A Few Good Reads Worth Sharing
Lately, at CDA we’ve been doing a lot of research on ed tech and refining how to help our Higher Ed partners get back to teaching this fall. There is a lot of information out there – good and bad – sparked by the huge, immediate need for true guidance and real solutions. Here are a few worthwhile articles that highlight both good and bad approaches, along with a few sage comments from CDA’s resident Ed Tech expert, Stewart Randall, CTS-D. Have a read and let us know what you think!
- https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2020/06/24/simulations-college-classrooms-fall-dont-bode-well: From Cal Tech, this article talks about how once you get down to really figuring out social distancing, classroom capacity can fall to <20% if you social distance in a 360-degree circle.
- http://activelearningps.com/2020/06/22/simulating-covid-19-classroom-conditions/: This article really illustrates how bad AV design coupled with operator error can adversely affect students with remote learning. There were a number of fundamental mistakes made in how the technology was set up, the first being the ceiling microphones. Under no conditions should ceiling mics be used if the audio for remote learning is to be clear on the far end. Ceiling mics work for the pickup of students, but not an instructor, who should wear a lapel mic even if not being used for voice reinforcement. For the most part, ceiling mics need to be very specialized steerable mics (if not, the farther away from the mic, the less air pressure on the diaphragm, the less audio is picked up). In this article, another problem is illustrated where the instructor did not place the Zoom monitor properly, nor was the monitor large enough.
- https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/2020/06/active-learning-in-hybrid-and-socially-distanced-classrooms/: This article addresses best practices, including the use of polls and chats, and even sticky notes, jigsaw discussion groups (that could be virtual), and other techniques.
There are software packages/apps that can be deployed so that the student phones act as a push-to-talk microphone, which could solve some in-class interaction challenges. And while there is no magic bullet, many of these problems can be addressed by proper tech design and human ergonomics.
As Technology experts and specialists in Higher Ed, CDA provides consultation to Educators (business leaders too). We’re developing educational webinars, white papers, and resources that address ed tech and workspace re-entry, and technology re-use logically. Learn more and sign up today in CDA’s Higher Ed Re-Entry Planning and Workplace Re-Entry portals to access this material and ensure that you receive important new resources as they become available.
(Written by Stewart Randall, CDA & Cynthia Lewis-Oliver | CDL Consulting, Inc., June 29, 2020)
