San Jose State professors who are interested in using new technology in a “next generation” classroom on campus gathered on May 17 to hear from colleagues who have already implemented innovative teaching methods in their courses.

During the workshop, Academic Technology and ITS staff members, and faculty members discussed the technology usage landscape, connectedness, the digital divide and building learning pathways.

Jennifer Redd, director of eCampus for Academic Technology, shared some statistics from an Educause survey that found 92 percent of college students own a smartphone while 91 percent own a laptop, making technology accessible in most classrooms. The survey found that three in five instructors use technology during class and encourage the use of collaborative tools.

Faculty members shared some of the ways they have used collaborative tools in the classroom, including telepresence, lecture capture and learning management systems.

San Jose State currently has seven “next generation” classrooms that include audio, visual and lecture capture equipment. The classrooms allow faculty members and students to interact with others remotely, record sessions to view online later and to collaborate through learning management systems such as Canvas. Mobile telepresence units, Wifi and Smartboards allow some of the same tools to be used in other classrooms on campus.

Academic Technology staff members are available to support faculty who are interested in implementing teaching techniques that use technology to enhance student engagement and learning in their classrooms.

See a schedule of upcoming workshops online.