by Jeremy Hunt
Daily Lobo
Faculty and staff discussed the benefits and drawbacks of using technology in lecture-formatted classes on Wednesday in the SUB.
The discussion featured instructors from various disciplines, including accounting, physics, English and chemistry.
Valerie Thomas, who oversees online courses for the English department, said using WebCT's discussion forum allows shy students to participate without speaking in front of people.
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The use of WebCT open-book quizzes is also beneficial, she said.
"It's to get the student to engage the text," she said. "If they engage the reading, then they can engage the ideas."
Student Andre Roybal said he learned more taking quizzes on WebCT with an open book than he did taking them in the classroom.
"The deadline forced me to do the work," he said.
Abhaya Datye, a professor in the chemical and nuclear engineering department, said the objective of using clickers - devices that allow students to respond to professors' multiple choice questions in classes - is to engage students by peer instruction and increase conceptual learning.
Participation based on the use of clickers prevents students from turning into stenographers, he said.
The purpose of the clickers is to have students discuss problems they do not understand and learn from each other, said Edward Prather, an astronomy professor at the University of Arizona.
"They'll get to talk to the other students in their class about what they do and don't understand," he said. "They'll improve their understanding as a result of those discussions, if they earnestly try. If they don't, nothing's going to happen. They'll be the same slacker they were before they started."
Student Brittany Goodey said she doesn't like the clicker.
"It was just the inconvenience of buying it," she said. "We don't even use it that much."
Student Marica Martinic paid $30 for a clicker she was told she needed for a biology class.
"I've been told in two classes that I needed one. I didn't buy it for the first one, and we never needed it," she said. "For the second class, I thought I might as well buy it, but we never used it in there either. So now I have one, and I have no idea what they're used for."
Student R.J. Nicks said the clicker is a useful classroom tool.
"It's another good way to see if the students understand what the teacher is saying," he said. "If the students don't answer well, then he'll (the instructor) be like, 'OK, I really need to go over this.'"
Because the University doesn't have a vendor for the clickers, instructors choose which company to go through, said David Sanchez, senior program manager for UNM Media Technology Services.
Sanchez said that won't last much longer, though. On Oct. 20, representatives from vendors will present information about their clickers, and faculty members will then choose one vendor they will recommend to the University to provide clickers, Sanchez said.
The goal is to standardize the clickers and allow students to buy and use one clicker during their time at UNM, he said.
