1998-1999 Technology for Teaching Project Grants

Faculty Development Projects

These projects were departmental in scope, proposing activities that sought to introduce new technologies into instruction on a broad scale.

  • Professors Rita Goldberg and Ruth Kreuzer of the Modern Languages department proposed a series of workshops and departmental activities designed to promote the use of technology in instruction and the involvement of students in developing course materials. Department members worked together to learn how to use new electronic lab facilities and how to digitize materials for use in courses. They also investigated new teaching techniques made possible by technology.
  • Professor Mark MacWilliams’ project, “Developing Internet and Computer Resources and Applications for the Religious Studies Department,” charted a sequence of departmental workshops that addressed web page development, use of PowerPoint as a classroom presentation vehicle, the use of electronic classrooms, and multi-platform translation issues. The department envisioned substantial revisions to several key courses, including Mystery and Meaning, along with introducing new pedagogies in First Year Program instruction.
Web Development Projects

These projects resulted in producing web sites for instructional use in specific courses.

  • Professor Roy Caldwell expanded and enhanced his French courses through his project, " Applying Digital Video Technology to Teaching French Film.” His goal was to create “illuminated lectures” utilizing short digitized video clips to illustrate and compare aspects of French film.
  • Professor Albert Glover’s project, “Applying Multimedia Technology to Classroom Instruction in English,” fostered use of multimedia technology to present research and construct web pages for English courses. Ultimately he envisioned integrating digital multimedia performance into his teaching.
  • Professor Rita Goldberg’s project, “Interactive Web Page for Classroom Instruction,” aimed to increase students’ use of authentic language materials. Offering “chat” pages and links to Spanish-language materials, Prof. Goldberg’s web site served as a center for discussion and collaboration, both inside and outside the classroom.
  • Professor Dorothy Limouze initiated the use of new technologies in fine arts in her project, “Introducing Technology Resources to Art History Classes.” Her project made art images available via the campus network for use in classroom teaching and by students for their own study.
  • Professor Marina Llorente’s project, “Integration of Computer Technology in First Year Spanish Class,” helped students in introductory Spanish courses develop their language skills and cultural knowledge. Students used web-based Spanish cultural resources for classroom discussion and corresponded in Spanish via email.
  • Professor Celia Nyamweru’s project, “Creation of Electronic Presentations by Students,” used online resources relating to Kenya in the context of group learning projects. These projects, which previously were read orally, centered around interactive PowerPoint presentations. An important element of the presentations was to digitize and use resources from Professor Nyamweru’s extensive slide collection.
  • Professor Duncan Melville’s project “Update of the Mesopotamian Mathematics Web Site,” continued work begun as a participant in the TOTI process. This resource web site was used heavily by students in his history of mathematics class and had gained some wider currency on the Internet. This project involved adding new images and active elements to the site.
  • Professor Aileen O’Donoghue’s project, “Astronomy in Real Time,” aimed to build a web site that integrated classroom exercises, projects, and student work. The Internet’s extensive store of online remote observational data and analytical tools had become part of her students’ everyday class work, greatly enriching teaching and learning.
  • Professor John Rupp’s project, “Continued Development of Web Page for Instructional Use,” made his web site a broad-based classroom and curricular resource for chemistry students. A newly available facility on his site allowed students to view and rotate three-dimensional molecular models for study.
Student-Centered Projects

Theses projects resulted in increased student learning and technological competence by involving students in the development of online curriculum resources and services.

  • Professor Brad Baldwin’s project, “Creating Customized Image Resources,” enabled students to compile observational data onto CD for use in reports and presentations. The data included videotaped behavioral studies and various still images captured into digital format. Professor Baldwin anticipated that student learning would be enhanced, and that their research would begin to build a library of visual images useful for subsequent instruction.
  • Professor Tom Greene’s project, “Involving Students in Supporting Instruction,” created a Web Expert role in which students collaborated with the instructor to develop and document online laboratories in applied psychology. The student Web Experts provided an online web presence for the course. Through their participation, students gained computer-related skills and reinforced their knowledge of psychology as they helped to develop teaching materials.
  • Professor Catherine Jahncke’s project, “Automating Data Collection in Upper Level Physics Courses,” gave students the ability to collect a variety of data types for their lab and research projects using computer-interfaced instruments. Professor Jahncke believed that this methodology enabled students to use data that is difficult or impossible to gather by direct observation. In this way, students’ work was enriched and their instrumentation skills were enhanced. The project enabled students to focus on the physics of their experiments, rather than on the exigencies of data-gathering.
Online Resource Development

These projects resulted in extensive use of new online materials for student use and classes. Typically, web-based products relied on outside links for much of their content. In contrast, these projects made extensive data sets available locally and, in some cases, included local indexing and cumulative growth for ongoing instructional use.

  • Professor Roger Bailey’s project was “Applying Digital Video Technology to Develop Classroom Resources.” Using digital editing, he expanded the presentation and classroom use of two significant sources: his interviews with sculptor Max Coots, and artist Obiora Udechukwu’s interviews with Nigerian storytellers.
  • Librarians Paul Doty, Robin Hutchinson, Barbara Joyce, and Eric Williams-Bergen launched a collaborative project, “Adirondack Highlands/St. Lawrence Valley Lowlands Digital Atlas.” The project’s purpose was to build an online digital atlas of the North Country and adjacent Canadian areas by acquiring Geographic Information System databases for the region, and transforming them so they can be used in classrooms across a broad range of disciplines. Student trainees worked with the librarians, with the data, and with other students who use the data for study and research. Data was archived and maintained in the library, and the participating librarians play an active role in making the databases into an ongoing curricular resource.
  • Professor Ron Flores’s project “Computerized Resource Center for Student Scholars,” was geared towards the development of an online access system for U.S. Census data. The system was to deploy pre-selected data subsets to enable students to select census data for particular class and research projects. Students also gained access to full data sets as needed. Research projects resulting from analysis of this data were accrued and made available online to facilitate cumulative student projects.
  • Professor Norm Hessert’s project, “Applying Technology to the Needs of the New Music Curriculum,” fulfilled in part his long-time dream of making musical works and other course materials readily available to students anywhere on campus for study and review. This project also included assembling CD collections of performances and related information for particular class modules.
  • Professor Mark MacWilliams created a library of religious studies-based digital images for his project, “Digital images for presentations and web pages.” His goal was to create these images for PowerPoint presentations and student web page research projects.
  • Librarian Mark McMurray’s project, “Online Special Collections for SLU Courses,” was designed to make items from the library’s special collections available for curricular use via the web. Materials were digitized at instructors’ request, indexed in the online library catalog to ensure accessibility, and presented via web pages. In time, library collection items and other campus materials were expected to evolve into a highly accessible, online collection that can be adapted to particular curricular needs.
  • Professor Steve Papson’s project, “Digitized Resources for Sociology Instruction,” entailed digitizing large quantities of image and video source material for classroom use and storing them in appropriate online archives. In addition to direct classroom usage, the materials became available for students to use and link in their own studies and projects.
Tool and Pedagogical Development

These projects involved building and/or using online tools that were new to the courses involved, together with working out the associated pedagogies.

  • Professor Yoko Chiba’s project, “Effective Use of Japanese Software,” involved using Japanese language software to facilitate her students’ writing in Japanese. Prof. Chiba faced a special technical and pedagogical challenge because she had to both adapt standard productivity tools to work properly with Japanese characters, and develop teaching techniques that make productive use of the software in learning the Japanese language.
  • Professor Kerry Grant’s project, “Creating a Journalism Simulation Engine with Realistic Resources,” focused on building a complete simulation engine that enabled students to explore and interact with data as they learn techniques for writing high-quality news stories. Using digitized police and fire reports, sound and video clips, research materials, and associated images, students learned how to select telling details, build leads, ask questions, and build stories. The simulation was developed in Asymetrix ToolBook and made available via the campus network to students.
  • Professor Thomas Greene’s “Information Resources in Applied Psychology” project aimed to develop an “Expert System” capable of assembling students’ ideas on spatial design in a system that became both a tool and an object of study. This project follows and, in part, extends work done in an earlier Mellon project.
  • Professor Richard Jenseth’s project, “Using Software Tools to Make Electronic Classrooms More Interactive,” aimed to create a supportive online environment for teaching writing. Using special extensions to Microsoft Word (Norton Textra Connect software), a convenient structure of assignments and multiple feedback channels promoted integrated communication between and among instructor and students. In addition, supportive material, including online reference works, were readily available to students via the campus network.
  • Professor James Willemin’s project, “The Valley Basin, an Extended Lab Exercise for Geology 104,” offered students the chance to interact with an online simulation that requires interpreting seismic data in order to decide where to drill oil wells. In the simulation (offered as part of a spring '99 course), students operated virtual companies whose goal was to explore a hypothetical region of the western US. The simulation engine was custom-designed for this project and made available via the campus network.
New Course Development

These projects involved developing new or substantially revised courses.

  • Professors Grant Cornwell and Eve Stoddard’s project, “Cross-University Instructional Collaboration Using Technology,” was designed for students participating in a collaborative cultural studies project organized by St. Lawrence University and the University of West Indies. The course, offered in Spring 2000, used online discussion groups and similar technologies to promote discussion and interaction among students engaged in similar coursework across the campuses.
  • Geology professor Mark Erickson’s plan for “Revitalizing the Technical Writing Course” took a fresh approach to an important, but often neglected, skill area. Incorporating online presentation modes and data resources, the revised course taught students new ways of communicating the results of scientific study.
  • Professor Karen Kleeh-Tolley’s project, “Visual Sociology: Images of Society” developed a new course largely around images collected and digitized by students. The course, offered in summer ’99, was an introduction to visual literacy, investigating the power of images as they reveal aspects of society, social relations, culture, community, and biography. Work proceeded in small-group projects that were presented in multiple formats, including PowerPoint, Web pages, and short video documentaries.
  • Professor Marilyn Mayer’s project, “A New Course in Biology: GIS-Directed Stream Research,” built on an earlier TOTI project in which she convincingly demonstrated the power of Geographic Information Systems and graphical visualization techniques to help students study and understand watershed dynamics. In this new course (offered Fall ‘99), students used GIS to study the effects of land use on a local river system, with a special focus on the water chemistry of streams, and the diversity and abundance of species inhabiting the streams. Among other course activities, students used GIS to select study sites, conduct quantitative laboratory analyses, and perform quantitative spatial analyses of land use data using GIS.
  • Professor Ali Pomponio’s new anthropology course, “Ethnographic Methods for the 21st Century,” utilized computer software to help students in exploring genealogical connections. This new methodological approach represented a substantial revision to this traditional ethnography course.
  • Professor Catherine Shrady proposed a “Revision of GEOL/ENVS 110 Environmental Geology.” Her project used Internet resources and an SLU Environmental Geology web page to promote an interactive, problem-solving approach to teaching and learning. She aimed to de-emphasize lecture substantially in favor of a “jigsaw technique” in which student teams are given different but overlapping assignment problems. She envisioned environmental geology as an ideal curricular area for this kind of pedagogy, because it synthesizes the viewpoints of several specialties; she viewed online resources as particularly valuable for facilitating the learning process.
Technology Exploration Projects

These projects represented open-ended efforts to investigate ways in which new technologies might promote curricular ends in a broad way.

  • Professor Rebecca Daniels’ project, “Exploration of Technology Available for Theater and Performance Studies” aimed to find out how video and computer technologies are used in theatrical production and instruction. To that end she will visited with an expert in the field at Stanford University to see the latest developments and to seek counsel with respect to possible directions at SLU.
  • Cathy Tedford, Director of the Brush Art Gallery, embarked on a year-long effort, “The Brush Gallery as a Curriculum Resource,” to explore how technology might make the Gallery a stronger resource across disciplines and courses. Her project entailed identifying and resolving issues related to online digital archives (creation, copyright protection, usage, maintenance); working with faculty members to explore specific areas of potential use of an online archive and the collection; exploring options that would make the Gallery’s collection more readily accessible; and investigating successful models of curricular integration by galleries at other colleges and universities.