Active learning technology will change the educational landscape

Last week at Educause, we showcased the 5 key components of an active learning technology system.  They are:

  • Course replay – Quickly and easily upload your course material and lecture videos. Students can view the recordings anytime, anywhere and from any device.
  • Student engagement – Increase student participation in your classes. Easily add polls, quizzes, and surveys and ditch the clickers as students participate in your class using their own device.
  • Distance learning and MOOCs – See how Echo360 can reach more students and extend learning beyond the classroom and boundaries of the campus.  The world now becomes your classroom.
  • Flip your classroom – Assign lecture videos before class to have your students come to class ready to discuss, share and apply what they have learned the night before.
  • Learning analytics and indicators – Learning analytics within our active learning system help you peer into the minds of your students. Know what your students don’t know and identify at-risk students.

We realize that this is all very new.  Many people are skeptical. But, the ed-tech community is actively researching the impact of this technology on the classroom.  We don’t have all the answers yet. But, we’re working with our institutional partners around the world to get them.  Our current class of 2013 Active Learning Grant Reward Recipients will take big steps forward as they research the impact of active learning technology on campus and beyond.

We met last week with faculty members, educational designers and IT-professionals from around the world. They are very excited about the direction we are taking with our product, the industry’s first integrated active learning platform. We are also very encouraged by the results of The Campus Computing Project, 2013 that reported that the top institutional IT priority of the next 2-3 years was to assist faculty members in integrating technology into their instruction and the classroom.  The study also found that more than 80 percent of public universities, private universities and public 4-year colleges surveyed said that “lecture capture is an important part of our campus plan for developing and delivering instructional content. “  Lecture and instructional video is increasingly important to hybrid, flipped and online courses.

The future classroom and campus will be created by you, the fearless faculty.  You now have the ability to teach in ways you may never have thought possible.  Is it scary? Yes, a little. But you have put your heart and soul into teaching and now you have a chance to make an impact.

Here’s a short video from Dr. Perry Samson to remind us all how easy it really is.