Festive atmosphere filled The Dreamery at the inaugural Research Carnival

Festive atmosphere filled The Dreamery at the inaugural Research Carnival

On Wednesday, June 19, freshly popped popcorn, scores of balloons, and a red carpet welcomed attendees inside The Dreamery for the first-ever Research Carnival focused on teaching and learning with technology.

The event was organized and hosted by Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) in partnership with the Center for Excellence in Science Education, Institutional Review Board, Liberal Arts Teaching Group, Office of Information Security, Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, and University Libraries.

“[Faculty] come to our research group with many questions about the process of teaching and learning scholarship. Because it tends to be different from the research to which they’re accustomed, many don’t know where to begin when they want to research what’s happening in their class,” said TLT’s faculty programs manager, Crystal Ramsay.

Teaching and learning scholarship (TLS) is understood as systematic investigation into subject matter related to teaching and learning. TLS projects can be smaller in scale, such as answering questions about the impact of specific teaching interventions during a particular semester of a course. They can also be more substantial, like an exploration of emerging technology’s impact on an entire discipline.

Ramsay and her team had a clear vision for how they intended to address the concerns related to TLS expressed by University faculty.

“We wanted to create an inviting, informal, and fun opportunity for faculty, and those who support their teaching mission, to meet with people in the Penn State community who could answer questions and support teaching and learning scholarship efforts,” she said.

By all metrics, it appears as though the Research Carnival hit its marks. Ultimately, 128 guests visited the carnival, and while formal feedback has yet to be collected, the initial reactions were overwhelmingly positive.

“We heard things like, ‘It was great to have these resources in one place,’ ‘Conversations were fun and partners were approachable,’ and ‘[We] got takeaways that can be put to use right away,'” noted Ramsay.

The Research Carnival took place over two months before the start of the fall semester, and it’s clear from the faculty turnout and volunteers who hosted the event that the University community is always striving to deliver the best possible experience for its students.

“[This event] was another reminder of how much people at Penn State really do care about the learning experiences of our students,” Ramsay said, in closing. “It’s great to be a part of a community that is committed to supporting their efforts.”

Together faculty develop relationships advancing innovative technologies

Together faculty develop relationships advancing innovative technologies

A diverse group of faculty members at Penn State Berks have come together to collaborate on creative ways to use technology to transform the classroom. Founded in spring 2018, the Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) Faculty Learning Community (FLC) for Innovative Instructional Technology in the Classroom has been looking critically at how they can help foster innovative strategies for teaching and learning. 

The FLC launched as a kind of book group, but some of the richest collaborative moments for me have spun out of digressions into our own teaching challenges and solutions,” said Bryan Wang, an FLC member and assistant teaching professor of biology. 

The FLC, part of an initiative started by Penn State TLT and one of eight FLCs formed during the 2018-19 academic year, was founded by Dawn Pfeifer Reitz, lecturer in communication arts and sciences and Communication, Arts and Sciences 100: Effective Speech coordinator, to increase interdepartmental collaboration while using innovative technologies that enhance teaching and learning. After brainstorming with campus instructional and multimedia designer Mary Ann Mengel, the Innovative Instructional Technologies in the Classroom FLC was born, and the plan is to continue it through the 2019-20 academic year for existing members and broaden the reach for additional interested faculty. 

“I am enthusiastic about incorporating technology into my classroom,” Pfeifer Reitz said. “My goal was to meet faculty across our campus and talk with likeminded folks interested in incorporating tech into teaching.” 

Since September 2018, the FLC group of 11 members would meet every three weeks to talk about an assigned book and lessons learned. At the end of each meeting, a member volunteered to write a blog post about what they discussed. 

“One theme that we discussed early on focused on the challenge of designing courses that provide students space to exercise creativity,” Wang said. In Wang’s senior-level laboratory in molecular genetics course in the spring, his students created final projects using a variety of media, from a Facebook page for a fictional researcher to a whodunit graphic novella, all of which were based upon a molecular cloning and phylogeny project. Students showed an increased interest when creating and crafting their projects, and a rise in engagement was exhibited through the final week of classes. 

Jenifer Shannon, a lecturer in electrical engineering, is another FLC member who has seen success from applying ideas discussed during the group’s meetings. She began developing strategies to incorporate interactive online materials to her lecture content including using Kaltura for video editing, interactive video quizzes, and providing students with more time in the lab. 

“The diversity of our members’ academic backgrounds contributes to an exciting and fruitful FLC group,” Shannon said. “We bounce our ideas off each other and offer encouragement and suggestions.” 

Thanks to the FLC and support from Mengel, Pfeifer Reitz has implemented a more formal way for students to use Zoom to enhance their listening skills. She has introduced a “persuasive Zoom review” into her classes, where students deliver persuasive speeches, watch each other’s speeches, then hold recorded meetings through Zoom to give each other feedback. 

Afterward, Pfeifer Reitz evaluates their Zoom reviews based upon how well they met the requirements of the assignment. Each student is required to provide feedback on their partner’s speech, consider the feedback and ask two to three follow-up questions, and the entire Zoom meeting should be four to five minutes, with two to two and a half minutes allocated per student. 

Pfeifer Reitz said, “FLC groups like these are invaluable. The concept of the ‘critical friend’—developing collegial relationships, encouraging reflective practice, and rethinking process together—helps make all of us better at what we do in our own classrooms. 

For more information about the Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) Faculty Learning Community (FLC) for Innovative Instructional Technology in the Classroom, contact Dawn Pfeifer Reitz. 

TLT helps THON teens experience immersive technology

TLT helps THON teens experience immersive technology

Rest is not commonly associated with the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, also known as THON. Dancers are on their feet for 46 consecutive hours. Committees and volunteers work for a year to organize the event, collect donations, and ultimately execute the event. Thousands of supporters, who are gently encouraged to not sit down, fill the Bryce Jordan Center and sustain the dancers’ spirits. In the end, the energy poured into the event raises millions of dollars annually for Four Diamond families in support of their battles against pediatric cancer.

Throughout THON weekend Four Diamond families travel to University Park to take part in the festivities and share the energetic atmosphere. Unlike the dancers, the kids fighting childhood cancer, their parents, and other guests occasionally need to step away from the BJC and catch their collective breath. This is where THON’s Family Relations Committee steps up with strategically planned experiences that provide a respite from all the hustle and bustle. This year, a brand-new event at the HUB-Robeson Center’s Break Zone aimed at helping a special group of THON teen participants gave Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) a chance to contribute to THON for the first time.

At the Teen Adventure, dozens of kids played pool, ping-pong, and video games. The sunshine filled the Break Zone on a Saturday afternoon as Colin Murtha, teen and adult coordinator on the Family Relations Committee, reflected on the ideas that brought this supportive event to life.

“A lot of THON is geared towards younger kids – that’s part of what makes it so special – and this year we’re really making strides to provide all ages, from teenage years through adulthood, with emotional support,” Murtha said.

The scope of that support is larger than just the Teen Adventure. Murtha helped create the THON Engagement and Empowerment Network (TEENetwork) whose efforts include teen-focused programming during the THON Family Carnival and “Teen Nights” that take place four times per year. But THON weekend is the big showcase, and Murtha was quick to recognize everyone who had a hand in making the Teen Adventure possible.

“It’s a lot of coordination and planning to bring together 40 teens and their guests, members of the football team, and groups that provided programming. It’s great to see all the effort pay off,” he said.

TLT, whose day-to-day efforts center around collaborating with faculty and students across the University to discover and advance technology that supports engaged learning, was one of those groups. With TLT in attendance, the Teen Adventure kids enjoyed some hands-on experience with augmented reality and other educational gaming technology. It a chance to work with THON that the staff jumped at according to learning experiences designer Zach Lonsinger.

“This was a great opportunity to support THON and also advocate for emerging technology. A lot of kids dream about being a Jedi, but not many get to experience an actual lightsaber battle with Darth Vader. Thanks to the technology that’s been developed, this is possible,” he said.

The lightsaber battles that Lonsinger referred to were made possible by a mobile phone, an augmented reality headset that projects holograms into the player’s vision, and a beacon and game controller that respond to the player’s movements. Most of the teens in attendance that afternoon hadn’t experienced augmented reality previously, but they were eager to try it out and adapted to it quickly. One of the “Jedis” in training, Josiah Garcia, didn’t quite get the ending he expected from his first try at the game.

“The augmented reality was a lot of fun, but I didn’t like getting ambushed by the Storm Troopers at the end. They just ganged up on me!” he said, laughing.

While gaming is often people’s first exposure to augmented or virtual reality, it can open their eyes to other ways the tech can be applied, such as in an educational setting.

“As a society, we are just beginning to understand what is possible with immersive technologies. It’s not that far off from anyone being able to experience what a THON dancer sees from the floor,” said Lonsinger. “Someone from across the world could put on a headset and experience the powerful moments of THON as if they were on the floor.”

Ethan Munoz was another teen adventurer who spent time with the augmented reality game, and the Nintendo Labo technology that showcases principles of engineering, physics, and basic programming. As a middle school student himself, the educational potential of the technology wasn’t lost on him.

Ethan Munoz plays with the Nintendo Labo during THON weekend

Ethan Munoz plays with the Nintendo Labo during THON weekend

“The Labo could help kids who need to work on motor skills, and augmented reality could be used to improve hand-eye coordination,” Munoz said.

Education technology is something close to Murtha’s heart as he is studying education policy. He thinks that aside from giving the kids a chance to play and relax during a busy THON weekend, the immersive technology could have a meaningful impact on their future as students.

“Besides the gaming aspect, the technology presents learning opportunities where you can put yourself into an entirely different environment and learn about it with almost hands-on interaction,” Murtha said. “It has the potential to give teenage students a tangible learning experience which is something that speaks to them as people who like to be engaged.”

Lonsinger echoed Murtha’s sentiment.

“Kids are growing up with access to mobile and immersive technology. Just like I grew up with the internet and expected it in my classrooms, students now are going to expect immersive technologies to be a part of their learning experience,” he said. “As with any technology, immersive tech should be viewed and used as a tool or a complement to learning.”

Josiah Garcia dances at the THON talent show

Josiah Garcia dances at the THON talent show

Once the Teen Adventure wound down and the HUB’s Break Zone cleared out, the kids, their guests, and family members made it back to the BJC to rejoin THON’s festivities. And while he performed admirably in augmented reality, Josiah Garcia saved his best performance for the THON stage as showcased his dance skills in Saturday evening’s talent show. Ultimately, everyone who took part in the weekend came away from the experience touched by THON’s magic.

“THON has impacted me completely; it’s how I’ve met some of my best friends,” said Murtha. “Really, though, it’s such a humbling experience to work with the families and be a part of their lives.”

Lonsinger added, “THON is so much more than a 46-hour dance marathon. It transcends higher education and goes beyond just getting a degree. It’s about making an impact on the world and changing the way you view the world. When you are invested in something that’s bigger than yourself, it changes you in a meaningful way.”