Narrative
The Department of Mathematical Sciences has launched its first online course in Fall 2011 and the number of online course offerings in the department has increased exponentially since then. Combined enrollments for mixed-online and online mathematics courses for 2017 were nearly 3000. We monitor online courses very closely to ensure online students receive the same quality of education as students taking in-class versions. It should be noted that to meet the demands and to ensure the quality of our online courses, it is essential that we are fully equipped with and aware of the latest technology trends in higher education.
SPOT evaluations and online references indicate that a high percentage of the students taking an online course indicated some level of effectiveness of instructor-made videos in an online course. Instructor-made videos are used for several reasons: Course welcome message, Primary method to deliver the course content, Supplementary material.
Some of the biggest challenges in online education are student time management and establishing teacher presence. Instructor-made videos provide not only help with establishing teacher presence but also flexibility with the course schedule.
To create effective lesson videos, instructors need to invest a significant amount of time for post-production editing to merge the voice and video of the instructor with the course material. The task is especially challenging in mathematics courses as the lectures often involve equations with sophisticated mathematical notation, 2D/3D graphics, flow-charts, and tables to illustrate the course material. The process of preparing, developing, and adopting a new online course requires a non-trivial amount of time and is definitely an investment for future course offerings. Despite the benefits of online learning, many online education resources indicate that there are still students preferring face-to-face interactions over technology-mediated conversations. The PI, Burcu Tuncer Karabina, is submitting this proposal to address the aforementioned challenges in online teaching.
The PI has been teaching online courses for over 5 years. Since 2016, she has developed 3 online courses for the department. She also uses technology effectively to increase student interaction in class. Her efforts in using technology in class to increase student engagement have been awarded by the Top Educator Award at the Engage 2017. The PI has a special interest in learning technologies, and she is interested in taking the quality of online courses in the department to the next level with the use of “Lightboard”. The inventor of Lightboard is an engineering professor and “The Lightboard is a glass chalkboard pumped full of light. It's for recording video lecture topics. You face toward your viewers, and your writing glows in front of you.” More details can be found here: http://lightboard.info
As he details: “Moreover while teaching, I work the board. I point to terms in equations, illustrate movement in diagrams. The Lightboard lets me draw highly visible sketches and equations as I lecture, work with my drawings in a natural way, face the camera, and capture good quality video without post-production editing.”
The Lightboard allows insertion of digital images and helps instructors to maintain face-to-face contact with students while writing lecture notes. Other features are listed here: http://www.learning.glass/resources/
The PI would like to purchase 2 versions of Lightboard: Studio Package and Table-Top Studio. The studio package will be used to record video lessons for online courses. These videos will be shared across other sections. Tabletop studio will be used for online office hours, and to record problem-solving sessions for both graduate and undergraduate courses.
The PI’s proposed solution will impact student success greatly with the use of video lessons in online courses with established teacher presence. Since the videos will be shared with all other sections, broader impact is expected. Faculty will benefit from the variety of course delivery methods available in the department.
The proposed plan is to start recording video lectures and problem-solving sessions for MGF 1106/07 (total enrollment capacity in 2017/18 ~ 1500 students), and MAC 2233 (total enrollment capacity in 2017/18 ~ 2800 students) and monitor the WDF rates for the next 3 years. The equipment will also be used to develop online courses for the Master of Science in Teaching Mathematics program. With new online course offerings, we expect to see an increase in the enrolment in this program.
The department will provide space for the equipment, SE 231A.
Therefore, support for equipment and software is requested in this proposal.
Hardware Requirements
Learning Glasses Total: $20,341.00 – Quotes attached as supporting document.
Breakdown:
Studio package (10% education discount) including shipping: $14,748.50
Tabletop studio package (10% education discount) including shipping: $5,472.50
Markers and Cleaning Kit (x4): $120
Computer equipment and software Total: $3,300 – Quotes based on apple.com
Breakdown:
27-inches iMac: $2,500
Mac adaptors: $200
Mac Time Capsule for storage: $400
Sustainability
No maintenance fee for the equipment and software.
There may be minimum repair expenses related to usual wear and tear.
After 3 years, the project can be extended and the equipment can be used for other courses with high DWF rates.
