7 Things ...

This week, I would like to share (perhaps remind) a resource from Educause (a nonprofit association that helps higher education elevate the impact of technology) called, "7 Things You Should Know About," which began in May 2005. Educause creates this library of potential educational technology tools that we might consider integrating into our teaching. Recent topics include virtual labs, Hyflex courses, online program management, digital literacy, accessibility, open education policies and more. The seven prompts which are addressed for each topic include:

1. What is it?

2. How does it work?

3. Who's doing it?

4. Why is it significant?

5. What are the downsides?

6. Where is it going?

7. What are the implications for higher education?

Ideally we should ensure that any technology that we offer for our students is accessible, inclusive and well aligned to the course learning outcomes, assessment and teaching methods. Appropriate, relevant and meaningful technology can, at times support and perhaps enhance learner engagement if integrated with the learner at the forefront and aligned with research-based pedagogy (of which, fortunately there are many research papers on these topics).

You can download each topic as a two-page PDF. For example, the recent Virtual Labs sheet shares institutions who have created virtual labs, which include Labster; PraxiLabs; PhET Interactive Simulations project; American Chemical Society virtual chemistry; MERLOT; and Colorado School of Mines. The material is offered as Open Access under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International License.