Assessing the Technology Component of Teacher Education
John W. McCutcheon
Associate Professor, Educational Studies
Teresa Franklin
Instructor, Educational Studies
Assessing the Technology Component of Teacher Education
Background
During AY 1995/96, selected faculty of the College of Education whose primary concern was teacher education met to establish a set of core courses that all students seeking teacher certification would take. One course within the core had a primary emphasis on the use of computers and related technologies in education. The course would be given the title EDCI 203: Technological Applications in Education (4QH). A team of four faculty was assembled to design and develop the course during Winter, 1996. It should be noted that a course with similar content and title--EDCI 532-- is offered at the graduate level.
Development of Course Outcomes
In order to develop a set of outcomes for EDCI 203 and EDCI 532, the design team investigated numerous sources. These included Final Recommendations of the Standards Revision Committee for Teacher Education and Certification, and International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Foundations Standards. ODE Standards germane to the design of EDCI 203 and EDCI 532 included the following.
5.13 The teacher knows how to enhance learning through the use of a wide variety of materials as well as human and technological resources.
5.36 The teacher utilizes educational technology to broaden student knowledge about technology, to deliver instruction to students at different levels and paces, and for advanced levels of learning.
7.35 The teacher knows how to use a variety of media communication tools, including educational technology, to enrich learning opportunities.
A review of the applicable ODE standards revealed that they would neither provide the specificity needed to design a course, nor provide students requisite technology skills.
According to the ISTE Foundations Standards, all candidates seeking initial certification or endorsements in teacher preparation programs should receive foundations that prepare them to...
1. demonstrate ability to operate a computer system in order to successfully utilize software.
2. evaluate and use computers and related technologies to support the instructional process.
3. apply current instructional principles, research, and appropriate assessment practices to the use of computers and related technologies.
4. explore, evaluate and use computer/technology-based materials, including applications, educational software and associated documentation.
5. demonstrate knowledge of uses of computers for problem solving, data collection, information management, communications, presentations, and decision making.
6. design and develop student learning activities that integrate computing and technology for a variety of student grouping activities and for diverse student populations.
7. evaluate, select and integrate computer / technology-based instruction in the curriculum of one's subject area(s) and/or grade level.
8. demonstrate knowledge of uses of multimedia, hypermedia, and telecommunications to support instruction.
9. demonstrate skill in using productivity tools for professional and personal use, including word processing, database, and spreadsheet.
10. demonstrate knowledge of equity, ethical, legal and human issues of computing and technology use as they relate to society and model appropriate behaviors.
11. identify resources for staying current in applications of computing and related technologies in education.
12. use computer-based technologies to access information to enhance personal and professional productivity.
13. apply computers and related technologies to facilitate emerging roles of the learner and the educator.
The ISTE Foundations Guidelines were used as the basis for the design of EDCI 203 and EDCI 532: Technological Applications in Education. The courses were reviewed by the Undergraduate Committee and Graduate Committee of the [then] School of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education, and were approved by the School of Curriculum and Instruction Faculty during Spring, 1996. The courses were first offered on the Athens Campus during Spring, 1997; individuals teaching the courses at Ohio University's six campuses met during Winter, 1997 and Spring, 1998 for discussion and consensus building. The regional campuses fully implement the course beginning Fall, 1998. Throughout AY 1998-99, an attempt will be made to determine student perceptions of the course, i.e., the extent to which students perceive that the ISTE Foundations Standards are being achieved.
Method of Assessment
Both EDCI 203 and EDCI 532 serve various audiences: (1) students with a wide variety of computer-related expertise, (2) students on six campuses: Athens, Eastern, Zanesville, Lancaster, Chillicothe, and Southern, and (3) students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Factors such as computer expertise, campus location, and graduate or undergraduate status can affect the outcome of the assessment, so it was decided to include these in the assessment, and thus provide the assessors the opportunity to pinpoint sources of variation.
As the ISTE Foundations Standards were used to design EDCI 203 and EDCI 532, so would they be used to design the assessment. During Spring, 1998, a Likert-type questionnaire was developed and piloted to assess students' perceptions of the extent to which they had mastered the ISTE Foundations Standards. Beginning Fall, 1998, students enrolled in these technology courses will be asked to respond the questionnaire. The regional campuses offer the technology courses during different quarters throughout the year. Assessment will continue until all technology courses taught on all six campuses have been assessed. All responses will be made on "bubble sheets" in order to expedite data entry. A copy of the assessment instrument is attached.
The data will be analyzed as follows.
1. In order to determine the perception of all students, frequencies and percentages for all of the assessment instrument will be reported.
2. Crosstabulation will be used to determine if entry-level computer expertise affects students' perception of their mastery of the ISTE Foundations Standards.
3. Crosstabulation will be used to determine if the campus which students attend affects students' perception of their mastery of the ISTE Foundations Standards.
4. Crosstabulation will be used to determine if being an undergraduate or graduate student affects perception of mastery of the ISTE Foundations Standards.
The rationale for this procedure is twofold (1) to determine the extent that all students enrolled in the basic technology courses are able to master the ISTE Foundations Standards, and (2) to determine the uniform quality of the courses for selected segments of students enrolled: students with varying degrees of computer expertise, undergraduate - graduate students, and students enrolled at the various campuses. The results will be used to guide ongoing revisions of EDCI 203 and EDCI 532 among Ohio University's Campuses.
Educational Technology Assessment
PRELIMINARY INSTRUCTIONS: Please respond to the following preliminary items on the answer sheet provided. USE A # 2 PENCIL.
1. When I entered this course I had... 2. Campus: 3. Enrollment Status
(A) no (A) Athens (A) Graduate
(B) Very little (B) Eastern (B) Undergraduate
(C) little (C) Southern
(D) some (D) Lancaster
(E) very much (E) Zanesville
experience with computers. (F) Chillicothe
INSTRUCTIONS : Please read each item, then choose one of the following responses to describe your reaction to the item: USE A #2 PENCIL.
(A) not at all
(B) very little
(C) some
(D) well
(E) very well.
4. I can operate a computer to use software successfully.
5. I can evaluate and use computers to support the instructional process.
6. I can explore, evaluate and use computer-based materials including applications, educational software, and associated documentation.
7. I can show uses of computers for problem solving, data collection, information management, communications, presentations, and decision making.
8. I can design and develop student learning activities that integrate computers for a variety of student groups.
9. I can evaluate, select and integrate computer-based instruction in my subject area and grade level.
10. I can show uses of multimedia, hypermedia, and telecommunications that support instruction.
11. I can use productivity tools--word processing, data base, and spreadsheet--in personal and professional settings.
12. I can cite examples of equity, ethical, and legal issues about computing as they relate to society.
13. I can find resources for staying current about computers in education.
14. I can use a computer to find information that enhances personal and professional productivity.
15. I can apply computers to enhance emerging roles of teachers and learners.
16. I can apply current instructional principles and research to the use of computers.