Strategic Learning Environment Configurations in the Higher Education Sector in the U.K. and the U.S.
Hanover Research Council

This report discusses emerging trends in the use of strategic learning environments at higher education institutions. It includes a summary of the trends in usage of various virtual learning environments, as well as discussions of the ways in which institutions are using new technologies such as Web 2.0 tools and personal learning environments.

Link: Strategic Learning Environment Configurations in the Higher Education UK and US.pdf

Why Peer Discussion Improves Student Performance on In-Class Concept Questions
M. K. Smith, W. B. Wood, W. K. Adams, C. Wieman, J. K. Knight, N. Guild, and T. T. Su

When students answer an in-class conceptual question individually using clickers, discuss it with their neighbors, and then revote on the same question, the percentage of correct answers typically increases. This outcome could result from gains in understanding during discussion, or simply from peer influence of knowledgeable students on their neighbors. To distinguish between these alternatives in an undergraduate genetics course, we followed the above exercise with a second, similar (isomorphic) question on the same concept that students answered individually. Our results indicate that peer discussion enhances understanding, even when none of the students in a discussion group originally knows the correct answer.

Read the full report at the Science magazine link below…

Link: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/323/5910/122

2008 Surveys on Learning and Scholarly Technologies: Final Report
Catalyst / University of Washington

RESOURCES

2008 Surveys on Learning and Scholarly Technologies: Final Report
2008 Survey on Learning and Scholarly Technologies: Faculty
2008 Survey on Learning and Scholarly Technologies: Teaching Assistants
2008 Survey on Learning and Scholarly Technologies: Students
2008 Survey Data Summary: Faculty
2008 Survey Data Summary: Teaching Assistants
2008 Survey Data Summary: Students

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In order for the University of Washington (UW) to provide essential technology resources and services that meet the changing needs of the UW community, it is vital to gather reliable information about evolving trends. To this end Learning & Scholarly Technologies partnered with other UW Technology units, UW Libraries, UW Teaching Academy, the Office of Information Management, the Faculty Council on Educational Technology, the School of Medicine, and the Office of Educational Assessment (OEA) to survey faculty, teaching assistants (TAs), and students in spring 2008 about their technology use and needs. This is our third triennial survey on this topic.

The data we share in this report reveal the complexities of technology and support needs at the UW, going beyond the personal anecdotes which can often dominate technology discussions. This report will be valuable to anyone who wishes to increase their understanding of technology use and users’ needs. We summarize key findings below.

• Uniformity of Current Technology Use – We specifically designed the survey to help us capture differences in technology use. We found that technology use was much more uniform than we had anticipated: a few technologies were widely used across contexts and goals, while others were seldom used.
• The Need for Infrastructure Improvements – The highest priorities for faculty, TAs, and students involved infrastructure. Improvements to classroom equipment and wireless access were at the top of the list for all populations. Students also prioritized enhancements to campus computer labs.
• Point-of-Need Support – Faculty, TAs, and students all relied on sources of support that were available at the point of need. They first looked to knowledgeable peers for support then to online resources. These sources of support were among the most consistently used by all respondents and the sources rated as the most helpful.
• Integrated and Flexible Online Technology – Faculty and TAs desired greater integration of online tools and aggregation of information about available tools and resources. Technologies supported centrally at the UW need to integrate easily with each other, as well as with other online tools or department-created solutions—since there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to meeting faculty, TAs, and students’ technology needs.
• Unique Needs of Faculty, TAs, and Students – There were specific areas where faculty, TAs, and students had unique needs and support challenges. The main challenge going forward in supporting faculty in their use of learning and scholarly technologies is how to help them better understand their options and opportunities with the technologies available to them. For TAs, it is important to support them while they are at the UW, while simultaneously helping them develop technological knowledge that can transfer to other settings. The main challenge in student support involves understanding how they are using technologies, particularly emerging ones, to support their learning.

The data we share in the final report both confirm and challenge conventional beliefs about technology use. Our discussion reveals the complexities of technology and support needs at the UW, going beyond the personal anecdotes which can often dominate technology discussions. We briefly outline the history of the surveys, describe our methods, share key findings, and discuss the implications of this data for the UW. We not only compare faculty, TA, and students’ responses across all three surveys, but also explore differences in technology use based on discipline, technological expertise, demographics, and experience. In our conclusion, we identify unmet needs, highlight trends in the data that go against conventional wisdom, and point out needs for centralized or departmental services. This report will be valuable to anyone who wishes to increase their understanding of technology use and users’ needs.

Link: http://catalyst.washington.edu/research_development/research_projects/LSTsurvey.html

The annual Horizon Report is a collaborative effort between the New Media Consortium (NMC) and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI). Each year, the report identifies and describes six areas of emerging technology likely to have a significant impact on teaching, learning, or creative expression in higher education within three adoption horizons: a year or less, two to three years, and four to five years.

The areas of emerging technology cited for 2009 are:

1. Mobiles (i.e., mobile devices)
2. Cloud computing
3. Geo-everything (i.e., geo-tagging)
4. The personal web
5. Semantic-aware applications
6. Smart objects

Link: http://www.educause.edu/node/163616

The annual Horizon Report is a collaborative effort between the New Media Consortium (NMC) and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI). Each year, the report identifies and describes six areas of emerging technology likely to have a significant impact on teaching, learning, or creative expression in higher education within three adoption horizons: a year or less, two to three years, and four to five years.

The areas of emerging technology cited for 2008 are:

1. Grassroots Video
2. Collaboration Webs
3. Mobile Broadband
4. Data Mashups
5. Collective Intelligence
6. Social Operating Systems

Link: http://www.educause.edu/node/162471

The annual Horizon Report is a collaborative effort between the New Media Consortium (NMC) and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI). Each year, the report identifies and describes six areas of emerging technology likely to have a significant impact on teaching, learning, or creative expression in higher education within three adoption horizons: a year or less, two to three years, and four to five years.

The areas of emerging technology cited for 2007 are:

1. User-Created Content
2. Social Networking
3. Mobile Phones
4. Virtual Worlds
5. New Scholarship and Emerging Forms of Publication
6. Massively Multiplayer Educational Gaming&lt

Link: http://www.educause.edu/node/154465

The annual Horizon Report is a collaborative effort between the New Media Consortium (NMC) and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI). Each year, the report identifies and describes six areas of emerging technology likely to have a significant impact on teaching, learning, or creative expression in higher education within three adoption horizons: a year or less, two to three years, and four to five years.

The areas of emerging technology cited for 2006 are:

1. Social computing
2. Personal broadcasting
3. Cell-phone-accessible educational content and services
4. Educational gaming
5. Augmented reality and enhanced visualization
6. Context-aware environments and devices

Link: http://www.educause.edu/node/154127

The annual Horizon Report is a collaborative effort between the New Media Consortium (NMC) and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI). Each year, the report identifies and describes six areas of emerging technology likely to have a significant impact on teaching, learning, or creative expression in higher education within three adoption horizons: a year or less, two to three years, and four to five years.

The areas of emerging technology cited for 2005 are:

1. Extended Learning
2. Ubiquitous Wireless
3. Intelligent Searching
4. Educational Gaming
5. Social Networks and Knowledge Webs
6. Context-Aware Computing/Augmented Reality

Link: http://www.educause.edu/node/153578