LeveragingTechnology into Student Outcomes
Possibilities for responding to student needs, departmental visions, and institutional demands
Wendy Freeman, Director CSL November 2010
University of Notre Dame
Questions we are facing
From my position as an administrator:
As business models of productivity are applied to educational institutions, how can faculty, department chairs and administrators quantify success in teaching? We want to maintain and attract more funding, improve outcomes and visibility.
From my position as an instructor:
• How can we engage students in critical thinking with technology?
• How can we bring them to speculate on their own positions as past, present, future and virtual language learners?
What is the CSL?
• 12 languages, 28 faculty, 1000 students per semester• CSL 1st, 2nd, 3rd year language courses and
languages for special purposes• Rice has no language requirement• 1st year courses: 5 credits, meet 3 x week, 2 credit
hours via technology, other activities• 2nd year courses: 4 credits, meet 3 x week, 1 credit
hour via technology, other activities
Mission
• Educate students to be linguistically and culturally equipped to communicate successfully;
• Develop language teaching and promote language learning.
• Integrate new technologies and the current
national standards for foreign language education into curricula.
Issues
Identify, assess, sustain and produce evidence of our practices in effort to:
• Comply and surpass SACS standards (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools);
• Advance our V2C mission to enhance the university (Rice Vision for the Second Century);
• Provide students with evidence of their proficiency in another language.
Projects in Collaboration with the Rice Office of Institutional Effectiveness
Review and refine matrix for learning assessments, with actual outcomes, across languages and levels (pilot program with Physics department started fall 2010)
CSL-initiated Projects
• “Certificate of Language Proficiency” – in its first semester, therefore under scrutiny
• Fund more training for OPI certification;
Implications and Considerations
• Form committee, representative of the different languages, to establish consistent and coherent set of processes and practices to embed in the curriculum – why?
Different practices across languages – from an administrative point of view, problematic to manage.
Implications and Considerations
CSL assessment should explicitly contribute to the Rice Undergraduate Learning Goals and furthering of V2C. Synthetic documentation is key:
“Research Skills,” met by our Medical Spanish class where students complete a forty-hour internship at local hospitals documented via Blogs.
“Appreciation of global culture, politics and history,” met by course projects such as Skype sessions with Mexico, France and China, or in a study abroad context.
CSL Enrollments 2007-2009
Language Spring 07 Fall 07 Spring 08 Fall 08 Spring 09 Fall 09
Arabic 31 40 30 44 29 33
Chinese 160 155 148 159 158 156
French 137 131 129 122 141 145
German 41 71 40 74 51 79
Hebrew 7 12 8 9 7 0
Hindi 32 30 34 44 40 34
Italian 30 64 31 79 42 52
Japanese 29 36 32 49 28 57
Korean 33 27 30 22 49 29
Portuguese 24 32 21 20 29 25
Russian 14 34 33 35 23 37
Spanish 388 390 372 398 372 408
TOTAL 926 1022 908 1055 969 1055
Faculty Evaluations for Matrix
• On-line student evaluations (available to all Rice ID holders)
• Classroom observations via on-line video• OPI Certifications• Summary of technology used – need to
develop better assessment criteria
Data included in matrix
• Review cycle of on-line proficiency tests• Regularly scheduled students surveys• Professional development program• Pool of OPI certified instructors
Data new to matrix spring 2011
• Tracking begins to compare 1st to 3rd year digital portfolios.
• Tracking begins to compare on-line “entry” & “exit” proficiency tests ( all 4 skills)
• Need to evaluate student progress and language program.
Let’s ask the question again
As business models of productivity are applied to educational institutions, how can faculty and administrators quantify success in the use of technology for language learning.
Hot topic as budgets face cuts due to
economic downturn – staying current and safe with technology does have a cost.
Language Resource Center (LRC) CSL Technology Division
Mission
Provide a wide range of technological resources to enhance and promote the study of foreign language, literature, and culture at Rice University for: the Asian Studies, CSL, Classical Studies, French Studies, German Studies, Hispanic Studies, and Religious Studies.
LRC Staff
• Director• Manager (students staff, purchases, licenses,)• Language Technology Consultant, Faculty
Development Lab• Systems Administrator/Developer (servers and
ExTemplate)• Junior Systems Administrator (computers , server
administration, backups, backup for Systems Administrator)
How it’s done
• Selecting and implementing technologies for language credits earned outside classroom.
• Providing about 250 class orientations per semester• Developing, supporting, and maintaining technologies for
language assessment (placement, OPIs, quizzes, midterms, finals)
• Enhancing and reinforcing language learning outside of the classroom
• Assessing efficacy of use of technology for language learning via action research
• Providing opportunities for students to meet on-line with native speakers
Criteria Associated with Technology for
Accreditation Matrix
What is supported
• 2 computer labs, 1 Faculty Development Lab and recording studio• 12 servers in LRC, 2 back up servers in Primary Data Center (off
campus) with large storage system• Collection of 3,500 films most on DVDs • 60 foreign language software programs• 500 feature films on-line each semester• On-line collection of audio/video for language courses• On-line assessment tools: ExTemplate, E-portfolios, Wikis, BBS and
Blogs• Testing administration• Video production• Web server for faculty webpages
• LRC Servers: Web, Media server, Wimba, applications, SQL, Cold Fusion, Apache, PHP & MySQL
Professional Development
• Faculty workshops, 5 per semester• Two-week Faculty Summer Technology
Workshop with stipend• Technology Luncheons, showcase of
best faculty projects
Budget funding history
Collect data about funding history over as many years as you can
Labor, Supplies & Expenses, 1998-2009 Fund A1
050,000
100,000150,000200,000250,000300,000
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Fiscal year
Supplies & Expenses Staff Salary
Students Salary Fringe benefits
Language Resource Center Gift Fund G81673
050,000
100,000150,000200,000250,000300,000
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Fiscal year
Revenue Interest Received Expenses
Language Lab Special Services D 70809Revenues from School of Continuing Studies
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Beginning balance Revenue Total available Expenses
Server Statistics
Center for the Study of Languages Rice University
Users of LRC Wiki, Bulletin Board, and Blogs
310250
400365
584
973
0
452
1009
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008
Num
ber o
f Use
rs
Wiki
Bulletin Board
Blogs
LRC Web Servers Statistics
0
1000000
2000000
3000000
4000000
5000000
6000000
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Num
ber
Hits
Page view
Statistics Comparing Language Technologies with other Technologies Used on Campus
(Rice Students Digital Habits, 829 responses)
Center for the Study of Languages Rice University
Collect Data from Course Management systems
• Number of faculty using CMS• Percentage of language faculty using
CMS vs. other of faculty on campus• Data Collected from Rice Sakai
http://edtech.rice.edu/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=35
Currently statistics not available per course or faculty but should be in the near future
Number of exams, exercises submitted
Extemplate
On-line Proficiency TestingUsed for Accreditation Reports 2000 – Present
• Test via ExTemplate, Rice language learning assessment tool • Assess speaking, listening, reading and writing• All levels of proficiency: Novice, Intermediate, Advanced and
Superior• Tests reviewed by ACTFL and approved as following proficiency
guidelines
ExTemplate
Sample results
Sample results
Surveys
• Using surveys to assess the use of technology in language learning
• Software programs: SurveyMonkey (free or commercial version), Inquisite, SnapSurvey, PollDaddy (free), etc…
• Rice Example (SurveyMonkey.com)
Showcase E-Portfolios
• Elementary language courses:– Chinese 101 & Hebrew 101
• Intermediate levels– Hebrew 201, 202
• Advanced levels– Spanish 313, 314, 305,306
(Scientific & Commercial Spanish)
Student Performance
• Student On-line Audio & Video Projects
In-Country Students Produced Cultural Documentaries:Kalliste, Almería, Lijiang
• Multimedia: Video and Recording Tool
Digital Story Telling
Using pictures, audio recordings, music and texts, students tell brief stories to the world in the language they are studying
Chinese, German, Italian, Korean, and Spanish
http://lang.rice.edu/bartlett/stories/index.html
Use of On-line Communicative/collaborative Tools,
Web 2.0• Wiki• Blogs/Podcasting• Voice Board• Skype
Scientific and Commercial Spanish Digital Portfolios
José J Salazar
Videoconferences with Students in other countries
China, Xianning University, HubeiFrance, INSA, Lyon
Mexico, Monterrey Tecnológico
• Rice Skype Session with China
• Skype Session with Monterrey Tecnológico, Mexico
• Tell Me More (Auralog.com) Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Italian, & Spanish
• Rosetta Stone: Korean and Hebrew
Document, document
• Document International Exchanges (ex: Skype) and Special Events
Real Player required to view links to audio/video files below– Skype exchange with Xianning College (video and pictures) – Skype exchange with Monterrey Technologico Instituto (
video )– Skype exchange with Monterrey, Skype video recording– Surveys Skype session: Rice students, Monterrey students
Conclusion: Quantifying Success?
• Vision and goals clearly stated• Collection of data• History• Tests results, external and internal• Portfolios (students and faculty)• Enrollment• Accountability• Surveys and reflections• Success stories and anecdotes• Research?
Today more than ever, now that funding is becoming very competitive, how is language learning technology impacting accreditation process at other institutions?
Thank you merci 谢谢 danke
gracias ありがとう شكرا