Spring 2020 Rethinking the Classroom

Join Academic Technology Services and the CSULB Faculty Center for these interactive panel discussions! Faculty and students from CSULB and beyond will share their experiences with technology in the classroom. Specific case studies, pedagogy, and student reactions will be presented.

Faculty Lightning Panel

Friday, April 17   |   9am-10am

 

Student Lightening Talks

Friday, May 1 |  9am-10am  |  Register in advance for this webinar

Lindsay Kerr, CSULB
Major: Liberal Studies/Child Development

For the last 3 years, Lindsy has worked in the AIM center as the Instructional Materials and Technology  Consultant. Her role consists of checking documents and websites with either JAWS or VoiceOver for issues and making recommendations for remediation. In addition, she reads and corrects documents produced in Braille. Lindsey hopes to make an impact on visually impaired students’ lives as a teacher of the visually impaired.

Courses I Have Taken Using Innovative Technology

A set of innovative courses I have taken are the Math Teacher Education courses required by the Liberal Studies major. The instructors came up with creative ways to teach students with limited vision a subject that is extremely visual. My instructors realized that having physical or tactile models of the math helped get the points across. The Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM) Center made this possible because they have a tactile graphics embosser. In addition, one of my instructors shared her PowerPoint with me so I could put my iPad under a CCTV also known as a video magnifier to see the notes that she wrote during lecture.

If I had one word of advice for an instructor, it would be to ask the student what they need and think outside the box when helping students be successful in their education.

 

Shaika Gautam, CSULB
Major: Nursing

Shaika is a third year student at CSULB in the School of Nursing.  She has worked at Academic Technology Services for over 2 years at our customer service desk and many other capacities.  

Courses I Have Taken Using Innovative Technology

Gerontology 400 is a writing capstone and is a required class for the nursing program.  We watched instructional videos online and read through the power points. We would interact with other students through discussion board posts, and Professor Ionescu was always willing to have office hours if we ever needed to talk to her in person. I also took Consumer and Finance 425 and 223 with Professor Ostlund, and the format of this class was hybrid. This was really great for me because in class, she would answer any questions we had and would then go into giving us real life examples of how she managed her finances, allowing us to see a real world application of what we were learning in class. Online,we would have discussion board posts, recordings of lectures, and links to helpful financial management articles. Both of these classes helped me greatly as they allowed me to work around 32 hours a week to save up for school, and gave me more free time to study on my own. 

I believe that online and hybrid classes are great because it allows for time to be used even more efficiently. Since we are a commuter school, some people have long drives just to come to class for an hour or two, so incorporating technology and lowering actual class time could help students achieve their goals. In a hybrid class, it would be great to incorporate more real world experiences so that students can ask questions, and leave more of the dense material for independent studying.

 

Justin Hackett, CSULB 
Double Major: Business Management / Operations & Supply Chain Management

Justin is a senior at Long Beach State majoring in Business Administration currently working as a Global Supply Chain Procurement Specialist at Northrop Grumman.  He is also the former President of The Society for Advancement of Management, Director of Leadership and Development for the Interfraternity Council, member of the Honors Program, numerous National societies/programs, and a part-time motivational speaker. 

Courses I Have Taken Using Innovative Technology

One of my favorite hybrid classes was Perspectives on Gerontology with 20 other honors students where I learned about the study of aging and older adults. My Gerontology class was taught by two instructors who made the class extremely enjoyable and informational. We were split up into groups and would present a chapter out of the book to our fellow classmates (taking up the whole class period). This lengthy presentation was beneficial, not only for us to become experts, but to those that were listening/taking notes. We constructed infographics and were able to make our own video off a book. This was one of my favorite classes and I owe it all to the two professors who on the last day of class said, “I enjoy teaching because I get to see all of you young people. It makes me feel younger and hopeful for the future.” As a senior, I am currently enrolled in the online class, Family & Consumer Resource Management, with 40 other students where we learn about how individuals function as families and consumers, and how roles change over the course of the life cycle. I am also currently enrolled in a hybrid class, Personal & Family Financial Management, with 43 other students where we learn about how to financially plan, budget, and invest. I am also currently enrolled in a hybrid class, Service Management, with 35 other students where we learn about management opportunities in service firms. 

Being enrolled in an online or hybrid class can be a very efficient option. Taking these types of classes will help you transition into the working world because you learn how to prioritize and keep track of all your due dates. At work, no one is going to constantly tell you when you need to have something done and you always need to make sure that you are keeping up to date with current information. This is especially useful if you are a student who also works. You are able to have more flexibility in your schedule since you do not have to come to campus every day. This also allows you to be more involved on campus via student organizations which bridge the gap between school and work. You are able to spend your time volunteering or impacting the school/community which will increase your intrinsic motivation. In regard to hybrid classes that meet once a week, you learn to pay more attention to what the teacher is saying, therefore taking in more information because the class meets infrequently. For instructors, making sure that the course is well defined and organized is key to a successful online class. Being readily available via email, phone, or office hours for students is extremely important. Also, incorporating videos, pictures, or real life examples of certain topics allow the information to be easily absorbed by the students. Overall, taking online/hybrid classes will teach you to be independent and help you learn how to manage your time more effectively.

Samantha Wallace, CSULB 
Major: M.S. in Emergency Services Administration

Samantha Wallace lives on the eastern plains of Colorado, approximately 45 miles east of Denver. She has been married for the last 12 years and has 3 kids (age 8,7 and 1yr) and due with another this August.  She's a police officer with the City and County of Denver and have been since 2004. In 2017, she was promoted to Sergeant and assigned patrol in northwest Denver since. Samantha is a military veteran having served 4 years with the USAR as a Military Police Officer and 5 years with the USAFR as a Crew Chief on C-130s. She has completed a AAS degree in 2000 in veterinary medicine, a BA degree in Christian Studies and is finishing her MS at CSULB in Emergency Services Administration, set on graduating in May. 

Tyler Nelson, CSULB 
Major: Psychology; Minor: Biology

Tyler is a third year student who is pursuing a career in neuroscience. She has taken a few online classes as well as a hybrid course. She works as a Psychobiology Supplemental instruction Leader and conducts undergraduate research on campus.

Courses I Have Taken Using Innovative Technology

Nutrition 132 is an introductory nutrition course about the body’s physiological relationship with food and exercise. Psychology 301 was a psychology profession course about the different career pathways and opportunities are available for psychology majors. Both of these courses offered a form of online lecture, as well as a virtual homework section. In my experience in hybrid/online courses, I value the accessibility and freedom to work from anywhere. As someone who is constantly on the go for work, research, and class it makes a big difference when I can do work in between my tightly packed schedule. The accessibility of technology that comes with online courses is highly appreciated! One recommendation that I can make is possibly using Zoom sessions as a form of office hours with online professors. As a busy student, I would love to see more hybrid courses offered in the STEM department specifically.