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Combining technology with traditional teaching methods to enrich undergraduate education will be the focus of a program headed by the Faculty Committee on Educational Technology and the Office of Instructional Development.

Known as the Blended Instruction Case Studies, faculty members have been asked to submit proposals that will use information technology innovatively to further the undergraduate learning experience.

“This is not about adding another technology in the classroom,” said Ruth Sabean, assistant vice provost and director of education technology with the College of Letters & Science.

The goal is to find the best mix of electronic and traditional instruction that will make learning more active, Sabean said.

“What UCLA is looking for are just different faculty and departments to come up with innovative ideas,” said Robert Gould, professor of statistics and a member of the FCET.

The study will also map the type of technology that works for various disciplines and examine its applicability in others.

This is the first study that will systematically collect information on the types and various methods of technology that improve student learning.

The way the success of student learning will be measured is still unclear, although there are obvious ways such as how students and professors feel, and grades that students receive, Sabean said.

The final selection will be made early winter quarter by members of the FCET and OID. Those selected will work with a pedagogy and technology team to carry out their proposals.

Examples of possible proposals include smart test banks accessible from students’ computers that recognize whether the student has a good handle on the specific subject, Gould said.

Faculty and teaching assistants would be able to get a printout of the results the following day so they know how well their students, which number over 150 in some courses, grasp the lessons, Gould added. 

Currently, the Web is used extensively in many courses to disseminate information that might otherwise take up valuable class time.

“It’s helpful in communicating with students,” said Steven Kivelson, professor of physics and astronomy.

However, technology doesn’t revolutionize the classroom – it is not a substitute for conventional teaching methods, Kivelson said.

Some students are wary of the idea of professors using current educational technology in the classroom, simply because the professors might not understand how to use it.

“I had a lab professor who took 10 minutes to figure out how a program worked,” said Brenda Chang, a second-year mechanical engineering student.

“If you want technology in the classroom, you have to teach the professors how to do it so it would be less distracting and take up less class time,” Chang said.