Technology Solutions for Engaging Large Classes Through Instructional Management

The important role that technology plays in my class actually takes place before class, and subsequent to class ... through web based resources that I have integrated into my large class to engage my students in an environment which I like to call an instructional management system, which is very different than a course management system like WebCT or Blackboard. Dr. John Gelder Professor of Chemistry Department of Chemistry Oklahoma State University Click here to see the interview. Click here to see the presentation. (Requires Real Player)

When Dr. John Gelder says that he's a little bit different than other faculty teaching chemistry, you can believe him. The focus of Dr. Gelder's work (including almost thirty years at OSU) has been in chemical education, more specifically research into how to use technology to teach the often difficult subject of chemistry. So when he says that an instructional management system is very different from a course management system, you can know that he has credible evidence as to how. And this is just what he explained to us for this Tech Tuesday, February 8, 2005.

To Dr. Gelder, technology is the tool that makes a true instructional management system possible for large classes. And ever since he started at OSU with his Apple II computer, his challenge has been to effectively develop technology solutions that go far beyond the traditional course management systems, which mostly just facilitate the delivery of course lectures and materials. Dr. Gelder's goal is to develop customizable student learner centered solutions that enable individualized instruction management. This includes being able to identify the knowledge level of each student in the course and deliver to them the specific instruction needed to successfully move up through the next levels.

Dr. Gelder's present technology tools include using web server technologies like PHP and My SQL. These free, open source tools enable him to provide each student in his course their own customized web page where his course is presented to them as it relates to them. Dr. Gelder is aided in his research into effective technology implementation for teaching in the sciences by collaboration with Dr. Michael Abraham, of the University of Oklahoma, who was also present at this Tech Tuesday. However, one of the goals of Dr. Gelder is to demonstrate the discipline independent nature of instructional management systems and propagate their use way beyond just chemistry.

For more information on Tech Tuesday, including time, locations, links to recent presentations, or to access last semester's archives, click on any Tech Tuesday link or go to http://fp.okstate.edu/techtuesday.

This page was last updated on Saturday, February 12, 2005 11:10 AM .

For more details or information email Steve Brown.