An invaluable new Web site points faculty to practical strategies, activities, and resources to meet teaching and class management challenges with the help of technology.
The Teaching and Learning with Technology Tips site at http://tlt.its.psu.edu/suggestions/tlt_tips/ is divided into ten areas that contribute to a successful course, including communication, critical thinking, teamwork, and assessment.
Within each of these broad areas are easy-to-follow tables, each addressing a more specific topic, for example, "improve class discussion" or "answer questions outside of class." Within each table are listed specific teaching methods, the challenges associated with each, how to employ technology to face the challenges, and specific resources to locate or learn the applicable technology.
The resources listed are largely Penn State resources freely available to faculty, such as ANGEL and Web-Based Training. Where ANGEL is listed as a resource, faculty are pointed to the specific tool or topic to select in ANGEL's online help section.
According to Carol Dwyer, senior instructional designer in Teaching and Learning with Technology, a unit of Information Technology Services, the new site is designed "to help faculty move from their traditional ways of doing things" and use technology to engage students and more efficiently manage multiple homework submissions, feedback to students, and e-mail correspondence.