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A Session 772

ROM AND RAMBLE Combining New Technologies and Old Methods For Better Learning and Use of Time B. Crynes, C. Dillon, B. Greene University of Oklahoma

Abstract

In the Fall 2000 semester we taught 76 students in a fundamentals in chemical engineering class using a method combining traditional and new technologies. The course was semi self-paced in that students could complete it as quickly as they wished or were able, but no slower than a minimum rate to take the final comprehensive examination. All content was provided in a CDROM specifically prepared for this course and to enable a high degree of independent learning. Students were required to meet as a class with the professor one day a week and the other two days were used for helping those who needed more attention and for taking modules mastery tests. The CDROM contained12 modules through which students progressed at there pace by passing mastery tests. Although we had previously tested this method with a class of 27 and made statistical comparisons with a traditional lecture methods section, this was our first time to use the method in a large enrollment format. We present data on student performance, motivation, learning styles, successes and failures. Finally, details about faculty time on various tasks are presented and compared to those for a traditional lecture class.

I. Introduction

After several hundred years of practice, there must be some attributes of the standard lecture methods of teaching that are worth keeping. Likewise, with all the hyperbole and data about information technologies for better learning, there must be some truth and useful results. In our ongoing experiments we are attempting to meld those positive attributes of the traditional and the advantages of the new technologies so that better learning results. With better learning we believe must come better use of faculty and student time. Most of us agree that nothing can be better than the gifted, inspired and dedicated teacher working with his or her students in lecture or any other format. However, too few professors are inspired, fewer are dedicated and much fewer are gifted. So, the majority of us would like to use the new technologies in some way to be better teachers and for our students to be better learners. Some zealots go so far as to claim the new era of learning lies entirely with some form or other of new technologies. We don’t believe so. Over the past couple of years we have been testing and evaluating an approach that provides the course content on a CDROM and the WWW, frees students to move through the course at a rapid pace and permits the faculty much more time to work with those students who need special attention. There is almost no lecturing.

“Proceedings of the 2001 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright Ó 2001, American Society for Engineering Education”

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Greene, B., & Dillon, C., & Crynes, B. L. (2001, June), Rom And Ramble: Combining New Technologies And Old Methods For Better Learning Paper presented at 2001 Annual Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 10.18260/1-2--9759