Gaining Time with Technology
David G. Brown, Vice President & Dean
Wake Forest University
[email protected]
http://www.wfu.edu/~brown
November 12, 2001
Outline of Activities
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Never Enough Time! (mini-lecture)
Write Down Your Time Gaining Tricks!
Five Strategies For Gaining Time (mini-lecture)
Illustrations: Mini-movie Clips from the Website
of the course I’m currently teaching
• Listening to YOUR time-gaining tricks
• Discussion---Your Comments and Questions
Never Enough Time
• All are eager to adopt technology.
• The Gardening Metaphor
• It will get better--– when double-duty ends!
– If we redesign, not just “add on”
Reasons 150 Professors Added
Computer Enhancements
1. Communication-Interaction
2. Collaboration-Teams
3. Controversy-Debate
4. Customization-Diversity
5. Consultants-Adjuncts
Your Ideas
On the Green Sheet---
On the Blue sheet---
List 2 or 3 ways you are using
technology to gain time.
Write your email
address.
When done, pass the Green
sheet to your left.
Anytime during this
session, write to me a
comment, idea, or
question. I’ll get back to
you by email.
[Persons next to the wall should
(1) select one idea to read to the
group, and
(2) Give all green sheets to me at
the end of the session.]
Hand in the blue sheet
at the end of the session.
Time Gaining Strategy #1
Keep It Simple (Stupid)!
• Emphasize Email, URL’s, & CMS
• Standardize--hardware, software, projection,
training, help desk
• Provide Access to All---avoid double systems
• Use Simple Templates---viewable by older, slower,
lower priced computers
• Add Technology in Small Bites
• Utilize Familiar Systems---E.g.: Internet browsers
• Don’t Be the First to Upgrade
Time Gaining Strategy #2
Shift Work to Students
• Have them annotate the best web sites
• Designate a student-manager-of-the-week
to handle paperwork
• Build administrative systems that enable
students to update their own data
• Encourage peer feedback
• Reward students who help others learn
Time Gaining Strategy #3
Involve Others in Teaching
• Ask students to critique each others’ papers
before submission
• Have student A and B agree upon a joint
submission & grade only one paper
• Recruit alumni mentors, college staff
• Build hierarchies of support
• Provide access to work of previous classes
Time Gaining Strategy #4
Preserve Completed Work
• Back Up Your Own Work (on CD’s)
• Encourage Students to Back Up Their Work
• Require Students to Keep Copies of All the
Work they Submit
• Help Students Create Portfolios for Archiving
their Important Documents and Transferring
Them to After-College Systems
Time Gaining Strategy #5
Focus Work
• [“Too Many” Degrees of Freedom]
• Identify precisely your Desired Outcome
• Guide Students to More Efficient Learning
Paths
• Use the Power of Search Engines
• Build Small Chunks
• Separate Out the Reusable
• To understand a liberal arts education as an
opportunity to study with professors who think by
their own set of concepts
• To learn how to apply economic concepts
• To learn how to work collaboratively
• To learn computer skills
• To improve writing and speaking
Students = 15
All Freshmen
Required Course
Before Class
During Class.
After Class
• Keep It Simple
• Shift Work to Students
• Involve Others in Teaching
• Preserve Completed Work
• Focus Work