ASU professors are moving away from traditional lecture classes and incorporating technology like YouTube, Skype, Twitter and instant messaging into the learning process.

In an attempt to identify with technology-literate students and simplify teacher-student interaction beyond the classroom, instructors are incorporating more social media into their curriculums, said Colleen Carmean, director of Information Technology Services at the College of Public Programs.

One media tool Carmean called adventurous and fun is the ability to instantly comment on classroom discussions using Twitter, a micro-blogging Web site.

Carmean recommended students bring their laptops to class and chat in real time as a form of participation in lecture classes.

“If it’s going on the screen behind the instructor, it allows everyone to be thinking, sharing, contributing and participating,” Carmean said.
“Social media has changed teaching from a broadcast media to a facilitating media where we’re looking to students to create and form and contribute their beliefs about what is true.”

Karen Bossen, an instructional professional with the University Office of Evaluation and Educational Effectiveness, held a workshop Tuesday to show faculty members how to use YouTube as a teaching tool.

“My whole idea about using YouTube as a teaching tool is the very idea that a picture is worth a thousand words,” Bossen said. “If you’re trying to teach a topic and it’s hard to demonstrate, it’s a great thing to stop the lecture and see a three- to four-minute video clip that demonstrates it in another element.”

She said this approach is popular with students because it fits their learning style and they can refer back to the clip by just revisiting the Web site.

Other instructors are bringing social media outlets like Skype, an online calling system where users can have voice and video chats, and instant messaging into the classroom.

Judd Slivka, a faculty associate at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, has been using instant messaging during his office hours for several semesters.

He said holding office hours over instant messaging makes him more accessible to students.

Slivka said students can message him from 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. People can make time to text as opposed to having in-person office hours during a time when students may have class or be busy.

“Also, there’s a generational component to be considered,” he said.

“Students now have grown up with instant messaging. It’s easier sometimes for students to talk without having to face the professor.”

However, Slivka said he doesn’t think in-person office hours will vanish because it will always be easier to collaborate face to face.

Political science freshman Shala Dendler is taking ASU classes online from her home in Chicago.

After moving to Chicago with her husband and children, Dendler has found technology extremely useful when trying to get the most out of her courses.

“On the whole, my experience has been very positive,” she said. “I love being able to listen to lectures on podcasts.”

Dendler also said she’s using Skype for her French 101 class.

“My professor will be able to critique my pronunciation and I won’t miss any of the benefits of a live class,” she said.

Dendler also agreed that using YouTube to receive class content is convenient because she can access it when she is available and pause it if she gets distracted.

“It’s like TiVo for college lectures,” she said.

Reach the reporter at vajones2@asu.edu.