IT Staff Convention 2006: Supporting Instruction

From Provider Wiki

Supporting Instruction

Facilitators: Jay Treat, Arts and Sciences Computing, and Rob Ditto, Wharton

Notes: Amy Phillips, ISC Technology Support Services

The moderators polled the group ahead of time to establish both “points of interest” and “pain points” related to supporting instruction. Eight people responded to request for advance.

Web Authoring

Advice to faculty in this are is if you want a web site and you are not comfortable making one, then use WebCafe or Black Board, each of which simplify the process. Before Blackboard was available this was a bigger concern, but now it is relatively painless for most people.

However, there is an issue when faculty members don’t want to use a courseware solution or does, but wants to share the content more broadly than just with the class. Guests need to log in to see it. There is a work around by creating a guest account on a separate server that links to blackboard (dummy guest). In addition, Jay will see if he can get the library to post directions on their web page about how to change guest permissions on individual blackboard sites.

Contribute is another solution. The Vet School and SEAS are both using it. It works well because you don’t have to worry about content providing messing up the site. Mary Griffin is in the process of negotiating volume licensing discount with Adobe. In addition, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has a special pricing agreement with Adobe that Penn is allowed to use. Buyers need to go through a specific reseller (School of Design has details), but the prices are quite good for both classrooms and labs.

Video Recordings for Classroom Use

• Faculty want video as part of ppt. They have a MAC, import everything into iMovie. Biggest problem, things that were square become rectangles--stretches (problem happens with avi type files; quicktime pro it does not). The solution would be to check default resolution. You need to know resolution of sources and then customize dimensions using iMovie (Custom Options drill down)
• SAS uses Real Media for most, many people have it. Real has developed enterprise client, found it from Real (free client). Helix based streaming server, Darwin based streaming server—real media
• SAS also has quicktime as well, but the demand is not there
• RSTP streaming which can be done over http
• All formats have syntax avail, upload movie, generates link that points to the actual location
• Better to stream than download, because of copywriter material
• Adobe acrobat 7 also has a vehicle for moview, don’t have to have a separate file. Faculty may find it better to use acrobat instead of ppt.

Converting ppt to pdf for our course materials systems

• Macs easy to print to pdf
• For Windows use Acrobat Pro.
• CutePDF doesn’t work to well, because it is open source maybe
• Adobe version inbetween reader and full blown version. Maybe called Adobe Element? It allows you to edit forms. Our rep is ali@adobe.com who presented at earlier WebSig.
• For special pricing visit AICUP.org and drill down to Adobe for details. Faculty can use at home. Based on aggregated volume.

Digital Assets Managers – What are people using?

• Home grown course material to centralize all the materials video, images, etc.
• Almagest an option (Princeton Apple Source)
• D-SPACE
• iTunes U. – Free Bandwidth
• Additional software installations (simulations) in classroom Technology Support Services ISC Penn

How are people addressing academic integrity? How do you fight plagiarism?

• Problem: Faculty would like to check for plagiarism, but don’t want to upload student papers into site that is not searchable.
• Looking for a technology that compares submitted papers against each other and also published services
• BlackBoard Plug In—Compares, but does not publish
• Is anyone looking through logs? No.

New Faculty Directions:

• New emphasis on active learning
• New emphasis on collaborations
• Increasing desire to use classroom tech, especially video projector

What new resources are on campus that we can share?

David B. Weigle Information Commons brand new space in Van Pelt Library.

• Took 48 hours for word to get out.
• Based on huntsman hall model (small group facility)
• Library/SAS partnership
• Group study space
• New media lab/video
• Knowledgeable staff (same library hours in Fall) open until 2 AM
• http://thecommons.library.upenn.edu

Penn Tags

• http://tags.library.upenn.edu
• Creating bookmarks that are sharable, including video catalog
• Make a list to share with others
• Film studies, but useful for lots of other classes
• Open to the world—not limited

Blackboard new tools

• For collaboration – team and journal wikis now available, voice boards for about a year
• Adaptive release—must pass a quiz to have access to the next level of instruction