mLearning Scholars

MlEARNING sCHOLARS

mLearning Scholars 2011-2012

The mLearning Scholars Program is aimed at facilitating the exploration of questions related to teaching and learning in the unique, information-rich environment made possible by mobile technology, particularly tablet computers, smart phones, and other devices capable of connecting users with information at anytime, from anywhere. This program is part of the Mobile Learning Initiative, a multi-year project to identify and support key uses of mobile technology that will impact the ways we teach and learn.

In 2011, faculty from across the campus submitted proposals describing their plans to integrate mobile technology into their particular disciplines, resulting in 13 proposals being accepted. These mLearning Scholars will experiment with integrating mobile technology into their teaching in one section of a course taught during spring 2012. Each student in these sections will be equipped with a mobile device, enabling the instructors to experiment with groundbreaking pedagogy. In doing so, they will seek to answer such questions as the following:

What are the opportunities and the challenges for teaching and learning when teachers and students have access to tools that allow for rapid access to information and the ability to connect to a course nearly anytime and anywhere?
What new techniques for collaboration and communication are made possible by mobile technology?
What apps allow students to access and create information “just in time” and according to their immediate needs?
To what extent does mobile technology allow instructors to shift from providing information to fostering growth in students’ information literacy and higher-order thinking skills?

This year sees two cohorts of mLearning Scholars. The1.0 cohort are faculty just beginning to experiment with mobile technologies, while the 2.0 cohort consists of faculty who have already gained some experience teaching with mobile technologies. (For many in the 2.0 cohort, that experience was gained by participating in last year’s mLearning Scholars program.) While all participants will be assessing impacts and gathering data, the 2.0 cohort is especially focused on asking specific research questions.

From experimenting with how mobile devices can augment the interactions that take place in the classroom, to using these devices to record and share videos, photos, or other information from remote locations, faculty will be engaged in projects representing a wide variety of approaches to integrating mobile devices into the curriculum. Faculty will also be documenting their experiences, in the process not only building a growing community of innovators, but also directly informing decision-making and strategic planning efforts on campus and helping to establish best practices that can be shared with others.

1.0 Cohort

Chris Hill (Environmental Studies)
Jennifer Snow (Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies)
A.J. Zenkert (Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies)
Kirsten Davis (Construction Management)
Karen Uehling (English)
Alicia Garza (Modern Languages & Literatures)
T.J. Wing (Respiratory Care)
Lisa Kleiman (Marketing and Finance)

2.0 Cohort

David Rickels (Music Education)
Denice Goodrich Liley (Social Work)
Yu-Chang Hsu (Educational Technology)
Leslie Madsen-Brooks (History)
Lutana Haan (Respiratory Care)
Doug Lincoln (Marketing and Finance)