select Bring to Front--Bring to Front from the context menu.

7. With the alignment tool, you need to position the timer shape in the center of the slide. This is a two-part operation.

Part 1: Aligning Horizontally

Select the timer shape.
Select the Format tab.
Select Arrange on the Format toolbar.
Select Align from the submenu.
Make sure Align to Slide is checked in the drop-down menu.
Select Align Center from the drop-down menu.

Part 2: Aligning Vertically

Select the timer shape.
Select the Format tab.
Select Arrange on the Format toolbar.
Select Align from the submenu.
Make sure Align to Slide is checked in the drop-down menu.
Select Align Middle from the drop-down menu.

8. Use your mouse to place a terminator at each end of the timer shape.

9. Align all three objects by holding down the Shift key on your keyboard and selecting all three shapes.Then:

Select the Format tab.
Select Arrange on the Format toolbar.
Select Align from the submenu.
Make sure Align Selected Objects is checked in the drop-down menu.
Select Align Middle from the drop-down menu.

10. If you need to fine-tune the terminator placement, use the CTRL and arrow keys on your keyboard.

Part B - Applying the Timer Animation

1. Select the timer shape and then select theAnimations tab.

2. Click the Add Animation button on the Animations toolbar, then choose Wipe from the Entrance section of the submenu. (The wipe icon will be green.)

3. Click the Animation Pane button on the Animations toolbar.

4. In the Animation Pane, right-click on the animation item, and then choose Effect Options from the submenu.

5. On the Effect tab, set the Direction to From Left.

6. On the Timing tab:

Set Start to On Click.
Set the Duration to reflect how long youd like your timer to be.For example:A three-minute duration would be 3:00:00. (NOTE: PowerPoint 2010 does not let you use the duration selection for anything over 60 seconds.If your timer duration needs to be longer than 60 seconds, follow the steps provided in the NOTE box below.)

18. Select the OK button to save the settings.

For PowerPoint 2010:

a.You should see your animation and a small rectangle in the Animation Pane.The rectangle indicates the duration of your animation.Click the far right of the rectangle and drag it even further to the right. The rectangle should get longer.If the rectangle just moves, return the rectangle to the far left of the screen and try again.The controls are a little finicky!

b. While dragging, you should see a tooltip that gives your end value. Drag out to the desired end time for your timer. (3:00:00 for three minutes, for example.)Dont worry about fractional secondsyour students will not notice the difference.(3:00:42 is just fine!!)

c.Its often helpful to click the word Seconds in the bottom of the Animation Pane and choose Zoom Out.Repeat this a couple of times and youll be able to see more of your animation, making the dragging process easier.

Part 3 - Adding Audio to the Timer

1. Select the Insert tab, and then select the Media button on the Insert toolbar.

2. Select the Audio button from the submenu, then choose Clip Art Audio from the drop-down menu and choose a sound that works for your project.

3. From the Playback tab, select the Audio Options button, and then click the Hide During Show checkbox.

4. From the Animation Pane, right-click on the sound clip and choose Timing the context menu.

5. Set the Start value to With Previous and click the OK button.

6. A small yellow arrow icon should appear next to the sound clip in the Animation Pane.Drag the arrow to the right until it meets up with the end of the animation timer.

7. After you have finished this tutorial, keep the timer in a separate PPT file so that you can copy it into other presentations when needed.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Sharon Huston for her content contribution to this tutorial.

QR Codes in Online Classrooms

Perhaps you have recently encountered an image that looks like the one shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. A QR code.

This image is known as a QR code. Although not exactly new, the term, the image, and its usage may be puzzling to many people. This article attempts to remove some of the mystery behind QR technology by providing a brief history and description of its use and an overview of how to create a QR code. It also discusses m-learning and presents a scenario in which QR codes can be utilized in an online classroom to help integrate mobile platforms with online learning management systems.

QR Codes History and Description

QR is short for Quick Response. According to Rouillard (2008), QR codes were initially developed for the automotive industry in 1994 by a Japanese company to help keep track of vehicle parts during their production. These two-dimensional barcodes can hold large amounts of data (4000+ alphanumeric characters or 7000+ numeric characters) and were designed to have the data decoded at very high speeds.

From their birth and first application in auto manufacturing, QR codes have evolved into many other uses, such as serving as a new conduit for marketers to deliver their messages and content to mobile users. The types of information that QR codes may carry today includebut are not limited tothe following:

Calendar event
Contact information
E-mail address
Geo Location
Phone number
Text message (SMS)
URL

For our purposes, a more concise description is that a QR code provides a fast and easy way to capture information and quickly access it on mobile devices equipped with a camera.

Most people usually spot their first QR code in the real world via a poster, magazine, or possibly even a t-shirt. However, they are also increasingly found on many Web pages, and there are plenty of good reasons to use them onlineparticularly when a mobile devices browser does not navigate or work well on a certain Web site.

Mobile Platforms, M-learning, and QR Codes

The use of mobile devices has risen rapidly over the last few years. Consider the following statistics cited by mobiThinking (2011):

At the end of 2010, there were over 5.3 billion cellular subscribers (individual mobile lines) worldwide. This number is a substantial increase from the 4.6 billion mobile subscriptions at the end of 2009.
Cellular users are expected to send over 8 trillion text messages during 2011.
In 2010, over 1.38 billion handsets were soldan 18.5 percent increase from 2009.

Clearly, the use of mobile platforms is a significant and growing wave that bears watchingand actionso as not to be left behind.

Mobile learning (m-learning)the delivery of content and learning support via a mobile deviceis riding on this same crest, and with good reason. Mobile devices, even those equipped with simple SMS (Short Message Service, i.e., text messaging) capabilities, can be used in a variety of creative ways for education, from simple class announcements to authentic situational learning opportunities in the field. While comprehensive theoretical research on the value of mobile platforms for education is still in its early stages, Muyinda (2007) notes that m-learning provides access to learning during previously unproductive times, allows more flexible and immediate collaborative options, allows controlled learning in contextual situations, and provides greater options for teachers to observe and assist in independent learning (p.103).

Using QR codes for educational purposes can help further address the needs of students who are seeking to use their mobile devices to learn anywhere at any time by providing the needed educational resources to them in a quick and easy-to-access manner.

Using QR Codes in the Online Classroom: A Scenario

The following scenario demonstrates how QR codes and mobile devices can be combined to create useful m-learning opportunities for students:

John, an online graduate student and mobile device owner, is traveling to Boston via train this weekend and wants to take his reading assignments along with him. Unfortunately, his Windows Mobile smartphone is not able to readily navigate to the discussion area where the instructor has posted the URL of a reading assignment.

When he logs in to the online classroom from his desk computer, he notices that the instructor has included both a link and a QR code for the assigned reading, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. QR code in a WebTycho conference.

This is good news for John because he already has a QR code reader app on his smartphone. This kind of app utilizes a mobile devices camera to capture the QR code and display the information in it directly on the devices screen. (See the Resources at the end of this article for a list of some useful QR code reader apps.)

To read the QR code provided by the instructor, John opens his QR code reader app, as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. QR code reader app.

He then points his smartphones camera at the QR code that is visible on the computer screen, as demonstrated in Figure 4.

Figure 4. The i-nigma app captures the QR code.

Once the camera has detected the QR code, the code is captured and the app quickly recognizes it as a URL. John then navigates to this URL. In this particular case, the URL is the download page for an e-book on the Project Gutenberg Web site, listing several formats in which he can download the e-book to his smartphone for later reading, as shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5. E-book download options at gutenberg.org.

This scenario shows just one way that students can benefit from QR codes by easily downloading course materials to their mobile devices and then accessing that content at their convenience. Such usage of QR codes helps bridge the gap between mobile devices and Web sites that do not fully support mobile platformsand in this specific case, paves a path towards a richer m-learning experience.

QR Code Generators

The above scenario is well and good but begs the question where did the QR code come from and how was it placed in the classroom? The answer is simple: a QR code generator. QR code generators are free online tools that allow users to create their own QR codes from the variety of information types supported, such as URLs and calendar events. One example of a simple and convenient QR code generator is Kaywa, shown in Figure 6. Kaywa has a somewhat limited number of information types available, but its streamlined interface and limited ads and branding make it a popular choice. The Resources at the end of this article list additional examples of code generators you may want to try.

Figure 6. The Kaywa Web site.

Once a QR code is generated by these tools, HTML embed code is also typically generated. This embed code can be copied and pasted into an online classroom or Web page. Alternately, the QR code image itself can also be copied and pasted.

To learn how to generate your own QR code and place it in your classroom, please view the accompanying tutorial.

Summary

QR codes offer a simple way to add m-learning opportunities to students with mobile devices. By creating a useful bridge to transfer content from the online classroom to mobile platforms, QR codes help provide students with even greater anywhere-anytime access to educational materials.

References

mobiThinking. (2011). Global mobile statistics 2011: All quality mobile marketing research, mobile Web stats, subscribers, ad revenue, usage, trends... Retrieved from http://mobithinking.com/mobile-marketing-tools/latest-mobile-stats#subscribers

Muyinda, P.B. (2007). Mlearning: Pedagogical, technical and organisational hypes and realities. Campus-Wide Information Systems, 24(2), 97-104. Retrieved from http://cees.mak.ac.ug/sites/default/files/publications/Muyinda.pdf

Rouillard, J. (2008). Contextual QR codes. Proceedings of The Third International Multi-Conference on Computing in the Global Information Technology, ICCGI 08 (pp. 50-55). Retrieved from http://www2.lifl.fr/~rouillar/publi/2008_Rouillard_ICCGI.pdf

ShareFair: Academic Conference for UMUC Faculty Research and Scholarship

Sharing knowledge and ideas was the theme of UMUCs 1st Annual ShareFair on UMUC Faculty Research and Scholarship, which attracted an enthusiastic crowd on October 20, 2011. One hundred and thirty faculty and some doctoral students attended the half-day conference at the Academic Center at Largo, with an additional 46 participants attending virtually.

Dr. Jay Liebowitz, the Orkand Endowed Chair in Management and Technology in UMUCs Graduate School, said, The ShareFair was created to spark conversations, share knowledge about ones research and scholarship, and encourage cross-disciplinary collaborations. Liebowitz, who led the coordination of the conference, also noted that an event such as ShareFair allows faculty to stay on top of research trends and issues that will help them be more effective professors.

Two-and-a-half hours of video recording from the event are available for those who were unable to attend. These archived recordings can be viewed at http://nsp.performedia.com/umuc/umuc11/gallery. In addition, several PowerPoint presentations from ShareFair and a 12-minute video montage of the Faculty Research Poster Session that was developed by the Center for Support of Instruction can be viewed in the UMUC Digital Repository.

Dr. Sharon Tettegah, a program director at the National Science Foundation (NSF), kicked off the conference with a compelling talk about NSF grants. She encouraged faculty to submit grant proposals to the NSF, adding that the federal agency values proposals that are innovative, transformative, and interdisciplinary in their approach. Dr. Tettegah noted that evaluation of projects is a key aspect to getting a grant proposal approved because it ensures a successful project and helps the NSF conduct grant reviews. She encouraged grant writers to look at previous successful grant applications for methods on how to write a winning proposal.

Dr. Datta Kaur Khalsa, Program Director for Assessment, Department of Education, said she hopes to be involved in the assessment process for grant proposals from UMUC, noting that there is an amazing level of expertise within the university community. She was glad to see UMUC faculty having the opportunity to present their research at the event.

Following Dr. Tettegahs speech, Provost Emeritus Dr. Nick Allen discussed the challenges facing the higher education sector in the age of tremendous technological change. His presentation cited numerous published predictions, including the possibility that 50% of all learning will occur online by 2020.

ShareFair participants then had an opportunity to engage directly with more than 20 UMUC faculty who shared their research projects via poster presentations, with a few conducted via Skype (from Guam, Germany, and New Jersey). The research presentations covered a wide range of subjects, including multimedia and computer simulations, ethics education and analysis, online classroom communications, community building, and synchronous online teaching.

Participants also actively conversed on a variety of timely topics related to higher education at moderated roundtable discussions called Knowledge Cafs. Topics included social science and system reviews, community-based learning, science databases, e-mentoring, team-based capstone projects, open access publishing, and knowledge management and e-learning. Dr. Bryan Booth, Executive Director of Doctoral Programs, emceed the Knowledge Cafs during the live streaming event. The variety of table discussions covered many topics that I think are very relevant to the UMUC community, he said.

A brief panel discussion entitled How to Get Published followed, in which panel participants discussed the various factors related to book and article publishing. Understanding ones audience, knowing the literature, and clearly stating the significant contribution of ones research to a given field are some of the tips offered by the panelists.

The conference wrapped up with an awards ceremony recognizing UMUC faculty and staff in research and scholarship. The following award winners were highlighted:

Most Cited Paper from 2010-11
Rana Khan for her co-authored article: Alkharouf, N. W., Klink, V. P., Chouikha, I. B., Beard, H. S., MacDonald, M. H., Meyer, S., Knap, H. T., Khan, R., Matthews, B. F. (2006). Timecourse microarray analyses reveal global changes in gene expression of susceptible Glycine max (soybean) roots during infection by Heterodera glycines (soybean cyst nematode). Planta, 4(224), 838-852. doi:10.1007/s00425-006-0270-8.
Highest-Sponsored Grant
Javier Miyares and Husein Abdul-Hamid, $1.2 million grant from the Kresge Foundation for Developing Data-driven Predictive Models of Student Success
Best Posters (F2F)
- Irmak Renda-Tanali, Assessing the Benefits of Online Computer Simulation Exercises for Curriculum in Emergency Management and Homeland Security
- Wendy McDonough, A Study of Multimedia to Enhance Teaching, Social, and Cognitive Presence in Online Courses.
Best Virtual Poster
Kendra Jorgensen-Wagers, Socio-Cultural Factors Involved in the Psychological Consequences of War and Violent Conflict
Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 UMUC Faculty Research Grant Awardees
The 15 out of 63 proposals for faculty research grants funded from $100,000 given by the Provosts Office were also recognized.

Rave reviews about ShareFair were received from faculty and administrators. Second-year Doctor of Management student Priscilla Lewis was enthusiastic about Dr. Tettegahs keynote address and about ShareFair in general. It [ShareFair] teaches you how to use your DM degree to help with educational issues or problems. Liebowitz expressed howgrateful and excitedhe was to be able to help bring ShareFairto UMUC and noted that the event would not have been possible without the wonderful support from the ShareFair team and UMUC faculty, staff, and administration. The Center for Support of Instruction provided video and technical support for ShareFair throughout the day.

Note: For the UMUC Faculty Research Grant program, 49 proposals have been received for the next round of Spring 2012 funding and are currently being reviewed. If you are interested in learning more about the grant program, please visit the Faculty Research Grants Web page.

Jack Boeve - CSI, Instructional Support Specialist

Jack Boeve joined the CSI staff as an instructional support specialist in November 2011. Prior to joining CSI, he was a project specialist for nearly seven years with UMUCs Center for Intellectual Property, where his roles included Web and resource development, instructional support for courses and conferences, and creative communications and publications.

Previously, Jack worked in the electronic publishing industry as a writer and editor for various educational and corporate desktop reference products and also did stints in knowledgebase development and database management. He subsequently gained introductory experience in the development field for a nonprofit educational and advocacy organization in the Boston area. After relocating to Maryland, he had further opportunities to explore public policy through the lens of development and communication at an independent non-partisan organization dedicated to public policy research, leadership development, and civic education.

Jack has a BA in English literature from Wheaton College (IL) and an MDiv from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

Jack views all his educational and occupational experiences as worthwhile opportunities to learn new subjects and interact with ideas and interesting people. He sees running through all these experiences a few common threads that continue into his work in CSI: engaging in multi-faceted, people-significant projects and events; employing technological resources and solutions to advance educational goals; and producing effective communications. He looks forward to being a part of the CSI team and serving the wider UMUC community.

In his leisure time, Jack enjoys spending time with his wife; browsing bookstores; photography; cooking and baking; cycling and hiking; museums and galleries; listening to music; and reading fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

QR Codes: A Fast and Flexible Method of Disseminating Classroom Information - October 27, 2011

CSI Multimedia Producer Laddie Odom dscussed and demonstrated QR (Quick Response) codes. QR codes can provide a fast and flexible method of disseminating classroom information-- such as lengthy URLs for assigned readings and downloading e-books-- via a mobile device equipped with a camera and a QR app. They allow students a quick and easy way to take advantage of mobiles go anywhere benefits through a seamless integration with the LMS.

Archived Recording:

Launcher Link:

http://umuc.wimba.com/launcher.cgi?room=deoracle_2011_1027_1203_09

(NOTE: To view the archive, click on the above link, then select the Participant login button. Make sure jthies_01 is listed as the Room ID. Enter your name in the Name field)

Wizard Link:

http://67.202.210.31/wizard/launcher.cgi?wc=wms

Slide Presentation:

Printable Version: PDF

Resources:

QR Code Readers:

i-nigma - http://www.i-nigma.com
- The most widely used mobile barcode reader in the world!
- Multiple platform
- Mobile download address:http://www.i-nigma.mobi/
BeeTagg - http://www.beetagg.com/
- Multiple platforms

QR Code Generators:

Zxing Project - http://zxing.appspot.com/generator/
- Google project
Kaywa - http://qrcode.kaywa.com/
- Easy to use

Active Learning with PowerPoint

Introduction

Research on the effectiveness of PowerPoint is mixed. At worst, empirical research has found its use led to no significant difference in the matter of student grades. At best, it increases retention of material, increases student engagement, and improves faculty ratings (Berk, 2011). Many of the studies with negative findings are difficult to accept as the final word because very few of them examine the quality of the presentations or how the instructor is using the slides.

In my 14 years of teaching college students, PowerPoint has been part of my teaching toolkit, just as it may have been for many other educators. Over the years, I have seen slide presentations being used as didactic instruments that pay little attention to the value of active learning. These presentations can easily be updated to include active learning features that can help engage students in the learning process. This article explores some examples of active learning presentations from my own teaching experiences that students have found beneficial to their understanding of the content. The examples could be adapted to fit hybrid, face-to-face, or online teaching formats.

Active vs. Passive Learning

Before we get to the examples, its important to have a clear understanding the differences between active and passive learning. In passive learning, students are assumed to enter the course with minds like empty vessels or sponges to be filled with knowledge (McManus, 2001, p. 424). Classic didactic teaching methods, including the lecture, fall under this definition. Students generally do not interact with the material in any meaningful way beyond recalling the information when they have an exam.

Active learning, on the other hand, directly involves students with the content. Students are asked to examine their prior knowledge, integrate their prior knowledge with new information, check their understanding of new material, question and debate findings, practice skills, and create new information. Constructivist teaching theories emphasize active learning, and academic peer-reviewed studies support its importance in keeping students engaged and helping develop theircritical thinking skills. In their review of the research literature on active and passive learning, Bonwell and Eison (1991) state, The evidence suggests that if an instructors goals are not only to impart information but also to develop cognitive skills and to change attitudes, then alternative teaching strategies should be interwoven with the lecture method during classroom presentations (p. 10).

One alternative teaching strategy that can be implemented quickly is revising an existing slide presentation so that it includes active learning techniques.

Moving to Active Presentations

Almost any active learning activity can be presented in a slide presentation. Doing a quick search on the Internet can yield a number of useful active learning resources, such as Active Learning Techniques, Active Learning for the College Classroom, and Twelve Active Learning Strategies. It is possible to adapt many of the ideas in these resources to fit your particular teaching scenario. Keep in mind that some activities may be better suited for the online environment, while others may work better in face-to-face settings.

As a general rule, if the activity requires instructions, I place those on a separate slide and place the activity on the next slide. I also try to color-code my slides so that the instructions are on one color background and the activity on another color background, as shown in the first example below. Placing the instructions on a separate slide gives the face-to-face instructor the opportunity to make sure that all students have the required materials and understand the instructions before commencing. In online classrooms, students can take a minute to gather scratch paper or other materials before starting.

Example One: Room Scramble

A room scramble can be used as a face-to-face classroom assessment technique to help ensure that students understand the material and to debunk subject-specific myths students may hold. A room scramble can be adapted to fit an online classroom setting (with a different heading, such as Test Your Understanding) by posting a multiple-choice or true/false question one slide with the correct answer and explanation on the next slide. (Alternatively, an online poll could also be used.)

Figure 1a - Instruction

Figure 1b - Activity 1

Figure 1c - Activity 2

Example Two: Find the Error

In the following example students are asked to find the two errors on a slide. This activity could easily be adapted for any topic or subject matter where identifying simple errors has value.

Figure 2a - Instruction

Figure 2b - Activity

Figure 2c - Answer Key

Example Three: Short Analysis

The following example asks students to analyze a quote. This technique can be used in any class where quick analysis is a valued skill. In a marketing class, for example, instructors could show ads from a product line and ask for first impressions. Students in an art history class could be asked to evaluate the symbolism or iconography in an image.

Figure 3 - Instruction

Example Four: Fill In the Blanks

An oldie but goodie, fill-in-the-blank questions such as those shown in the following example emphasize vocabulary and linear processes.This example can be adapted for online classrooms by modifying the instructions to tell students to post their answers in a conference note or the assignment folderor just review the answer key.

Figure 4a - Instruction

Figure 4b - Activity

Figure 4c - Answer Key

Example Five: Reflection

A reflective exercise gives students a few minutes to solidify their thoughts by asking them exploratory questions like How will you use this information? or What relevance does this information have to your life? My personal favorite is How will your new knowledge change your current practices?

Reflective activities could be set for any duration, but a good rule of thumb is that they be at least three minutes in length. A timer (see the PowerPoint timer tutorial for guidance) could be placed directly on a slide so that students can see the progression of time, as shown in the example below. For a face-to-face class, I would instruct students to respond on paper; in an online class, I would instruct them to respond in the conference area, their assignment folder, or as a private message.

Figure 5 - Instruction

Advanced Examples

PowerPoint game templates (including a community-authored collection from Microsoft) are easy to adapted for a face-to-face and online classrooms. The games, such as the Jeopardy-style game shown below,make test review sessions fun and engaging for students.

Many PowerPoint plug-in packages like iSpring have advanced interactive features. iSpring Free also allows users to embed simple Flash applications into PowerPoint slides. If I find a great open educational resource in the SWF format, I would use iSpring Free to embed the file into my PowerPoint so that I can quickly add an interactive element to my presentation.

Summary

Slide presentations are prominent in many classrooms, whether online, face-to-face, or a combination of the two. With a little bit of tweaking to incorporate active learning principles, these presentations can play a significant role in helping students review and understand important course material.

References

Berk, R. A. (2011). Research on PowerPoint: From basic features to multimedia. International Journal of Technology in Teaching and Learning, 7(1), 24-35

Bonwell, C. C., Eison, J. A. (1991). Active learning: Creating excitement in the classroom. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 1. Washington, DC: The George Washington University School of Education and Human Development. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

McManus, D. A. (2001). The two paradigms of education and the peer review of teaching. Journal of Geoscience Education, 49(5), 423-434. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Additional Resources

Barnes, C. P. (1983). Questioning in the college classroom. In C. L. Ellner C. P. Barnes (Eds.), Studies in college teaching (pp. 61-81). Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.

Berk, R. A. (2011). PowerPoint engagement techniques to foster deep learning. Journal of Faculty Development, 25(2), 45-48. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Boyas, E. A. (2008). Using PowerPoint to encourage active learning: A tool to enhance student learning in the first accounting course. International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education, 4(2), 14-25. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Gier, V. S., Kreiner, D. S. (2009). Incorporating active learning with PowerPoint-based lectures using content-based questions. Teaching of Psychology, 36(2), 134-139. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Henkel, C. (2010). Creating interactive learning objects with PowerPoint: Primer for lecture on the autonomic nervous system. Medical Teacher, 32(8), E355-E359. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Samsonov, P. (2008). Interactive images in PowerPoint. Southeastern Teacher Education Journal, 1(1), 55-61. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Tufte, E. R. (2003, September). PowerPoint is evil. Wired, 11(9).Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/ppt2.html

University of Michigan Center for Teaching and Learning. (2010). Active learning with PowerPoint. Retrieved from http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/teachlearn/tutorials/powerpoint/

Transcript of UMUC's Effective Writing Center: Who We Are, What We Do, Why We Do It Video

Hello everyone and welcome to this session on Writing Center Best Practices at the IWCAs 2011 Collarborative@CCCC.

My name is David Taylor, from the Effective Writing Center at the University of Maryland University College, and its a real honor to talk to you today about using digital technology to improve student engagement in our online teaching. This presentation will focus on four areas:

who we are
what we did
why we did it
what the results have been

Who We Are

UMUC is one of the 11 degree-granting institutions in the University System of Maryland and is the largest public university in the state with an enrollment of around 93,000 around the world, which includes 21 countries and 130 military bases, some in forward areas of Afghanistan and Iraq.

UMUC has recently decided to focusits offerings on the hybrid and fully online models and as of Fall 2011 will offer only these modes in 8-week sessions.

As a writing center, the EWC is fully online, with live and asynchronous services. We serve about 7,000 students each semester in the database program. These students submit all or part of their writing to our database, where the submission is assigned to an adviser who reviews it and responds to the student in 24 to 48 hours.

In addition,our staff conducts about 160 writing workshops each semester in the online classrooms of instructors who invite us in to help students with a specific writing assignment during a guest lecture lasting 1 to 2 weeks.

Currently, a teleconferencing pilot program is underway, using the free Adobe Connect Now platform for live, one-to-one tutoring.

The various programs are conducted byour 48 remote staff, full time and part time, from all across the United States and some international locations, under the leadership of Dan Gallagher, our director, who is based on the UMUC campus in Largo, Maryland.

What We Did

Since 2007 we have been engaged in a project to add multimedia support to all of our EWC programs: database advising, guest lecturing, and live teleconferencing. To date weve developed over 100 multimedia learning objects that are available on the web at our public index page: http://effectivewritingcenter.org/. These objects are embedded in an html page that also contains text instruction. Clicking on the multimedia element will activtivate the lessons, which consist of:

Videos with voice overs
Videos with voice overs and interactive Flash quizzes
Captivate lessons with picture-in-picture learning agent and quizzing
Videos with learning agent compositedinto the lesson
Videos with 3D virtual sets
Downloadable PDFs with embedded multimedia

These multimedia objects are used in the database program by the advisers, who embed thumbnail images hyperlinked to the objects.We also rely on these objects during our writing workshops, known as guest lectures at UMUC, when a classroom professor asks us to guide a group of students through the writing process for one project in that course. These videos are also available on a YouTube channel called peakdavid, which is one way of sharing these resources with students and teachers around the world.

Why We Did I

Why put so much time and resources into developing these resources? There are a number of reasons.

1. Because as educators we must evolve the way we teach in order to meet the needs of students we teach today. This is a process of evolution that teachers have always been a part of, from the invention of printed texts to chalkboards to wireless mobile devices. The core concepts and outcomes we teach havent changed that much, but the technology certainly has and will continue to do so.

The consequences of the changeswe are adapting to --the digital revolution-- are not fully understood yet. What we do know was expressed well in the New Media Consortiums 2005 publication, A Global Imperative: A profound shift is taking place in the way people communicate and express themselves . . . a new concept of language and what it means to be literate is evolving.

2. Another reason: this stuff works. Students learn better, remember more and apply it more successfully because of:

The Multimedia Effect--A term coined by Richard B. Mayer more than 20 years ago to describe what all major empirical studies have found: students learn better with images and words than they do with words alone, and even better still with images, audio and words, than with words alone.
The Modality Effect--Verbal information is absorbed by the student better when it is spoken rather than written. When the student can process information through multiple channels--visual, auditory and kinesthetic--no one channel gets overloaded, as happens with purely textual material which can quickly overload the visual channel. Html pages with nothing but text are todays worst offenders of the modality effect.
The Personal Agent Effect--The sound of another humans voice, especially when combined with images of that human, increase the level of interaction a student has with the materials, improving the students motivation, interest, comprehension and retention.
Presence and Copresence--Presence is the feeling of actually being there. Copresence is the feeling of being there with someone. Both are enhanced with multimedia. Thus these materials help us address the number one reason why many students avoid online classrooms--they want to be with someone.

3. We did it to catch up. Private industry training departments, which are actually specialized schools, are 5 to 10 years ahead of education when it comes to the effective use of technology. With very few exceptions, it is not possible to find a conference for teachers like those offered via private industry where you can earn a two-day certificate in designing lessons for mobile devices or participate in a workshop on simulation design. Yet we know that todays rising students prefer their WMDs over computers and that the immersive reality of 3D simulations offer the strongest environment for individual learning.

4. We did it and are doing it as fast as we can to keep up with the tidal wave of online enrollments at colleges and universities, which were 12% higher than onground enrollments in 2007, 17% higher in 2008, and21% higher in 2009, the last year for which we have numbers.

5. Finally, we did it because our own internal research shows--not surprisingly--an overwhelming preference by students for multimedia materials over traditional text materials in the online classroom. UMUC communications professor Wendy McDonough has just completed a university-sponsored study of 100 UMUC students that showed this clear result.

Here is a sample of some of these UMUC students comments on the use of multimedia materials in their online classrooms:

Pretty neat. Ive taken so many distance education (DE) classes, but this was the first time I ever heard someones voice!

In my experiences with online classes, this class had the best delivery of materials. I did not really feel that I was missing out by not attending the normal face-to-face class.

This is the way an online class should be taught. My past experience with online classes is that the instructor checks out and leaves everything to the student. This was not the case here. If UMUC wants to improve their online classes, they could learn from [professors name withheld].

So, there you have it: our effort to build a multimedia component in order to increase student engagement in online learning. I hope this presentation has helped to clarify the decision we made, why we made it, and what some of the results have been so far. The work and monitoring of its effect are ongoing. If youre doing anything similar, we would love to hear about your experiences. If you would like to know more about our program, please dont hesitate to contact us.

Until next year--best wishes in your writing center, whether online, face to face, or something inbetween. So long.

NetLibrary is Now eBook Collection (on EBSCOhost)

NetLibrary is now a part of the EBSCO family of resources with the new name of eBook Collection.

Some noteworthy features of this new design include allowing the user to:

View eBook Table of Contents from the search Result List.
Navigate to eBook chapters or sections directly from Result List and Detailed Record.
Search within a book for specific terms, yielding a list of hyperlinked pages.
Create notes and retain links to the eBook pages viewed when notes were added.
Place a hold on limited simultaneous user books that are currently checked out and view place in line.

Note: If you would like to share this information with your students, please direct them to the Library announcement at http://www.umuc.edu/library/announcement_netlibrary.cfm.

Electronic Resources News

The UMUC Library makes a continued effort to ensure that its patrons have the best research resources possible at their disposal. The following additions and updates are nowavailable:

Factiva, a great resource for current news and business topics, has a number of interface enhancements, including a new Simple Search bar, an improved Search Builder for keyword and business searches, and easier-to-view search results.
Our new resource, Oxford Scholarship Online, which includes e-book titles in history and psychology, has enhanced functionality, including personalization features and user-oriented linking, improved search and browse, and access to even more high-quality scholarship.
RefWorks, the Librarys citationmanagement tool, will have a new interface called RefWorks 2.0 this fall. RefWorks 2.0will offer increased functionality over the current RefWorks interface (RefWorks Classic). You can view the RefWorks 2.0 interface now by clicking on theRefWorks 2.0 link in the upper-right corner when you are logged in to RefWorks Classic. Enhancements available in RefWorks 2.0include a simpler interface with key functions via new buttons, navigation toolbars, action icons, light boxes, and collapsible menus with one-click features and support resources. A guide to using RefWorks 2.0 will be available soon on the UMUC Librarys RefWorks information page.

Note: If you would like to share this information with your students, please direct them to the Library announcement at http://www.umuc.edu/library/libabout/newsletter_2011fall.cfm#databases.