Participants’ Reactions  

There were 66 respondents to the Participant Reaction Forms. 
Total attendance was 228.

Part I:

1.         Overall assessment of the workshop?

Scale	1	2	3	4	5	N/A
Rating	0	1	6	38	21	0

2.         Did the workshop meet your expectations?

Scale	1	2	3	4	5	N/A
Rating	2	2*	6	34	22	0

 *One respondent indicated there was “not enough ‘new’ content.”

3.  Useful to your work and professional development?

Scale	1	2	3	4	5	N/A
Rating	0	3	6	31	26	0

 4.         Ability to use information on your campus?

Scale	1	2	3	4	5	N/A
Rating	0	3	10	37	16	0

 5.         Are you likely to attend next year?

Scale	1	2	3	4	5	N/A
Rating	2	2	5	16	39	2*

*One Answered “Don’t know.”

Part II:

1.         Which presentation did you particularly like?  Why?

Comments on the KEYNOTE by Roberto Muffoletto:      

·          Best presentation -- 2

Muffoletto’s, because it gave a historical overlook, which is useful in understanding what we are doing with technology now  Keynote -- humorous, strongly supported content, examples, used technology to demo, available for resource

·          Dr. Roberto Muffoletto gave me practical ideas about how to approach my students

·          Gave a kind of show that was more glitz than substance

·          Keynote was intriguing -- a bit far from reality for some of us, but fun nevertheless

·          Great information and use of visuals

·          Rambled and never got to the point of his talk, if he had one

·          I thought the keynote was going to spend more time talking about his research.  I really enjoyed the futuristic movie clips he was showing, but was hoping for more analysis of how all this technology is impacting the human machine.

·          Good keynote speaker choice

·          I enjoyed the keynote address, but would have liked to have seen more focus on the liberal arts college context.  Last year’s keynote speaker was more effective for this group.

·          Informative and inspirational.  The problems with the equipment were typical, but not reassuring.  I also feel that the speaker could have been more organized.  He was more impressionistic than logical and didn’t leave time for questions, but I liked what he presented.

·          The first half of the keynote was redundant -- preaching to the already converted.  It was a pity he had to rush the second half.

·          Keynote speaker’s presentation was superficial.  I get lots of chances to become aware of the new technologies and wanted to hear about effective use of the technology, or a discussion of the real issues around access, cost, teacher training, etc.  This session was very disappointing.

·          Keynote speakers must end on time.

·          It was encouraging to hear that “younger” students, in general, are not intimidated by electronic texts.  Very interesting presentation and very timely for me.

“Using Video to Address Ethical Issues in Nursing” -- Sharon Stoffel

Computer Simulation Sessions -- Jamie Partridge; Gregory DiNovis

·          I found these to be very real world, since they were real world.  I liked hearing what they did, and how things went.  I found the “What would I do differently next time” to be very helpful.

“Lessons Learned Online” -- Marilyn Reineck and Lori Charron

• I found the presentations about online courseware, video production, and the digital video editing the most interesting and useful.  Those are also the presentations that would have the most impact on my job.

 2.         What topics/workshops would you find interesting and useful at next year’s Classrooms of the Future VII Symposium?

·          More of the same.  I’d also like to see the topic of funding sources for all this expensive technology.

·          Learnings from “failures” and successes in building distance learning courses

·          What do we do that works!

·          New products showcase

·          Great ideas/experiments -- 15 minute “quickies”

·          Strategic Decisions and Instructional Development

·          Tech Session -- Adding video clips to lectures -- see it/do it

          -- Image control and web documents

·          More information about the physical classroom for media service departments

·          Methods/Technologies and needs of adult students

·          Evaluating/comparing long-term learning using various technologies

·          Opportunities to interact with other attendees -- not just be lectured to/at

·          Workshops based on student perspective of the use of technology in the classroom

·          The future of IT in the classroom -- the edge

·          Teaching online courses

·          Creating online courses

·          Creating web-enhanced courses

·          More how-to practical tips, rather than case studies of an instructor’s experiences.  (How can we learn, what can we learn from others’ experiences?)

·          More specific technology examples

·          Web design and instruction tools

·          I particularly like to see what other people are doing/have done -- maybe a showcase of projects with “less talk/more rock” so to speak

·          More demonstrations like “Creating a Web Site to Accompany 3rd Year French Civ and Culture Class” -- these show what can be done and give results, problems, etc.

·          Continue with tips on learning/teaching at a distance with technology

·          Successful learning behaviors

·          Assessment issues

·          How to persuade faculty to employ technology to solve student learning problems

·          How to infuse creative and serious thinking about teaching and learning into technological innovations

·          More of the same! 

·          More on development of online courses and problem solving

·          Classroom design information

·          I think it would be interesting to learn more about the uses of multimedia in the classroom.  Maybe CD-ROM production or something like that.  Also, perhaps some insight into setting up a department/lab (multimedia) that would assist instructors in creating multimedia resources for their students.

·          Certainly I’d be interested in more specific distance learning tools -- but for me, the trick was not that those workshops weren’t offered, it was that they were offered often at the same time.

·          Practical illustrations on how technology has changed the classroom and education, i.e., plagiarism, writing and research assignments, homework, public speaking, etc.

·          Further sessions reflecting collaborations both within colleges and among colleges that offer varying forms of distance programs.

·          More workshops on use of newer technologies -- pros and cons

·          More demonstration of best practices

·          Have a break-out group specifically for teaching health careers.  Those are touch subjects to apply to distance ed.

·          Have someone talk about grant writing and project development for distance education grants

·          Using multimedia in the classroom or on the Web.  More stuff on using the Web to enhance student learning.  I like the war stories sessions.

·          Some discussion of faculty development successes and failures.  How was resistance overcome?

·          I would like to see many of the same topics covered again.  I could not attend all sessions so there was much that I was interested in that I missed.  I would like to see more presentations and/or workshops addressing the fundamentals of teaching and learning and how they relate to classrooms of the future.  I would like to see workshops on developing an online/distance learning version of a course, perhaps using something like Blackboard.  Of course, I could learn this on my own, but a workshop would help jumpstart the process.

·          More aimed specifically at design considerations, and discussions of the hardware and room configurations necessary to make all this work

·          Late-breaking multimedia tools and techniques

·          I would like to see greater effort to assess the effects of technology on student learning.  Even if this is fairly rudimentary, it would be useful to learn about how the use of technology is affecting student learning.

·          I am not a faculty member but I did find the topics useful.  My area of interest is in the physical layout and changes made to classrooms to better suit them to make the technology more efficient.  I would like to hear discussions regarding physical facilities and I am curious to hear how other schools are actually designing the physical classroom to work better with the technology.  Too many times things such as lighting and sound issues are overlooked.

·          More time spent on streaming video.  I would continue to appreciate hearing the insights of faculty who are teaching online.

·          More on streaming video and digital imaging

·          Sharing of practical principles and experience regarding actual classroom pedagogy -- especially with adult students.

·          The use of software such as Microsoft Office to enhance the classroom.  The reason I say this is that although there are plenty of software programs out there for such specific tasks as concept mapping, the cost is prohibitive for departments to buy.  How could you use, for example, the basic Office 2000 package to practice concept mapping in an English classroom?

·          Distance learning -- an overview of the state of the art

·          Discussion or reflection on the ethical implications of teaching-learning on the Internet.  What is our moral obligation to delivering a relevant curriculum?  What is a relevant curriculum?  How is this teaching-learning process contributing to the health and betterment of the global community?

·          Perhaps more how-to’s -- I like a mix of applications with sessions on how to do it myself when I get back to my institution

·          More about use of chatrooms?  Possibilities for linking distant campuses -- either within the US or internationally -- in some kind of collaborative project?

·          Distance education presentations.  Use of WebCt for web-enhanced instruction

·          Distance learning.  Web-based instruction. 

3.         Do you have comments you would like to add? 

·          It was a very stimulating day.  Great job!

·          I liked the workshops.  An introduction to lots of information.  Well presented

·          All workshops were great!

·          Liked wide variety of colleges represented, diversity of training presentations -- humanities and sciences

·          I think the technology went very well despite a few glitches.  Given the diversity of equipment used (Macs, PCS, projectors, videos, etc.), I think it was tightly organized and well run.

·          The symposium was well-organized and the atmosphere was congenial and professional.  Great job!  Not all presenters were at the same level of expertise/comfort with regard to presentation skills, but the content of all sessions I attended was outstanding.

·          When does the symposium start to do cross institutional links -- support groups instead of campus-based work?  This can help “behind” campuses and guide/consultation work for “advanced” classes or courses.

·          Did you require everyone to have a power point pos.?  Most of them were electronic slide shows -- mostly text, could have been transparencies.  No audio, no motion, hardly any graphics.

·          The time waiting for the keynote to begin is so boring -- just sitting in an auditorium.  Make arrangements for a coffee hour space to interact and “manage” some interactions.  Perhaps small roundtables around a mini-topic???

·          “Preparing Faculty to Teach at a Distance” -- Simonson/Sparks was not titled correctly.  It was 50 minutes of intro to distance learning for beginners -- very dull.  Seemed put together from other presentations and not appropriate to the audience -- only 5 minutes of adult material.

·          Some excellent and highly useful presentations mostly wrestling with real issues institutions and teachers are tackling with IT, etc.

·          Half-hour sessions need a passing time also.  Some half-hour sessions should have been an hour.

·          Thank you.  Got lots of info/insights on how much I don’t know, but others are in the same place.

·          Thanks.  Perhaps indicate discipline area of presenters -- although it is fun to be surprised sometimes.  Digital imaging was in art and I’m in biology  -- but info will be useful.

·          Longer program -- 2 days!  Something to bring us together at the end.  Thanks.

·          Very good!

·          Great job, nice lunch.  Thank you!

·          Nice to see so many schools represented.  Good for articulation between levels of education.  Maybe some high schools should participate.

·          Thanks to whoever funded this wonderful event!  My first time, but I plan to be back.  Useful information, friendly people, highly cooperative atmosphere.  Thank you.

·          Although I did not feel the plenary speaker had much substance, the rest of the sessions I attended were superb, and in general, I thought this year’s conference was the best I’ve been to.  (I did miss last year but was at the previous two.)  Many thanks to the planning committee.

·          I was very pleased with the conference and look forward to attending next year

·          My position as Special Projects Librarian presumes any topics in the field of technology in education.  I am organizing streaming vide for SCSU.  I presented my idea of modular approach to streaming services in academia at the Syllabus conference in Chicago.  I can share our experience next year if you like.  I also organize the electronic reserve at SCSU.  It became also a unique experience, which might prove an important approach for a middle-sized university to this type of service.  Let me know if you would be interested.  Thanks.

·          My expectation for the conference was something very different than what was delivered.  Since we are building a new music building, I went expecting to find out some of the resources and concepts that were needed in order to build our classrooms so that they would function well in the future.  Most of what I heard was what people were doing in the present.  Or as the first presentation did, gave a kind of show that was more glitz than substance.  My disappointment was that my expectation was out of kilter, rather than any problem with the quality or content of the smaller group presentations.

·          More networking time/space after keynote.  Also maybe a reaction panel to address content of keynote and put different spin(s) on it.  Continue to have a high profile keynote to draw audiences, and have opportunities (as you did) to interact with the speaker during the day.  Great day.  Sorry I had to leave at noon.  Keep up the good work!

·          Thank you for this magnificent conference.  I look forward to next year’s.  Disappointed in the lighting of the auditorium where the keynote was held.  Thought lunch was a little weak and disorganized.  Maps and parking could be clearer.  Thought last year’s bulletin, maps and food were better.  I suggest charging a small fee for this, even $10 would be great.

·          I would recommend a category assignment for each workshop.  I found that I went to a session on space design, that I was thinking would be about Web space design, and it turned out to be about classroom space design.

·          This seems to be a good conference, but it has outgrown the one-day format.  Two days would allow more presentations and workshops and more opportunity to talk to the presenters since the only real break was for lunch.  Having lab access would also give people a more hands-on opportunity to explore the wonderful developments that were discussed.

·          My biggest complaint is the inability to clone myself and attend concurrent sessions.  It would be useful if presentations were video-taped and made available from a web server or on a CD-ROM or DVD.  Something to think about for the future, but maybe not next year.

·          I will definitely try to plan my vacation next year to coincide with this conference.  An excellent example of a concise event that really packed a lot of content.  Congratulations to everyone involved in the planning.

·          Please provide a list with e-mail addresses/thumbnail sketches of all participants.

                        ·          The whole day was great.  Thank you.

·          Please have all presenters provide handouts with contact information, summary of material covered, information concerning software/hardware that was discussed, etc.

·          Well organized, signs, started on time.  Lunch more than adequate and pleasant surroundings.

·          St. Catherine’s did a fine job hosting the conference and all responsible should be congratulated.

·          Thanks!

·          Appreciation for a very valuable day.

·          I think it is important to keep on schedule.  When the keynote went overtime it caused delays and frustrations in both of the sessions I attended that morning.

·          The conference provided a very good chance to exchange experience and information.  Thanks for the organizers’ efforts.