UMBC Instructional Technology & New Media

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http://hdl.handle.net/11603/11434

Instructional Technology & New Media helps faculty solve pedagogical problems or create new learning opportunities through efficient, effective use and support of technology.

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7 ChatGPT Strategies to Enhance Course Designs This Summer
(UMBC Division of Information Technology, 2023-06-15) Instructional Technology
Leverage AI to create new experiences for your studentsDuring the summer break, educators might use this time to refine their course designs and explore innovative technologies. One such technology is ChatGPT, a powerful language model developed by OpenAI that can assist in creating engaging and effective learning experiences. As early as the 1960s, researchers have recognized the potential of AI to transform education (Carbonell, 1960; Suppes, 1966), and with the advancements in machine learning and natural language processing, AI's impact on the educational landscape has only grown more profound.
Inclusive excellence online: Pandemic lessons learned supporting traditionally underserved students
(Henry Stewart Publications, 2023) Baron, Ken; Fritz, John; Mozie-Ross, Yvette
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and all higher education pivoted to online learning, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) created ‘Finish Line’, a programme designed to help former students with some college, but no degree to complete their studies, often several years after they had left the institution. More than 200 students have done so to date, which was a surprising pandemic silver lining for an institution with fewer than 5 per cent of all courses delivered online before 2020. But was Finish Line just a temporary strategic initiative to get through a global health crisis? Or could it also be a proof of concept for how to meet and support ‘non-traditional’ adult learners where they are — and want to go? In this reflective case study, we offer candid lessons learned to go beyond the logistics of an enrolment management strategy of ‘re-recruiting’ former students through the affordances of online education to reassessing and redefining our ‘inclusive excellence’ mission in a post-pandemic, often digital-first world.
Using Learning Analytics and Instructional Design to Inform, Find, and Scale Quality Online Learning
(Taylor & Francis, 2021-12-13) Fritz, John; Hawken, Mariann; Shin, Sarah
How do we improve the perception and experience of online learning? In this chapter, we use the COVID-19 Pandemic teaching experience of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) as a case study in how institutions might leverage learning analytics and instructional design to inform, find and scale quality of the online learning experience and outcomes for both faculty and students. To do so, we offer a selected review of the research and practice about online learning quality generally (albeit before its largest implementation to date), followed by UMBC’s thought leadership in learning analytics that has helped create a foundation and culture of assessment. Then, using our Planning Instructional Variety in Online Teaching (PIVOT) initiative as a response to the Pandemic, we focus especially on outcomes assessment baked into the planning process to show the impact faculty training can have on the perception and reality of online learning quality. However, to bring about lasting change beyond an immediate crisis, we also need to change the culture. We need to win the hearts and minds of faculty by clearly showing the benefits of quality design and delivery of online education.
Capturing Student Achievement and Learning Pathways at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County: Digital Badging and the Comprehensive Learner Record
(IGI Global, 2021) Braxton, Sherri Nicole; Sullivan, Collin; Wyatt, Laura A.; Monroe, Jalisa
In 2015, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) recognized the need to capture knowledge, skills, and abilities acquired by students in both co-curricular and curricular endeavors not being captured in any identifiable way. The Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer desired to document competencies gained by students in the variety of contexts on campus and to track student, faculty, and staff achievements in a way that would both benefit each individual while also supporting the mission of the institution. This vision led to the adoption of a digital badging initiative resulting in a scalable process for implementing new badges throughout the university community. UMBC's digital badging program became the springboard for the institution's entrance into the Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR) realm whose objective is to capture all credentials earned by students, whether they be awarded before, during, or following their tenure at the institution.
Synthesizing Outcomes at Scale: Connecting the Dots to Inform Institution-wide Decision Making
(Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education (AALHE), 2020-04-15) Harrison, Jennifer M.; Braxton, Sherri
A Pandemic Silver Lining: Helping Former Students Finish Degrees Online
(EDUCAUSE, 2021-04-08) Rous, Philip; Mozie-Ross, Yvette; Shin, Sarah; Fritz, John
Assessment and Analytics in Institutional Transformation
(EDUCAUSE Review, 2011-09-12) Hrabowski, Freeman; Suess, Jack; Fritz, John
U.S. higher education has an extraordinary record of accomplishment in preparing students for leadership, in serving as a wellspring of research and creative endeavor, and in providing public service. Despite this success, colleges and universities are facing an unprecedented set of challenges. To maintain the country’s global preeminence, those of us in higher education are being called on to expand the number of students we educate, increase the proportion of students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and address the pervasive and long-standing underrepresentation of minorities who earn college degrees—all at a time when budgets are being reduced and questions about institutional efficiency and effectiveness are being raised.
Advancing an Open Educational Resource Initiative through Collaborative Leadership
(2020) Durham, Erin; Braxton, Sherri
In its examination of initial stages of OER implementation at a mid-size public research institution, this article discusses the collaborative leadership practices developed by the Senior Director of Information Technology and Reference and Instruction Librarian as initiators and co-chairs of the campus OER working group. Key to this grassroots effort is the collaborative engagement of stakeholders across campus to increase awareness and use of OER to advance institutional adoption and long-term sustainability. Given that OER labor is often uncompensated and voluntary, it is critically important to highlight the hidden labor of academic support staff and librarians on campus who are often ignored in discussions of the need for faculty incentives, recognition, and compensation. In its discussion of change management, strategic planning, and OER labor inequity, this article illuminates practical processes for establishing a transparent, flexible, and collaborative workflow in advancing an initial OER movement on campus
The SFS Summer Research Study at UMBC: Project-Based Learning Inspires Cybersecurity Students
(2018-11-12) Sherman, Alan; Golaszewski, Enis; LaFemina, Edward; Goldschen, Ethan; Khan, Mohammed; Mundy, Lauren; Rather, Mykah; Solis, Bryan; Tete, Wubnyonga; Valdez, Edwin; Weber, Brian; Doyle, Damian; O’Brien, Casey; Oliva, Linda; Roundy, Joseph; Suess, Jack
May 30-June 2, 2017, Scholarship for Service (SFS) scholars at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) analyzed the security of a targeted aspect of the UMBC computer systems. During this hands-on study, with complete access to source code, students identified vulnerabilities, devised and implemented exploits, and suggested mitigations. As part of a pioneering program at UMBC to extend SFS scholarships to community colleges, the study helped initiate six students from two nearby community colleges, who transferred to UMBC in fall 2017 to complete their four-year degrees in computer science and information systems. The study examined the security of a set of "NetAdmin" custom scripts that enable UMBC faculty and staff to open the UMBC firewall to allow external access to machines they control for research purposes. Students discovered vulnerabilities stemming from weak architectural design, record overflow, and failure to sanitize inputs properly. For example, they implemented a record-overflow and code-injection exploit that exfiltrated the vital API key of the UMBC firewall. This report summarizes student activities and findings, and reflects on lessons learned for students, educators, and system administrators. Our students found the collaborative experience inspirational, students and educators appreciated the authentic case study, and IT administrators gained access to future employees and received free recommendations for improving the security of their systems. We hope that other universities can benefit from our motivational and educational strategy of teaming educators and system administrators to engage students in active project-based learning centering on focused questions about their university computer systems.
Technology Solutions to Support Assessment
(NILOA, 2018-09) Harrison, Jennifer M.; Braxton, Sherri N.
In this paper, we explore how assessment technologies can support college and university assessment processes at multiple levels. Our goal is to help you think through your institutional assessment culture and processes, so you can identify tools that support your institution’s approach to assessment. Multiple software systems can offer institutions rich and nuanced information about students—most schools have learning management systems (LMS) and student information systems (SIS), often supported by analytics programs that integrate the data. Faculty rely on the LMS and other tools like student response systems (i.e., “clickers”), Scantron, and e-portfolios to assess students’ work at the program and course-levels. At program- and institution-levels, many schools have adopted Assessment Management Systems (AMS) to streamline assessment processes and enrich their evidence about student learning. Yet “meaningful implementation remains elusive”—while 29% of provosts would like tools that can “aggregate assessment results to represent overall institutional performance,” 51% of provosts do not find their AMS fully supportive of assessment efforts (Jankowski, Timmer, Kinzie, & Kuh, 2018, p. 4, 15, 23). How can institutions select useful assessment technologies and integrate them with existing tools, so faculty and administrators can easily extract and use the data to improve student learning? What elements should we consider when selecting technologies? Do any systems exist that address the requirements of authentic assessment in one solution? To explore these questions, we discuss how technologies can address assessment challenges. Next, we classify the functional criteria in a taxonomy. We then sketch a process to help you reflect on your assessment technology needs, giving attention to your institution’s assessment culture, data, technology users, and audiences. Finally, we present evaluation criteria for judging the appropriateness of technologies.

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