Learning management system aids teaching

 

 

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Handouts are ancient history in the world civilizations course taught by WSU instructor Theresa Jordan.

 

After taking an Angel training workshop in July, Jordan embraced the online learning management system.

 

 

“I use Angel to deliver all the assignments, syllabi, reading materials, PowerPoints, announcements, grades and e-mails,” she said. “Everything is distributed electronically. It is the main platform of communication and delivery for my classes.”

 

According to a 2009 survey by the educational technology group Educause, eight out of 10 students nationwide are taking courses that use a learning management system, such as Angel.

 

“They’re coming to expect an online component,” said David Cillay, associate dean of the WSU Center for Distance and Professional Education. “We foresee more on-campus faculty taking advantage of online tools.”

 

The CDPE training workshops range from the basics to advanced, Cillay said, and are offered both in-person and online.

 

“They’re a quick way to become proficient,” he said, “which creates a better experience for both faculty and students.”

 

 

 

Jordan is a faculty adviser for doctoral student Cherri Wemlinger, who has taken several Angel workshops to help her teach a general education course.

“The general education courses are extremely large, so using Angel to post assignments is great because it reduces copy costs as well as time spent handing out materials,” Wemlinger said. “The other important aspect of this – for freshmen, especially – is that it makes students take responsibility for keeping up with their assignments.”

 

Angel also allows better teaching, she said.

 

“It provides more flexibility in lecture time to have discussions and to work on skills development without having to do an extensive amount of background work,” she said.

 

Joy Strunk, academic coordinator at the Department of Anthropology, took a CDPE training workshop in October, but not for herself.

 

“Faculty members ask me all the time, ‘How do I do this in Angel?’ Now I’ll know what to tell them,” she said.

 

While the workshop was helpful, said Lisa Carloye, a clinical assistant professor of science, what happened next was just as important.

 

“Because I got to know CDPE staffer Mike Mackessy,” she said, “I had a real person to call when other questions came up.”