First Posted: 2/23/2015
LIMA — Aaron Napierala teaches students which wire to connect to which pin on a computer motherboard during one of his classes at the University of Northwestern Ohio.
It’s not practical for him to do it in front of a packed classroom, since each pin is about the size of a needlepoint. That’s among the reasons Napierala and many educators at UNOH embrace the power of technology. For Napierala, an instructor in informational technology, that means showing a YouTube video he created while performing the action.
Using a Smartboard in his classroom, he can pause the video, writing over top of it. That completed lecture then can be archived and played again, in case a student needs a refresher or clarification on a point.
“I get really excited going through stuff this way,” Napierala said. “The students say to me they really like it.”
UNOH boasts of its entrepreneurial spirit, and its instructors find ways to supplement traditional classroom learning. The technological tools can provide layers of education, helping people who understand concepts in different ways to find a way that works for them.
“We have a variety of ages in classes,” said Lynn Lease, the director of the Center for Educational Excellence and a senior instructional designer at UNOH. “We have people in their 40s and 50s, and some straight out of high school. We have digital natives and digital novices mixed in together.”
Lease said one of her favorite online tools is MoveNote, which allows you to record a video or audio to accompany a more traditional slide of a presentation, as well as marking it up. Another is VoiceThread, which encourages more engagement in classes.
“It’s like a discussion forum on steroids,” Lease said. “It’s audio, video, information, crowd participation.”
For instance, in one of her classes she addressed appropriate clothing for an interview. Students commented on the suggestions, including a healthy discussion on skirts vs. pantsuits.
The university recently concluded its first Massive Open Online Course, or MOOC for short. There were 331 people who enrolled in the free online course, “Oil 101: Fact or Friction,” led by Tom Grothous, academic dean at the school. The school had 25 percent of the class complete it, compared to the national average of 5 percent for a MOOC in 2012.
It’s all about helping students learn and apply their education the best way possible.
“We’re trying to promote more engagement in our classes,” Lease said.
