Teaching with Computers

The robot teacher may not be as far away as you think. In spring 1996 two economics faculty will unveil experimental sections of two of the war horses of the basic econ curriculum. Econ 102 (Principles of Economics) and Econ 300 (Intermediate Economics). The econ major may never be the same!

With computer technology, the University of Illinois will be able to deliver one-on-one instruction to undergraduate students.

Computer tutoring will be available to students in special section of Econ 102 and Econ 300.

The university has received a $2.1 million dollar grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to establish the Sloan Center for Asynchronous Learning Environments (SCALE) that will foster big changes in the way students are taught. Supplementing traditional classroom instruction with computer networks is the future of higher learning. The university's commitment of $810,000 over three years to this project will help make this prediction a reality. By 1998, UI administrators anticipate that more than half the undergraduates will receive some of their instruction through computer networks.

During each of the next three years the center will support the restructuring of up to 15 courses, which will allow students to communicate with their instructors, teaching assistants, and each other via computer networks. A faculty committee will monitor how the redesigned courses affect the cost of education, faculty schedules, and student retention and performance.

Professors Larry DeBrock and Lanny Arvan are the first two commerce faculty to participate in this project. DeBrock will redesign special sections of Econ 102 (Principles). These sections will meet two rather than the usual three times per week. In place of the discussion session there will be a self-paced computer tutorial. Arvan's Econ 300 will still meet three times per week, but in the special sections different types of material will be covered and more problem sets will be assigned. Students in both courses will be expected to complete a great number of problem-solving assignments on the computer networks. One advantage to this mode of instruction is instantaneous feedback. Instead of the five to ten day lag with human graders, a student will be able to see this mistakes at once and correct them while the information is current.

In this "brave new world" teaching assistants will move out of the classroom and into cyber space. They will maintain "virtual office hours" from about 4-10 p.m. daily. Students will be able to contact the assistants by e-mail to ask any questions that arise while they are completing their assignments. The TAs on duty should be able to answer questions within about five minutes.

All questions and answers will be recorded on the network. Puzzled students may be able to find answers to their questions by reviewing what their peers have already asked. DeBrock and Arvan also hope to encourage interaction among students - in time they hope students will hold the equivalent of mini class discussions through e-mail. By using computer technology, gigantic University of Illinois will be able to deliver one-on-one instruction to undergraduate students.

Initially, this new teaching methodology will be tested in only six to nine of the thirty sections of Econ 102. If results are as favorable as is hoped, the number of sections can be increased in the future. Both Arvan and DeBrock approach this project with great enthusiasm. They are confident that students will find it easy and rewarding to interact with faculty and TAs via the network. But they place their highest expectations on the benefits students will derive from being able to help each other solve the assigned problems. Computer networks can and will be a powerful teaching tool.

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