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Third AUB Faculty Seminar
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Academic Computing Center
Holds Faculty Seminar
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AUBulletin
Today News Publication,
Volume VII,
Issue 4
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The
Academic Computing Center (ACC) held its Third AUB Faculty
Seminar on Teaching and Learning with Technology on December
1, 2005, in College Hall B1. The purpose of the seminar was
to give professors who use technology a chance to share
their work with other faculty members and the
administration. |
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Third ACC seminar at College
Hall B1 |
Teaching and learning through technology at AUB has the
staunch support of the administration, as expressed by both
President Waterbury and Provost Peter Heath. As the
president put it: “There is something that goes on in a
campus that brings together students and faculty in group
situations that is essential to the educational experience
and I think that is part of the philosophy or understanding
of Blended Learning, that the technology does not displace
what we do. It supplements it, it helps it, maybe makes it
more efficient, but it is not a substitute for direct
face-to-face contact, not only between faculty and students
but among students themselves and indeed among faculty.”
Provost
Heath, on his part, said, “I think that anybody who gets
involved in technology-assisted teaching—especially on the
experimental side—needs passion and a general excitement
concerning the possibilities that exist now or just over the
horizon. These individuals are pioneers, and I think they
should be valued by the institution and by their
colleagues.”
“AUB is
very lucky to have an administration that is open-minded
about new ideas in learning,” said Rosangela Silva, director
of ACC, who presented recent developments and introductions
to options in electronic teaching and learning.
Marcus
Marktanner, assistant professor in the Department of
Economics, gave a lecture entitled “New Opportunities for
Large-Scale Lectures Using WebCT: A Field Report,” in which
he shared the experiences of his department in the use of
WebCT to administer on-line exams to large-enrollment
classes.
Dr. Ali
Taher, Aida Habbal, and Dr. Kamal Badr, from AUBMC’s
Department of Internal Medicine spoke of their experience
using WebCT to support the course Introduction to Medicine
and demonstrated the many educational opportunities it
provides.
Professor
Iris Stovall of the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, in a lecture entitled “The Case for
Blended Learning,” outlined definitions, models, and
examples of blended courses and their advantages to
students, instructors, and the institution.
ACC also
conducted a web conference with Nidhal Guessoum of the
American University of Sharjah (AUS) during the seminar,
enabling him to deliver his lecture on his experience in
on-line teaching.
“With the
noticeable increase in the use of technology in teaching and
learning at AUB, there is a need for more such seminars,”
said Silva, “and we are planning to hold one during the
spring semester.
For more information on
the Third Faculty Seminar go to :
http://staff.aub.edu.lb/~acc/Events/III-FacSem2007/main.html
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