Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies (TLOS)
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TLOS, a unit within Virginia Tech’s Division of Information Technology, is dedicated to the advancement of teaching and learning through the thoughtful application of technology to the teaching process and learning environments.
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- Examining Faculty and Student Perceptions of Generative AI in University CoursesKim, Junghwan; Klopfer, Michelle; Grohs, Jacob R.; Eldardiry, Hoda; Weichert, James; Cox, Larry A., II; Pike, Dale (Springer, 2025-01-24)As generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT become more capable and accessible, their use in educational settings is likely to grow. However, the academic community lacks a comprehensive understanding of the perceptions and attitudes of students and instructors toward these new tools. In the Fall 2023 semester, we surveyed 982 students and 76 faculty at a large public university in the United States, focusing on topics such as perceived ease of use, ethical concerns, the impact of GenAI on learning, and differences in responses by role, gender, and discipline. We found that students and faculty did not differ significantly in their attitudes toward GenAI in higher education, except regarding ease of use, hedonic motivation, habit, and interest in exploring new technologies. Students and instructors also used GenAI for coursework or teaching at similar rates, although regular use of these tools was still low across both groups. Among students, we found significant differences in attitudes between males in STEM majors and females in non-STEM majors. These findings underscore the importance of considering demographic and disciplinary diversity when developing policies and practices for integrating GenAI in educational contexts, as GenAI may influence learning outcomes differently across various groups of students. This study contributes to the broader understanding of how GenAI can be leveraged in higher education while highlighting potential areas of inequality that need to be addressed as these tools become more widely used.
- Simplify, Consolidate, Intervene: Facilitating Institutional Support with Mental Models of Learning Management System UseHassan, Taha; Edmison, Bob; Williams, Daron; Cox II, Larry; Louvet, Matthew; Knijnenburg, Bart; McCrickard, D. Scott (ACM, 2024-11-08)Measuring instructors' adoption of learning management system (LMS) tools is a critical first step in evaluating the efficacy of online teaching and learning at scale. Existing models for LMS adoption are often qualitative, learner-centered, and difficult to leverage towards institutional support. We propose depth-of-use (DOU): an intuitive measurement model for faculty's utilization of a university-wide LMS and their needs for institutional support. We hypothesis-test the relationship between DOU and course attributes like modality, participation, logistics, and outcomes. In a large-scale analysis of metadata from 30000+ courses offered at Virginia Tech over two years, we find that a pervasive need for scale, interoperability and ubiquitous access drives LMS adoption by university instructors. We then demonstrate how DOU can help faculty members identify the opportunity-cost of transition from legacy apps to LMS tools. We also describe how DOU can help instructional designers and IT organizational leadership evaluate the impact of their support allocation, faculty development and LMS evangelism initiatives.
- Framing generative AI in education with the GenAI Intent and Orientation ModelPike, Dale; McGowin, Brooke; Bond, Mark Aaron; Williams, Daron; Cox, Larry A., II (Educause, 2024-06-06)The proposed model seeks to assist instructors and learners with a framing lens for how GenAI might be useful in educational settings.
- Instructional Designers as Organizational Change AgentsBond, Mark Aaron; Lockee, Barbara B.; Blevins, Samantha (Educause, 2023-10-31)Systems thinking and change strategies can be used to improve the overall functioning of a system. Because instructional designers typically use systems thinking to facilitate behavioral changes and improve institutional performance, they are uniquely positioned to be change agents at higher education institutions.
- Developing Supplemental Instructional Videos for Construction Management EducationBarnes, Andrew F.; McCoy, Andrew P.; Warnick, Quinn (MDPI, 2023-09-28)Technological advancements and lower production costs since the mid-1990s have dramatically improved opportunities for instructors to tailor self-made instructional videos for their students. However, video production technology has outpaced the development of educational theory, causing instructional videos to consistently fall short of their pedagogical potential. Responding to these shortcomings, scholars from various backgrounds have started publishing guidelines to help practitioners as they develop instructional videos for their respective fields. Using a rapid literature review, this article contributes to this ongoing effort by synthesizing theory-based, best-practice guidelines for a specific subcategory of educational videos called supplemental instructional videos (SIVs). SIVs are different from other types of instructional videos in that they are used to support and magnify other learning methods, mediums, and materials rather than substitute for them. Bringing the best-practice guidelines synthesized in this paper immediately into application, they were used to inform the production of SIVs for an undergraduate course that was held in the Building Construction Department of a major public university in the United States during the Spring 2020 semester. The methods used in the production of the SIV guidelines were systematically documented during the course for future researchers and practitioners to learn and build from.
- The Difference Between Emergency Remote Teaching and Online LearningHodges, Charles B.; Moore, Stephanie; Lockee, Barbara B.; Trust, Torrey; Bond, Mark Aaron (Educause, 2020-03-27)Well-planned online learning experiences are meaningfully different from courses offered online in response to a crisis or disaster. Colleges and universities working to maintain instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic should understand those differences when evaluating this emergency remote teaching.
- Beam TelePresence Robot White PaperVTechTeams (Virginia Tech, 2014-03-03)Tech Teams is an engagement initiative sponsored by TLOS that brings together a small group of people from across the university to rapidly evaluate emerging technologies that have potential for use in teaching and learning at Virginia Tech. In this white paper, Tech Teams evaluates the Beam TelePresence Robot.
- Course Development Plan TemplateWilliams, Daron; Cox, Larry A., II; Ofori, Eunice; Louvet, Matthew, Sr.; Nino, Miguel (Miko); Cui, Andy-Gouqiang (2020-01)The Course Development Plan (CDP) was designed as a job aid for faculty to use when working to revise or develop a technology-enhanced course. This document is used as part of a semester-long course (re)design with the aid of an Instructional Design unit. Many of the elements in this document were included to build a course that would pass a quality assurance review based on the Quality Matters Higher Education Rubric.
- Development of an Interactive Human Body Digital Reusable Learning Object (RLO) to Provide Whole Body Systems-Based Learning in Vitamins and MineralsWalz, Anita R.; Gallo, S.; Good, Deborah J.; Akers, J.; Baab, Lujean (2015-09-18)University teaching and learning of vitamins and minerals has been limited to a nutrient by nutrient approach. However, most vitamins and minerals play extensive roles in and interact with multiple body systems. Researchers from Virginia Tech, James Madison, and George Mason Universities are developing a Reusable Learning Object (RLO) for the study of micronutrients needed by the skeletal system. The RLO will be a freely accessible platform and be designed as a layered human body to highlight different micronutrient actions in target systems. Links to scientific research articles, government Dietary Reference Intakes, and other web-based factual information will be provided. Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in vitamins and minerals courses across the three institutions will serve as the control group (no exposure to RLO) in 2014 and treatment group (exposure to RLO) in 2015. This presentation will address the design of the RLO and provide results from year one regarding type of student learners as well as interest and perceived utility of digital objects. As the RLO can be applied to teach various concepts, this session will be of interest to faculty across the university, particularly science instructors and those who teach online courses.
- Student Produced VideoVoros, Gyorgyi (2014-06-06)In an online class, student produced video can be used to assess their learning by faculty or for peer reviewing purpose.