The Evolution of Computer Classrooms at MSU: Writing Places and Spaces

1. The Evolution of Computer Classrooms at MSU:Writing Places and Spaces Roland Nord & Wayne Sharp 20 May 2003

2. If you visited any of the computer labs at our colleges and had some kind of Geiger counter to measure student energy, you would discover that the greatest student activity and energy is now occurring in computer labs. Ron Bleed How use doth breed a habit in a man! William Shakespeare Roland Nord—COTF “Writing Places and Spaces”

3. What is the history of CAW at MSU? • Heaviest user of academic computing center • > 50 composition sections per semester • sections meet 4 hrs/wk: 2 hrs in computer lab and 2 hrs in traditional classroom • Primary access to 3 computer labs • WH 118 (part of the ACC) • AH 204 (satellite lab/converted classroom) • AH 203 (satellite lab/converted classroom) Roland Nord—COTF “Writing Places and Spaces”

4. WH 118 Roland Nord—COTF “Writing Places and Spaces”

5. AH 204 Roland Nord—COTF “Writing Places and Spaces”

6. How did we plan our most recent lab (AH 203)? • Committee forwarded requests to Wayne Sharp, director of ACC • different than current labs • increase collaboration (based upon a workshopping model) • Committee reviewed floor plans, choosing a plan that we believed would • increase collaboration • move the teacher from the front of the room into the center of the room Roland Nord—COTF “Writing Places and Spaces”

7. AH 203 Roland Nord—COTF “Writing Places and Spaces”

8. How do we measure our success? • Survey instructors • Survey students Roland Nord—COTF “Writing Places and Spaces”

9. What classroom do instructors prefer? Why? N = 14 • 4 chose WB 118 (E pattern) • 5 chose AH 204 (U pattern) • 4 chose AH 203 (clusters/tables) Roland Nord—COTF “Writing Places and Spaces”

10. Is the computer lab crucial for student success? N = 14 • What effect did your use of technology have on your students’ performance in Composition? Roland Nord—COTF “Writing Places and Spaces”

11. Is the computer lab crucial for student success? N = 14 • What effect did your students’ use of technology have on their performance in Composition? Roland Nord—COTF “Writing Places and Spaces”

12. How are the computer classrooms used? N = 14 (all 2 hours per week in lab) • Depends upon instructor? Roland Nord—COTF “Writing Places and Spaces”

13. How are the computer classrooms used? N = 14 (all 2 hours per week in lab) • Depends upon instructor? • Depends upon classroom? Roland Nord—COTF “Writing Places and Spaces”

14. How do students collaborate in the lab? • Side-to-side • Back-to-back but never across tables… except for offline collaboration Roland Nord—COTF “Writing Places and Spaces”

15. Do students’ perceptions differ from instructors’? • Assessment of student & instructor CAWR skills • Expertise with word-processing programs to produce attractive and effective documents • Expertise revising or editing documents online • Students rated instructors lowest in this category. • Instructors rated themselves lowest in this category. Roland Nord—COTF “Writing Places and Spaces”

16. Do students’ perceptions differ from instructors’? • Assessment of student and instructor CAWR skills • Expertise with library catalogs and databases to locate research materials appropriate for your needs • Students rated themselves lowest and their instructors highest in this category. • Instructors rated students lowest in this category. Roland Nord—COTF “Writing Places and Spaces”

17. Do students’ perceptions differ from instructors’? • Assessment of student and instructor CAWR skills • Expertise with Internet search engines to locate information appropriate for your needs • Instructors rated themselves highest in this category. • Expertise with email and Internet chat • Students rated themselves highest in this category. • Instructors rated students highest in this category. Roland Nord—COTF “Writing Places and Spaces”

18. Instructor vs. student perspectives on CAW • Tasks were defined by instructor perspective (e.g., discussion, demonstration, or lecture); student may use the computer for all the tasks. • Thus, student computer use > individual online writing (25%) + online collaboration (15%) • Many students value privacy, selecting those workstations farthest from the instructor Roland Nord—COTF “Writing Places and Spaces”

19. Questions? Roland Nord—COTF “Writing Places and Spaces”

20. Contact information roland.nord@mnsu.edu http://krypton.mnsu.edu/nord Roland Nord—COTF “Writing Places and Spaces”