Technologies to Support Pedagogical Innovation in the Harvard Undergraduate Curriculum

Technologies to Support Pedagogical Innovation in the Harvard CurriculumKatie L. Vale, Ed.D.Director of Academic TechnologyFaculty of Arts and SciencesHarvard University ITAgendaInformation about Academic Technology ServicesOverview of pedagogical methods and examples of educational software based on those methodsProfiles of some of our larger initiativesGroup exerciseQ&AMy group Academic TechnologyPart of HUITPrimarily responsible for Faculty of Arts and Sciences (College, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Applied Sciences, Continuing Education)FAS is approximately 50% of Harvard UniversityMy group Academic TechnologyThirteen staffFour faculty liaisons/instructional designersFive technical staff/learning spaces managerOne (busy) product manager/student experience coordinatorTwo unit managersOne director (me)

Our sister group, iCommons, provides our LMSWhat we doConsulting and support (course websites to custom courseware)Development of tools for teaching and learning (collaboration, visualization, etc.)Learning space designSupport for faculty and student innovation

Examples of pedagogical modelsand Harvard technology projects using them

That is, how pedagogy and learning theory shapes what we do in Academic Technology ServicesDirect InstructionLecturing plus practice problems and homeworkUseful for maximizing student learning timeShown particularly useful for teaching math and readingLess useful for teaching abstract thinking, creativity, complex problem solving

Direct InstructionTechnologies useful for this method:Practice opportunities (drill and practice applications)Time on task opportunities (recorded lectures)Active learning techniques (PRS, clickers, peer review)

Learning Catalytics

Personal Response Systems

Cooperative LearningFoster teamwork, increase student motivation, generate synergySteps:Present a puzzling situationExplore individual reactionsCreate plan of attackAssist individual students with their pieceRegroup to share data and analyze progress

Cooperative/Collaborative LearningTechnologies useful for this method:Collaboration softwareWikisShared whiteboardsShared datasets

Annotations

Collaborative Annotation Suite (open source)

Mastery LearningPrescribed study completed at students own paceObjectives and milestones clearly set, with testing at defined intervals and feedback for advancement or remediation

Mastery LearningTechnologies useful for this method:Programmed instructionDrill and practice

Flashcards and iBooks

Role PlayLearners assume the role of another person and approach a situation in the manner of that person

Used to gain insight into attitudes and values and explore feelings that may arise from unfamiliar circumstances

Role PlayTechnologies useful for this method:Discussion boardsSocial mediaVirtual reality Instant messagingOnline case studies

Inductive ThinkingConsists of these steps:Concept formation (defining, categorizing)Data interpretation (relationships, inferences)Development and application of principles (predicting consequences, hypotheses)

E.g. How does per capita income affect longevity in different countries?

Inductive ThinkingTechnologies useful for this method:DatabasesData analysis tools (GIS, spreadsheets)Interactive simulationsMashups

Professor Chris Winships General Education course on Boston neighborhoods teaches students how maps and demographic data can be used to examine social issues. For example, it is possible to overlap a map showing income distribution with one showing availability of services such as grocery stores and hospitals. The students then can see how poorer areas also tend to be those with higher rates of health problems and childhood obesity.22Exploratory LearningStudents explore an information-rich setting via own choicesDevelop concept maps to make sense of the environmentProper framing is needed for successful exploratory learning exercises

Exploratory LearningTechnologies useful for this method:Virtual realityKnowledgebasesSimulationsGame enginesLocation-aware devices

Harvard Mobile

ConstructivismLearning by doing (John Dewey, Papert)Stresses active engagement with objectsProject- or activity-based learning (engineering and design)Learning by teaching to others

ConstructivismTechnologies useful for this method:Peer tutoring and collaborative peer reviewElectronic portfolios and design notebooksSimulation and modelingMultimedia, podcasts and presentation software

Creative assignments

Inquiry LearningScientific Method with active experimentation

Confront a problemGather data and isolate variablesMake hypothesisDevelop explanation

Inquiry LearningTechnologies useful for this method:Simulation and modeling software (Giza)High Performance ComputingDatabases (WorldWide Telescope)Research software (Matlab, Pymol, Geneious)

Thats the whatHeres the how: Organizations, Initiatives, and Programs

General Education CurriculumHarvards new undergraduate curriculumStrives to link students experiences here with their lives after collegePrepare them for civic engagementExpose them to thinking from all parts of the UniversityAllow for new models of teaching and learning, and pedagogical experimentationImplementing Gen EdThe Instructional Support and Services TeamComprised of representatives from IT, Library, Museums, Writing Program, Undergraduate Education Office and Bok (Teaching and Learning) Center.Members collaborate to help faculty design new courses from scratch or modify existing courses to make them compatible with the Gen Ed philosophy.Also graduate seminars that design the follow-on undergraduate course (Graduate Seminars in General Education)

How we work with Gen EdConsulting for faculty brainstorming, demos, discussions about pedagogical goals, custom courseware or adapted softwareCourse trailers (available via the General Education website)Creative assignments student work using digital mediaExample: Middle Ages courseMuseums: located examples from the collection for site visitsLibraries: located manuscripts and music, prepared research guides, visits to library collectionsATG: digitized materials, created interactive materials, course trailer

Making the Middle Ages, Professor Daniel Smail

Example: Sociology GSGEInitial meeting with Teaching and Learning rep; faculty chose who in ISST to contact nextFaculty consulted with ISST and has us present to the class as follows:ATG about data visualization tools such as Gapminder, Many Eyes, OECD ExplorerLibraries on locating data sources, how undergrads find informationBok Center on syllabus design and leading discussion sectionsWriting Project on how to respond to student writing and how to write for the social sciencesExample: CS50Provide data feeds for student projectsBrainstorming about pedagogy and objectivesGuest lecturing to introduce students to computer science careershttps://www.cs50.netGame Changers profileTo learn more about Gen Ed:http://www.generaleducation.fas.harvard.edu/Course trailers

PITFPresidential Instructional Technology FellowshipsMade possible from a grant from Harvards President and ProvostMission: to provide opportunities for student PITFs to intern with faculty to help create instructional materialsOutcomes: faculty receive digital teaching materials, PITFs gain valuable experience in both technology and pedagogy, ATG can work on many more projects than otherwise possiblePlanning PITF ProjectsMeet with faculty and potential project staff (teaching assistants, librarians, etc.)Train students in pedagogical models and assessmentAscertain faculty commitment, availability, whether project will be fully integrated into course, sustainabilityExplain fully how the team operates and what expectations would be

Expectations of facultyParticipate in planning meetings with ATG, Library, or Art Museum staffParticipate in regular meetings during the development periodWork with ATG, Library, Art Museum staff, Fellows, and others to develop course materials for the projectUpdate their syllabus and/or assignments to incorporate materials into the courseParticipate in ongoing assessment of technology integration in the course (interviews, student surveys, etc.)Share the results of the project as appropriate (via presentations, written reports, etc.)Factors for successEngaged teacher who sees value of projectExplicit educational goalsA project coordinator (if multiple participants)Commitment over years (funding, porting)Good documentation (both user and code)

More information on the PITF ProgramPast PITF project reportsPortfolio of developed applicationsHILTHarvard Initiative on Learning and TeachingBased on a $40 million donation from Gustave and Rita HauserGoals:Elevate discussions about teaching across all of HarvardExplore how new technologies can help teachingCreate opportunities for collaborationHILT: ComponentsAnnual symposium on teaching for Harvard facultyGrants program for faculty, student, and staff projectsEstablishment of a Teaching and Learning Consortium comprised of staff in instructional support roles (see ISST)IT infrastructure improvements for digital videoDecanal requests for School-wide projectsHILT SymposiumDeans selected faculty participantsDaylong eventSpeakers from both outside and inside HarvardAssociated Resource Fair where faculty could learn about Harvard-wide instructional support assistanceDemos by some of Harvards known educational innovatorsHILT GrantsInnovativeEvidence-basedExtendableList of initial recipientsWork begins July 1stHILT TLCBuilds on the success of the Gen Ed ISSTOfficial liaisons to Hauser Grant projectsProvide forum for problem solving, information sharing and innovation disseminationHelp the different tubs of Harvard learn from one another

New Digital Video ServicesHILT is bootstrapping this groupWill provide infrastructure for automated classroom and event capture, digital content management, dissemination and archivingInitial experiments using Opencast/Matterhorn and Kaltura this summerStudent Experience Attempting to provide a more coherent IT experience for students in their academic and administrative work, via:Service blueprinting of all student-facing ITFounding of a student IT advisory boardHiring students to sit in on development meetingsContest to redesign the student portalProvision of data feeds for campus services for instructional and student projects (e.g. menus, shuttle schedules)EdXPartnership with MIT (primary partner) and BerkeleyWorking with faculty to think about translating a face to face course to a MOOC (Massively Open Online Course)Harvards goal is to learn what really works in online education, share this knowledge with the world, and use it to improve on-campus teachingEdX: HarvardXTwo committees: Course Committee and Research CommitteeTwo courses go live October 15 CS50 and Public Health. Over 100,000 enrolled to date.3-4 additional Harvard courses for spring releaseAiming for quality over quantity and preserving the uniqueness of each class. Not competing with Coursera or UdacityExerciseBased on what youve heard so far, how can you adapt these support models or project ideas to your own institution? Find a partner or two and discuss.Could you form an ISST or TLC at your school? Who would be in it?Can MOOCs inspire meaningful reflection about on-campus pedagogy?What does your campus need for better support of teaching and learning?What models of teaching best fit your goals?Additional information on ProjectsWe have an FAS portfolio of finished projectshttp://atgportfolio.fas.harvard.eduInformation on PITF projects can be found at pitf.harvard.eduVisit http://annotations.harvard.edu for more info on the open source toolkit

ATG website: http://atg.fas.harvard.edu

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katie_vale@harvard.edu