UA faculty will present new technologies to enhance in-class teaching at the 10th annual Learning Technology Showcase tomorrow.
Traditionally on dead day, the showcase highlights faculty who have utilized technology to creatively enhance learning, said Christopher Johnson, senior consultant at the Learning Technologies Center and showcase coordinator.
"The University of Arizona is known internationally as a leader of technology use, and many students come here because they are interested in technology," said Garry Forger, assistant director of the Learning Technologies Center.
Forger said the showcase offers a look into the past and what has been achieved in the last 10 years. A poster session will show current issues, and there will be four presentations on new projects that are being developed. Four awards will be presented for outstanding contributions to students learning.
A forum on the future of learning technology and the kind of technology the university needs to prepare for in the future will be held for the first time this year, Johnson said.
Faculty and students are encouraged to attend the showcase, because their view on technology is equally important, Forger said.
"We're sitting here trying to create the best learning environment for you, but sometimes we just have to take a guess because we can't hear you," Forger said. "The students' expectations have really pushed the technology that's being offered on this campus."
Johnson said one project that was presented at a previous showcase, the Quicktime Virtual Reality, is now in wide use.
The Quicktime Virtual Reality, which is a 360-degree photo of artifacts or other objects to study, is used on a CD as part of a textbook, and the Arizona State Museum digitized its pots for online exhibition.
"If technologies work on a small basis then the university will tend to invest in them," Johnson said.
John Allen, a psychology professor, will present "clickers," at the showcase, which are remote controlled devices that allow students to state individual opinions and evaluate them with the teacher in class.
Allen said he has used clickers for one semester in a class with about 500 students. He said he likes them because they can illustrate how students' opinions change after presentations, and he is able to notice whether students grasp the material presented in class.
Allen said after learning about clickers, he found a textbook company that was willing to pay for the receivers, although students had to purchase the actual device.
The showcase runs from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with registration and breakfast in the Manuel T. Pacheco Integrated Learning Center courtyard.