THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2013
EDUCATION
New lecture system changes teaching format
PAGE 3A
IYU KYUNG LEE
ylee@kansan.com
Professor Matthew Buecher lectures in front of his Biology 400 class. It is capture by Echo 360, a new system that uploads the video of his class to Blackboard for students to view. The system has already been in place at the Edwards campus.
EMILY WITTLER/KANSAN
Stop, rewind, fast forward, replay. With just few clicks of the mouse, senior Chi Vu from Vietnam reviewed the video of the previous day's microbiology lecture, trying to fill her notes on what she missed during the actual class.
Echo 360 lecture capture system uploads the video of the lecture onto Blackboard, allowing students taking Biology 400 to see and hear professor Matthew Buechner giving his lecture, as well as the powerpoint presentation he used in the class, outside the walls of Budig 130.
Buechner, who also teaches at the Edwards campus, said he would try the new system at Edwards because a lot of older students have jobs and can't make it to class every night.
Buechner is one of the 308 KU faculty members who are actively using the Echo 360 system. While Echo 360 is new to the Lawrence campus, it has been used for the past couple years at the Edwards campus as well as the University Pharmacy School.
"I have really bad studying habits," Vu said. "I kind of space out in class so it's good to go over it, see what he is talking about, especially because he is so disjointed."
"For the students who had to
miss a lecture, it was really helpful. They could watch the lecture, then ask me questions rather than just come to me and ask 'what did we cover.' So it made office visits more productive," Buechner said. From experience, Buechner knew how useful the lecture capture system can be for students who use it.
"I tend to talk way too fast. I get all nervous and excited and jump around too much," Buechner said. "Even the students who went to class, they'd look at the lecture afterwards and go over their notes over the parts, topics they had trouble with in more detail."
The success in the previous years led to the adoption of Echo 360 in Lawrence, and it can completely change the traditional classroom experience for many KU students.
One of the concerns about the new technology is that it could discourage classroom attendance, something Buechner considers a vital part of the education process.
"Students want to have more interaction with each other in the classroom. They don't want to sit and listen to an instructor talk for an hour," David Day, communications manager for Information Technology, said. "By changing the way the courses are taught, to better involve students in the learning process, to take them from being passive listeners to active participants in classrooms, the University knows it can raise retention rates"
Through Blackboard, instructors can see how many students watched their lectures, how long they've watched it and what part students watched the most. This feedback allows the instructors to pinpoint the most difficult material and tailor the classroom time.
"I think people get a lot more from being in that social setting, even in a large lecture hall. Hearing how other people are reacting is a better learning experience for you
If attendance decreases significantly, Buechner plans to stop recording his lectures, but just after a week into the new semester, he remained optimistic.
than just watching a tv monitor," Buechner said.
"I had pretty good attendance today, and the lecture is online so I was pleasantly surprised," Buechner said. "At least 80 percent of the class was there today."
Ultimately, the goal of integrating the lecture capture system is to increase class interaction and
whatever form the lecture takes.
"I want students to understand the material and I'm committed to do whatever I can to help them understand it," Buechner said. "Will it change it for good? No I think you'll always have room for lecture. I think it's going to change the balance of what happens during the lecture."
understanding of the material whatever form the lecture takes
—Edited by Hannah Barling
CAMPUS
Film festival promotes international learning
ELLY GRIMM
egrimm@kansan.com
The five area studies centers at the University will host the International Peace and Conflict Film Festival on Wednesday nights starting Sept. 4, at 5 p.m.
The first film, "Caterpillar" is sponsored by the Center for East Asian Studies. The festival will feature five films. All films will be screened at the Spencer Museum of Art. Each of the films will also have an introduction and a discussion
led by faculty, and in one case an ambassador.
"This is also the theme for a whole bunch of our activities coming up this week so we have a whole bunch of speakers coming who will speak to this," said Jennifer Duhamel, the outreach coordinator for the Center for Global and International Studies. "We'll also have a teacher's workshop, K-12, so that local teachers will come, and we'll present something on peace and conflict that they'll be able to take back to their classrooms." Danika Swanson, outreach
that will work well with this?" The film festival will end on Oct. 9 with the screening of "No Man's Land."
“There are a number of different conflicts in our region of interest that we could have centered on” he said. “So we looked at the best confluence of 'Do we have a film that is good representation for this?' 'Do we think it will bring in students?' and 'Are there other elements speakers that we know of'
coordinator for Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, said the center directors consider conflict something that affects each of the center directors' regions of study.
"Learning about various conflicts, the causes and consequences of, and the ways in which we can respond to conflict, is extremely important," she said. "If we learn from the past, we will be better equipped to make choices that can lead to the successful resolution of conflict in the future."
selection process of films and speakers. Bart Redford, the assistant director for the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies discussed the selection of his department's film, "No Man's Land."
Each department had its own
"We have a really great line-up of films from each of the Area Studies Centers. They are interesting, informative, inspiring, and entertaining," said Swanson. "Also, film is such an enjoyable and effective medium to learn about issues relating to Peace and Conflict in each of the participating regions."
Edited by Heather Nelson
Last Sunday marked the 115th anniversary of the day KU hired Dr. James Naismith as director of physical culture.
POLICE REPORTS
Information based on the Douglas County Sheriff's Office booking recap.
- A 29-year-old female was arrested yesterday on the 700 block of Ohio Street on suspicion of operating a vehicle under the influence. A $500 bond was paid.
- A 27-year-old male was arrested yesterday on the 800 block of Michigan Street on suspicion of being an intoxicated pedestrian in the roadway. A $100 bond was paid.
- A 19-year-old male was arrested yesterday on the 300 block of 12th Street on suspicion of operating a vehicle under the influence. A $500 bond was paid.
- A 26-year-old male was arrested Sunday on the 2200 block of 6th Street on suspicion of endangering a child and criminal trespassing. No bond was posted.
Emily Donovan
THE BIGGEST & NEWEST BACK TO SCHOOL POSTER SALE