Three Faculty Members Awarded for Innovative Use of Technology in the Classroom - May 11, 2006

Three University of Texas at Austin College of Education faculty members were winners at the 2006 Innovative Instructional Technology Awards Program (IITAP), a competition that showcases the most outstanding examples on campus of teaching with technology.

Dr. Larry Abraham, chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, won first place in the Teaching with Technology category with a Web-based, interactive instructional tool that helps students learn to do biomechanical analyses of human movement. With digital video clips of body movements, students can use onscreen tools to measure the movements, orient images, set the scale and conduct quantitative analyses of joint angles, velocity and acceleration.
 

Dr. Aaron Rochlen’s interactive counseling theories Website won second place in the Teaching with Technology category. Rochlen, an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, developed the site to give his students practice in listening to clients present their cases and conceptualizing the clients’ input in a variety of theoretical formats. The Website allows the students to read intake information on clients, watch 12-minute videos from three clients and then submit their responses. The students can send their responses to the instructor or to other students and the responses may be used as homework assignments, for exams or as a springboard for classroom discussions. After students have submitted their own theories, they also can see how experienced psychologists responded.
 

“Transforming Lives Through Resilience Education,” an online program developed by kinesiology professor Dr. Mary Steinhardt, won third place in the Resource Development category. The program consists of four 30-45 minute lectures and each lecture is presented in audio form, with Flash animation, short interactive quizzes and a suggested reading list. The site also offers a list of helpful resources, a section for educators and a spot for sharing best practices to enhance resilience.
 

Dr. Ricardo Ainslie, a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, was a finalist in the IITAP competition with his undergraduate course “Life History and Documentary Approaches to Inquiry.” Ainslie’s students explore complex topics such as school finance, sex education and homelessness through the creation of a series of 18-20 documentary film projects. To create the documentaries, they must master the use of technology tools like digital video and photography, computer editing software and audio files.
 

 Several of the College of Education’s projects received support through the College’s Vision Awards Program, which matches faculty-initiated projects with tech-savvy students from an array of academic units on campus. The program, initiated in 2003, is funded by the dean’s office with additional financial support from UTOPIA.

“The phenomenal success of the College of Education in the highly competitive IITAP program is a testament to the commitment that our faculty members feel toward their students’ learning,” says Ken Tothero,  coordinator for the Learning Technology Center’s IDEA Studio and creator of the College’s Vision Awards Program. “We look forward to continuing to expand our ability to support our faculty in the development of creative, engaging, and effective learning solutions in the coming years.“

Related Links:

• Innovative Instructional Technology Awards Program (IITAP)
• Kinematic Analysis of Human Movement ("Biomech")
• Applying Counseling Theories Website
• Transforming Lives Through Resilience Education

—Kay Randall, University Communications, 512-232-3910