Virtual Office Hours: Tutoring Distance Students in Statistics and Economics

Virtual Office Hours: Tutoring Virtual Office Hours: Tutoring Distance Students in Statistics Distance Students in Statistics

and Economicsand Economics Steven C. Myers, Department of Economics, Steven C. Myers, Department of Economics, Dwight Bishop, Sayee Santosh Rajaman, & Dwight Bishop, Sayee Santosh Rajaman, & John Kelly, Design & Development ServicesJohn Kelly, Design & Development Services

The University of AkronThe University of AkronAkron, OH 44325-1908Akron, OH 44325-1908

[email protected]@uakron.edu

Ohio Commons for Digital Education 2004 Conference – March 9

Introduction

Value and Use of Office HoursValue and Use of Office Hours The Value of Office Hours for Distance The Value of Office Hours for Distance

StudentsStudents Present Technological SolutionsPresent Technological Solutions Past Instructional Technology Past Instructional Technology

DevelopmentsDevelopments


Virtual Office Hours

Software Requirements for Students and Software Requirements for Students and ProfessorsProfessors

Hardware requirements for Students and Hardware requirements for Students and ProfessorsProfessors

Hardware Requirements for the UniversityHardware Requirements for the University Conducting a Virtual Office Hours SessionConducting a Virtual Office Hours Session


3 Motivations

Distance students do not have the same Distance students do not have the same access to the professor as face-to-face access to the professor as face-to-face students.students.

E-mail frustrates me when what I want to E-mail frustrates me when what I want to do is pick up a pen and write an equation or do is pick up a pen and write an equation or draw a graph.draw a graph.

““I can’t stop by your office, I am in LA”I can’t stop by your office, I am in LA”


Value and Use of Office Hours

““Faculty members shall maintain office Faculty members shall maintain office hours and establish alternative means of hours and establish alternative means of communication which are reasonable and communication which are reasonable and convenient both for themselves and for the convenient both for themselves and for the students whom they teach.”students whom they teach.”

Office of General Council, The University of Akron, Rule Office of General Council, The University of Akron, Rule

3359-42-01(C)(3) Student Rights and Responsibility.3359-42-01(C)(3) Student Rights and Responsibility.


Value and Use of Office Hours(Distance Learning Office Hours Requirements)

““Whereas office hours are intended to facilitate communication between Whereas office hours are intended to facilitate communication between students and their professors; and students and their professors; and

““Whereas distance learning students want to be able to communicate Whereas distance learning students want to be able to communicate with faculty members during the evenings and weekends; with faculty members during the evenings and weekends;

““Now be it therefore resolved that the distance education policy Now be it therefore resolved that the distance education policy explicitly include a provision for office hours to be done online, as a explicitly include a provision for office hours to be done online, as a percentage of the distance education coursed the instructor is teaching, percentage of the distance education coursed the instructor is teaching, meaning that the faculty member does not have to be physically in the meaning that the faculty member does not have to be physically in the office on campus for these online office hours.”office on campus for these online office hours.”

Resolution of Distance Learning Policy and Faculty Office Hours, Resolution of Distance Learning Policy and Faculty Office Hours, Resolution 01, 2003-2004 Academic Year Southeastern Louisiana Resolution 01, 2003-2004 Academic Year Southeastern Louisiana

University.University.


Value and Use of Office Hours

““Some of your most effective teaching may Some of your most effective teaching may occur during office hours.” occur during office hours.”

Wilbert J. Wilbert J. McKeachie's Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, McKeachie's Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachersand Theory for College and University Teachers, 2002. , 2002.


The Decline of Office Hours

Reason 1:Reason 1:Rising costs of student time due to working, Rising costs of student time due to working, providing dependent care and attempting to providing dependent care and attempting to balance time in a two-worker family.balance time in a two-worker family.


The Decline of Office Hours Reason 2:Reason 2:

The Internet creates a ready substitute for office The Internet creates a ready substitute for office visits through the use of visits through the use of

Email,Email, threaded discussion lists, and threaded discussion lists, and remote submission of assignments.remote submission of assignments.

Students can time- and place-shift their need to Students can time- and place-shift their need to seek a professor’s help.seek a professor’s help.


Office Hours for Distance Students

Face-to-face students get to see the Face-to-face students get to see the professor before and after class and stop professor before and after class and stop into the physical office hours.into the physical office hours.

Distance students might use email, Distance students might use email, discussion boards and chat programs.discussion boards and chat programs.

AOL, MSN, Yahoo, Netmeeting all fall AOL, MSN, Yahoo, Netmeeting all fall short of the objectives.short of the objectives.


Why worry …

Richard Light’s two symptoms of students in Richard Light’s two symptoms of students in academic trouble.academic trouble. A sense of isolation from the community.A sense of isolation from the community. A student in trouble is unwilling to seek A student in trouble is unwilling to seek

help. (50% of struggling students)help. (50% of struggling students)

Richard Light. Richard Light. Making the Most of College: Students Speak Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their MindsTheir Minds, Harvard Press, 2001., Harvard Press, 2001.


Virtual Office Hours

ChatChat Audio and video Audio and video One or Multiple StudentsOne or Multiple Students Whiteboard or drawing surfaceWhiteboard or drawing surface Digital Ink Technology (something to write Digital Ink Technology (something to write

with!)with!)


Past Technological Development

Chalk-n-talkChalk-n-talk• Everything written in classEverything written in class

Overhead transparenciesOverhead transparencies• Prepared slidesPrepared slides• Ability to writeAbility to write

PowerPointPowerPoint• Elegant slidesElegant slides

Interactive PowerPointInteractive PowerPoint• Write on those elegant slidesWrite on those elegant slides


Digital Ink TechnologyMyers, Steven C. "Six Uses of Technology to Improve Myers, Steven C. "Six Uses of Technology to Improve Teaching and Learning," Poster Session AEA Committee Teaching and Learning," Poster Session AEA Committee on Economic Education, ASSA meetings, San Diego, on Economic Education, ASSA meetings, San Diego, January 4, 2004. January 4, 2004. http://http://gozipsgozips..uakronuakron..eduedu/~/~myersmyers/scholarship/scholarship Myers, Steven C. "Digital Pen Technology in Electronic Myers, Steven C. "Digital Pen Technology in Electronic Technologies" Good Practice Showcase, The Economics Centre of Technologies" Good Practice Showcase, The Economics Centre of the Learning and Teaching Support Network (LTSN), Universtiy of the Learning and Teaching Support Network (LTSN), Universtiy of Bristol, UK, January 2004. Bristol, UK, January 2004. http://www.economics.ltsn.ac.uk/showcase/myers_presentations.http://www.economics.ltsn.ac.uk/showcase/myers_presentations.htmhtm

http://gozips.uakron.edu/~myers/scholarship









http://www.economics.ltsn.ac.uk/showcase/myers_presentations.htm

http://www.economics.ltsn.ac.uk/showcase/myers_presentations.htm


Digital Ink Technology

AiptekAiptekPen TabletPen Tablet

www.aiptek.comwww.aiptek.com



SMART SMART SympodiuSympodiumm

www.smarttech.comwww.smarttech.com



Tablet PCTablet PCwww.thetabletpc.netwww.thetabletpc.net



Software Requirements

Flash playerFlash player In over 90% of browsersIn over 90% of browsers Free to downloadFree to download

URL - weblinkURL - weblink


Hardware Requirements

Professors need some digital ink technology.Professors need some digital ink technology. Video cameraVideo camera Headset with microphoneHeadset with microphone


Hardware Requirements - Server

Macromedia Flash Communications Server Macromedia Flash Communications Server MXMX

Integrated into cold Fusion Application Integrated into cold Fusion Application server (future)server (future)


Conducting a VOH Session

Professor shares a URL (within WebCT)Professor shares a URL (within WebCT) One click and you have joined the VOH One click and you have joined the VOH

session.session. Lets see an example.Lets see an example.


Virtual Office Hours: Tutoring Distance Virtual Office Hours: Tutoring Distance Students in Statistics and EconomicsStudents in Statistics and Economics

Steven C. Myers, Department of EconomicsSteven C. Myers, Department of EconomicsDwight Bishop, Sayee Santosh Rajaman, & Dwight Bishop, Sayee Santosh Rajaman, & John Kelly, Design & Development ServicesJohn Kelly, Design & Development Services

This paper and revisions:This paper and revisions:

http://GoZips.uakron.edu/~myershttp://GoZips.uakron.edu/~myersThe University of Akron, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-1908Akron, OH 44325-1908

[email protected]@uakron.edu [email protected]@uakron.edu

http://gozips.uakron.edu/~myers

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

[email protected]@uakron.edu

Documents

Virtual Office Hours: Tutoring Distance Students in Statistics and Economics