This is an old outline for a course that I taught on Educational Technology planning., EPPL 639 is a 3-credit graduate course that is open to all graduate students in all programs and to unclassified students who have an interest the role of emerging technology in shaping the world of work and the future of education at all levels. The course will focus on three broad questions:
- First, how will the dramatic changes in core technologies like machine learning, virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, “big data”, robotics and “the Internet of Things” shape the workplace for the next generation of workers?
- Secondly, how can educational institutions at all levels design the technological infrastructures to support learning and effective administration? How can our educational systems become flexible and responsive enough to prepare graduates the jobs that will be important in that workplace.
- Finally, how can individuals become better self-directed learners so that they can thrive personally and professionally in these new work environments?
Individualized Learning
The class is designed to be highly individualized and interactive. Students will work with the facilitator to develop individual learning contracts that will contribute to their personal learning and to that of the other participants in the class. The learning contract approach will allow students the flexibility to focus on a specific academic or administrative area as part of an adult learning community.
Student projects in the past have explored the impact of LMS systems like Blackboard, assisted in the development of web platforms to support undergraduate research, and helped develop deeper understanding of support systems for career services offices, augmented reality implementations and institutional advancement efforts.
Course Description
Catalog Text:
This seminar provides a forum for students to explore the impact of information technology on contemporary educational systems and to develop the skills necessary to serve as leaders in incorporating educational technology into the teaching and learning process. A major focus of the course is determining how the human and technical resources of an institution can be focused on creating a coherent and effective technological architecture. Minimal course entry expectations are for students to be comfortable and competent with word processing, electronic mail, Web browsing, database searching, and the basic functions of one computer operating system.
Course Objectives:
The course is designed for students in masters and doctoral programs who will be responsible for selecting and managing large-scale education technology projects. The course will focus on helping students understand the complexity of the infrastructure required to support sophisticated client-server systems within a fully networked educational environment. A key goal is to ensure that students have enough confidence in their own technical knowledge to work effectively with engineers, programmers and other technical staff to accomplish important educational goals. The specific content of the course will be shaped largely by the background, experiences and interests of members of the class.
