Comments on: Paths to Our Mission: Path One

By: Erin Long

Erin Long — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:15:26 +0000

We’re working with Dr. Matt Jackson on reaching his goal of creating an “open classroom” for students both inside and outside of Penn State. He is currently running a class blog in his Comm. 180 class to determine each student’s participation grade. Students are required to submit new entries, comments, and/or new resources to blog at least six times per semester.

Students can also choose to maintain their own blog (with a minimum of one reflective entry per week) for extra credit. By the Fall 2009 semester, Dr. Jackson hopes to do away with the course textbook and rely solely on resources generated by the class and posted to the blogs.

By: Erin Long

Erin Long — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:09:30 +0000

In our English 202C redesign project, student are using the Blogs at Penn State platform and Digital Commons studios to creat online portfolios, use multimedia to enhance assignments, and reflect on their development through individual and course blogs. What was a paper resume is now an interactive professional Web space. What was a paper set of instructions is now an audio and/or video “how-to” guide. Where once students would have only limited interaction with each other, they now provide constant feedback, link to additional resources, and create a community of information that expands beyond the classroom.

See http://blogs.tlt.psu.edu/projects/english202/ for more information on the project.

By: Erin Long

Erin Long — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:05:05 +0000

We are working with the Schreyer Honors College (SHC) to investigate the use of the Penn State blogging platform to support personal publishing on academic advising, personal reflection, and personal content management.

To keep up with the pilot group and their blog postings, you can look at or subscribe to the PSUHonors tag at http://www.blogs.psu.edu/search. Other categories (tags) that are being used in this project are: academic excellence, civic engagement, global perspective, honor, integrity, and leadership.

By: Jeff Swain

Jeff Swain — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:05:15 +0000

The TLT Symposium highlights the ways our faculty members are expanding the notions of teaching, learning, and research through the inclusion of various technologies.

The Symposium is a place for faculty to come together and share ideas, network, find out how to become involved with us, and hear talks from some of the leading voices in Education.

By: Brad Kozlek

Brad Kozlek — Fri, 01 May 2009 21:24:20 +0000

The Blogs teams have engaged with faculty at events such as the Smeal Techfest, ITS training service’s Winterfest, and blogging event at DuBois campus. Also, the blogs team engages in consultation and collaboration with faculty on use of blogs in specific courses, such as with
Dr. Chris Long (PHIL 298H http://www.personal.psu.edu/cpl2/blogs/powerforce/) and Dr. Matt Jackson (COMM 180 http://www.personal.psu.edu/elc134/blogs/cramer/2008/12/fa08-summary—comm-180-projec.html )

By: Brad Kozlek

Brad Kozlek — Fri, 01 May 2009 21:19:11 +0000

The ETS blogs team worked with ETS Faculty Fellow Carla Zembal-Saul to conceptualize and develop a pack-it-up feature which enables student blogs to be submitted to an assessment management system and create an archive of a student’s portfolio development over time. This will have a wider impact as the system becomes available for students in any academic program.

By: Matt Meyer

Matt Meyer — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:07:25 +0000

We have used a project engagement model to work with faculty to design and develop innovative online teaching and learning experiences. Along with our instructional design, media development and technology services, we also provide important project management functions to keep projects on track.

We worked with the Biology department to redesign its Biology 12 wet-lab course for the Spring 09 semester. The resulting solution included learning objects delivered via the Blogs at Penn State platform. Additionally, ETS integrated this solution into ANGEL, so that additional course material and functions (such as assessments) would be available for faculty to further manage this course.

By: Vicki Williams

Vicki Williams — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:44:13 +0000

Another professor in Engineering started by allowing students to purchase eChapters of the textbook. The next semester, he did not require a text, but provided a syllabus with the course topics listed and allowed students to decide their own text and text format. He started using Google apps in class and added a cohort from Spain who has worked collaboratively with his class at UP on design documents in Google apps. Now, he wants several faculty colleagues to create a wikiText.I have worked with this faculty member since last summer.

Sometimes, faculty just need to know there is support available and someone to talk it over with.

By: Vicki Williams

Vicki Williams — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:35:41 +0000

Christine Masters teaches large enrollment sections of Engineering Mechanics 211 and 213. She started out just using clickers, but has refined her skills and added new techniques. I have worked with her over a period of two years. Currently she is using the clickers in lecture class and small group homework teams to help her students interact with and tutor each other.

By: Hannah Inzko

Hannah Inzko — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:33:45 +0000

Through the Faculty Brown Bag lunches, Digital Commons has found an opportunity to meet, discuss and share with faculty from several different disciplines.
During these lunches faculty are encouraged to discuss ideas, show student examples created through Digital Commons, and answer questions on how to get started.

Our success is evident in the enthusiasm and energy shared by those who attend, the lines of communication that have been opened and relationships that have developed.
Building these relationships is crucial in all aspects of where Digital Commons is, and where it is going.