Eric Mazur, the Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics and professor of physics in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, explained how the use of the Internet has transformed his teaching at a faculty-wide workshop on technology in teaching and learning. Photo by Kris Snibbe.

Technology is changing the way teachers teach and the way students learn.

That was the message of a novel gathering that took place Friday, May 14, at the Business School. "The Faculty Workshop on the Use of Technology in Teaching and Learning" was attended by approximately 140 faculty and administrators from across the University. Sponsored by the Provost's office and the Harvard Academic Computing Committee (HACC), it is believed to be the first faculty-wide workshop offered on this topic.

"This is an unprecedented assembly," said Provost Harvey Fineberg, adding, "All of you in this room are here because you care about being better teachers."

Virtual Patients

Michael Rosenblatt, the George R. Minot Professor of Medicine, gave a presentation on the Medical School's use of "virtual patients." These fictitious characters, whose ailments and case histories exist only on a CD-ROM, may provide future medical students with a substantial portion of their diagnostic experience, he said.

"Until a few years ago, I would have said that the best place for teaching is in a large teaching hospital," Rosenblatt said. But because of managed care, only patients with the most serious conditions are now admitted as patients, and their stay in the hospital has become much shorter. As a result, added Rosenblatt, there is little time for medical faculty to instruct students and carry out their medical duties. Virtual patients may be the answer to this problem.

"Students can type in questions and the patient answers them," he continued. "They can ask about symptoms, take case histories, order tests, do procedures, and the computer will tell them if they're correct." The computer also keeps track of how much the student has spent in treating the patient.

Because each virtual patient must be programmed with an enormous amount of information, the Medical School's Virtual Patient Project can only create about five per year. The project's goal is to create 50, covering most of the basic medical problems a student is likely to encounter.

Teaching Transformation

David Upton, professor of business administration, led a discussion of a case study especially written for the workshop which centered around a faculty member and how she has used the Web to enhance her course, "Great Sessions." The case showed the faculty member grappling with the question of whether an expensive trans- Atlantic hookup, allowing students to observe a recording session in London, would be worth the cost pedagogically.

Upton, an industrial engineer with expertise in manufacturing and robotics, used humor and a dynamic speaking style to facilitate a lively exchange focusing on such issues as available resources, use of faculty time, intellectual property, and the objectives and goals of teaching.

Eric Mazur, the Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics and professor of physics in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, began his presentation by confessing to being a "techno-freak" who carries a cell phone, pager, and personal organizer, and looks forward to acquiring Sony's new robot dog.

But the introduction of new technology does not necessarily make teaching better, Mazur said. "The real problem is not the delivery of information but the assimilation of knowledge."

Mazur enumerated his criteria for adopting new technological innovations: they must further educational goals, facilitate new modes of learning, be reusable and flexible, and produce a return commensurate with investment.

Mazur explained how the use of the Internet has transformed his teaching. He no longer lectures but relies on assigned readings to introduce students to new topics. Before class, students enter their questions and comments on the reading in the course Website.

Each student has his or her own Web page complete with photograph, which helps Mazur to develop more personal contact with the class. He is also able to answer each student's questions directly, saving time and effort by using a database of standard answers to recurrent questions. He then devotes the subsequent lecture to further elucidating the topics the class has found difficult or confusing.

Mazur also demonstrated his use of the Personal Response System (PRS), small, handheld devices similar to a TV remote which can be used to register responses by means of an infrared beam. Mazur's students use these devices to answer questions posed during class. A computer program collates the answers, presenting them in graph form on a screen. By observing the class's response, Mazur is able to tell instantly whether they understand the concept or need more explanation.

Shadow Partner

"The computer should be thought of and used as a shadow partner to leverage everything you do," said Richard Nolan, the William Barclay Harding Professor of Management of Technology at the Business School (HBS). By "shadow partner," he explained, he meant a tool that one could use as easily as asking a human partner for help or information.

Nolan described how HBS has created "a robust Intranet" that fulfills the role of shadow partner for both students and faculty by providing "the functional equivalent of institutions in the outside world."

Nolan displayed a typical student "identity card," which exists in electronic form for each student and helps faculty maintain a better rapport with members of their classes. The card contains a photograph, useful for identification purposes, as well as a digital recording of the student pronouncing his or her name. There is also a listing of former jobs, allowing professors to call upon students as experts in particular fields during class discussions.

Nolan also showed how case studies on the HBS Intranet include such information as up-to-the-minute stock reports and videoclips of talks by business leaders.

"These are not substitutes for good teaching," Nolan said of the technological innovations. "They're complements."