Nicholas Turro
Professor
Chemistry
Department of Chemistry
Columbia
3000 Broadway, Mail Code 3119
New York, NY 10027
New York, NY 10027
Phone:
212 854 2179
FAX:
212 9321289
What are, to you, the key issues in creating learning resources that support your teaching style and your student's learning styles?
In addition to user-friendly, readily available web content, resources that allow continuous monitoring, evaluation and response to student congnitive issues and to the instructor's effectiveness are very valuable.
Large data banks of "bullet proof" questions which have been tested, are free or typos and clearly stated, that can be employed in large lecture classes.
What is your vision for the "textbook" of the future and what impediments do you see to realizing that vision? Large data banks of "bullet proof" questions which have been tested, are free or typos and clearly stated, that can be employed in large lecture classes.
The textbook of the future will be able to seamlessly take advantage of electronic resources, especially those which are web based.
In addition, text books for large introductory science classes, which consist mainly of non-science students will take into account cognitive aspects of student learning for novices and understand the difference between writing for novices and writing for experts (or experts to be).
Describe briefly any research you have undertaken on teaching or learning. In addition, text books for large introductory science classes, which consist mainly of non-science students will take into account cognitive aspects of student learning for novices and understand the difference between writing for novices and writing for experts (or experts to be).
For the last decade I have studied the use of the web and computer based materials to enhance teaching and learning. My conclusion is that a mix of content, congnition and context are critical for effective teaching and learning and the computer together with the web provide a powerful set of "c's" for setting the stage for good teaching and learning.
The web also allows a means of continuous monitoring of student and instructor performance in real time. Such evaluations, when performed propertly, can provide the student with a sense of being a stake holder in the course and with a sense that the course is being taught "fairly". The latter perception is critical in my opinion for many students to fully immerse themselves actively and fruitfully in the content of the course and to go away with a sense that there is a scientific process that is independent of course content.
Have you created publicly accessible learning resources? The web also allows a means of continuous monitoring of student and instructor performance in real time. Such evaluations, when performed propertly, can provide the student with a sense of being a stake holder in the course and with a sense that the course is being taught "fairly". The latter perception is critical in my opinion for many students to fully immerse themselves actively and fruitfully in the content of the course and to go away with a sense that there is a scientific process that is independent of course content.
I have set up videos on several subjects that are publically available including a course on organic photochemistry:
http://www.columbia.edu/itc/chemistry/turro_video.html
How would you like to contribute to the workshop? http://www.columbia.edu/itc/chemistry/turro_video.html
I would like to describe and share my activities to improve my teaching and learning using electronic resources over the past decade for large and small lecture courses.
What would you like to take away from the workshop? I would like to come away with new ideas of any sort that I could believe would be worth my effort to adopt in future teaching and learning exercises.