Tuesday, August 7, 2007 - 2:10 PM

OOS 17-3: The use of technology to support classroom discussion and active- and group-learning in environmental science classes

Thomas M. Hinckley, Natalie Linnell, James Fridley, Richard Anderson, and Valentin Razmov. University of Washington

We describe how technology is used in the classroom to support our pedagogical goals in teaching several Environmental Science courses. In 2003 we revised our junior level course sequence to utilize an interdisciplinary, problem-solving focus and to foster active- and experiential-based learning. This naturally led to changes in instructional format and pedagogy, with an increased emphasis on student participation, in-class activities, and stronger ties with the field component of the course. We initially implemented these changes through traditional means. However, the results from these were often not satisfying for either the student or instructor. Often exercises only engaged a portion of the class or exercises took too long and became cumbersome as a result of the medium chosen.  Starting in winter 2006, we were able to use networked Tablet PCs running Classroom Presenterª to facilitate students' in-class interaction with the instructional materials and the class. Lectures were developed using traditional Powerpointª slides, converted to the Classroom Presenterª software. Groups of two to three students were then periodically and formally engaged in designed exercises. Exercise preparation and integration into each lecture in itself facilitated improved instructional attention to pedagogy and greater clarity of material for the students. The technology was used to increase student participation, provide student artifacts to support discussion, and to enhance the record of classroom activities.