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Faculty Summer Leadership Institute - 2005 Showcase Teaching with Multimedia

Susan Ko

Director

Center for Teaching and Learning

Published: May-June 2006

Category: » University-showcase » Multimedia-learning-objects

Have you always wanted to use multimedia to enhance your courses but were not sure of how to get started? CTL's Faculty Summer Leadership Institute projects demonstrate instructional uses for a variety of easy-to-use multimedia programs. Faculty find that once they begin experimenting with these tools, a variety of creative uses follow. Multimedia programs are excellent tools to showcase a wide range of faculty interests and disciplines and to meet a wide variety of student instructional needs.

Instructional uses from faculty in both the School of Undergraduate Studies and the Graduate School of Management and Technology are featured in 2005 Summer Institute projects that CTL is now able to share with the faculty community. Faculty have integrated pedagogy and multimedia in courses such as MATH 001, IFSM 302, ANTH 343, and ECOM 610. Specific uses that are demonstrated include an audio greeting and audio feedback on student study group projects related to e-commerce, videos incorporating equations and problems and solutions for algebra concepts, audio feedback commentary on student-generated math solutions, videos with step-by-step instructions for using software programs and file transfer protocols, and grading rubrics for concepts related to workplace productivity and anthropology and archaeology.

To view the 2005 faculty multimedia projects, use the Summer Faculty Leadership Institute link on the CTL Web site, then select the 2005 link. The site highlights projects using Windows Media Encoder, Audacity, and Impatica for PowerPoint. In addition to viewing the completed projects, you will find tips and tricks and detailed instructions for downloading the required software and getting started with your own project. You will also find tips for incorporating these projects into the WebTycho classroom.

The site makes it easy to begin thinking about incorporating multimedia into your own courses. Faculty find that multimedia tools enable them to be more efficient and develop creative assignments. Perhaps you have been thinking about using multimedia in the past but have been concerned about technology issues related to the use of multimedia. Today's multimedia technologies are becoming easier for faculty use. Professor Brian Cann states, "I have never been a fan of big technology that obscures the message it is seeking to communicate. I like simple, readily reproducible solutions using tools that are familiar and friendly." Professor Roberta Bush adds, "I was pleasantly surprised when I learned some multimedia production techniques at the Summer Institute where file sizes can be kept relatively small."

Responses from students have been equally enthusiastic. As one student put it, "Live tutorials like this, in my opinion, are the future. It is so much easier to follow as someone is speaking directly to you and showing you exactly what to do. You can pause and rewind whenever you like." Another student stated, "I found the audio-visual tutorial a better version for me because I liked being able to sit back and listen while I take notes. I learn better that way." Another student writes, "I prefer to use a video tutorial because of the visual effects. It is easier for me to follow and leaves no room for me to misinterpret information. I just feel that if someone is explaining information to you as you go through step-by-step, that it really helps."

Students also appreciate the enhanced faculty presence that multimedia can offer in online classes.

Dr. Stephany Head writes, "The audio files generated additional student interest and engagement with the course material, created an emotional connection between students and the instructor, and allowed the instructor to easily convey complex thoughts. The students loved it!"

Whether you have never considered using multimedia to enhance your online courses before or you are giving multimedia programs a second look, you will benefit from taking a look at what your colleagues have developed. You may be pleasantly surprised at how easy multimedia can be to use, how creatively rewarding it can be for you, and how beneficial it can be for your students.