Digital Fellows Program

The Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU), of which IU Indianapolis is a member, is gathering evidence through their Personalized Learning Consortium that digital pedagogies help to improve student learning outcomes, increase affordability, and provide faculty with data that enable them to better design more effective in-class activities. Perhaps most importantly, they significantly benefit the learning and success of students from underserved groups, helping to help to close persistent achievement gaps.

In support of their work, Digital Fellows receive $1,000 paid into a research account for conference travel, research support, and other fellowship-related needs, and a $4,000 stipend to support course redesign during summer 2019. Fellows also will receive personalized support from the Center for Teaching and Learning, UITS Learning Spaces, and the Office of Academic Affairs. Finally, Fellows will benefit from access to colleagues exploring similar approaches to supporting student learning through personalized learning tools, with opportunities for engaging in research projects that will expand understanding of impact within and across disciplines.

• Angela Andrews (Kelley School of Business)
• Subir Chakrabarti (School of Liberal Arts)
• Patricia Clark (School of Science)
• Kyle Minor (School of Liberal Arts)
• Shamima Mithun (School of Engineering and Technology)
• Angela Murillo (School of Informatics and Computing)
• Audrey Ricke (School of Liberal Arts)
• Vidhura Tennekoon (School of Liberal Arts)
• Joseph Wallace (School of Engineering and Technology)
• Yuni Xia (School of Science)
• Lin Zhu (School of Science)

They are convened by Jeanie Young and Anusha Rao.

(Adapted from: https://openlearning.mit.edu/)

Digital tools can help instructors to:

• Improve instructional techniques through evidence-based research and hybrid learning models that enable measurement of how students learn most effectively.
• Shift “practice” (e.g., via homework) to adaptive learning technologies (e.g., ALEKS, My Lab) in order to free up classroom time for active learning activities.
• Capitalize on the best content previously developed by other instructors and colleagues, from within the same or from other institutions.
• Save time by using the tools to support assessment and to provide quick feedback regarding where students are struggling vs. thriving.
• Provide targeted instruction based on students’ real time needs
• Ease or eliminate routine grading.
• Respond to students’ diverse needs by recommending or providing personalized digital tools and resources.

Digital tools can help students to:

• Learn more efficiently with the aid of digital assessments that provide rapid feedback on their understanding and guidance to help correct misperceptions and more effectively solve problems
• Learn with mastery by pacing their own learning, reviewing material as needed, and assessing their understanding before moving on to a new concept/skill.
• Save money through open resources, e-textbooks or courseware bundled with textbooks
• Connect with peers through embedded support for networking

Potential Challenges:

• Students experience disparities in access to technology platforms, high-speed broadband connectivity, and engagement.
• Faculty resist adoption due to general resistance to change compounded by technology and digital anxiety. Many also often believe that online and digital tools are inferior and/or cumbersome.
• The absence of clear and compelling evidence about the impact and benefits of information technology and digital learning resources on student learning and outcomes. Too much of the discussion remains driven by opinion and epiphany rather than evidence of impact.
• Faculty feel overwhelmed by selecting and implementing the right tool for any particular learning objective.
• Faculty feel ill-prepared or inadequately supported to adopt digital tools.
• Fragmented implementation, as individual academic units go their own way with leveraging digital resources for teaching, learning, and instruction.
• Absence of a clear and compelling institution-wide plan for leveraging digital resources to improve student learning, enhance institutional outcomes, and improve retention and graduation rates.
• Some digital tools do not provide accessibility features needed by students using adaptive technologies.