Welcome to Teaching and Learning. Wait, to what?
Teaching and Learning, a division of Information Technology Services, is responsible for many initiatives and services that affect students. The most widely known are Blackboard and the student computer labs.
But ITS Teaching and Learning does much more than that.
Integrating technology
First and foremost, ITS-TL identifies, explores and pilots different ways to integrate technology into the instructional mission of the University. A recent example is the UNC Tablet PC Research Group.
This year, the tablet PC is included in the laptop models available through the CCI program. Capitalizing on the availability of the tablet PC, and leveraging the knowledge gained through last year's faculty tablet PC pilot, ITS-TL has partnered with student government to conduct a student tablet PC pilot.
Tablet PCs are now on loan to 25 students for the 2007-08 school year. More than 475 students volunteered to participate in the pilot. Selected students attend a basic orientation program and follow-up training sessions, create regular blog postings and give their feedback through focus group meetings.
Results of this pilot will help inform the selection of future computer models through the CCI. Results will also be made available to aid incoming students in selecting the best CCI computer for their academic needs.
Course redesign
The digital age demands new modes of learning and instructional methods, so ITS-TL explores the role technology will play in the classroom of the future. As educators, our ultimate goal is engaged learning and we know that students learn best when content is presented in a variety of ways.
One recent course redesign involved Foundations of Pharmacokinetics for the School of Pharmacy. A group of second-year pharmacy doctoral students at the UNC School of Pharmacy and at the Elizabeth City State University pharmacy program learned about "hepatic clearance" through an online multimedia module that allowed them to learn concepts and facts outside the classroom. By giving students the tools to learn the material before coming to class, scheduled class time was devoted to more in-depth discussion.
Technology training and education
Computer-Based Training is a free service that offers 2,800 self-paced courses to all faculty, staff and students. Available 24 hours a day, CBT courses cover computer skills such as introductions to PowerPoint, Microsoft Access, Excel, Word and HTML, as well as Dreamweaver, Microsoft Project and programming.
To subscribe to CBT, visit cbt.unc.edu and follow the instructions for new users.
Learn more about ITS-TL
Visit our Web site at its.unc.edu/divisions/tl/ and learn more about our current projects, collaborations and plans for the future.
Send comments and questions to ITS Communications at its_communications@unc.edu.
