This generation is used to getting information from many sources and in many ways, said Richard Gorham, director of the Center for Instructional Media and Technology, one of the presenters at the institute. We had radio, reading, public libraries and phonographs. They have television, computers, videos and a mass of ways of getting information. They think and learn differently from students 10 years ago and certainly 30 years ago. Steele said enrollment has risen, with an accompanying increase in class size.
Technology can enable faculty to reach more students.
I think we provided a range of ideas that can be translated into good practice. Participants were asked to identify a teaching assignment that could benefit from educational technology, and at the end of the week outline to the group some strategies for implementation and evaluation. In addition to electronic resources, primarily WebCT and PowerPoint, presenters discussed educational theory and teaching strategies designed to promote learning, including an approach known as problem-based learning. By the end of the week, most of the participants had identified a range of potential uses of educational technology to incorporate into their teaching. He said his computer literacy is limited and he was not previously familiar with WebCT, yet he aims to use WebCT to post his syllabus, assignments and practice exams.