2000 Faculty Survey Comments

Question 47:

Is; saves time and is of high quality in most cases
It is one more way to communicate. It can (with effort) make some concepts more understandable.
Is; wave of the future, do it or get left behind; I tell the students the same thing.
It is important but very expensive to implement especially if we must constantly upgrade this equipment. The costs are beginning to be too high in terms of staffing and other needs such as space, instrumentation and library resources.
Faculty Load too heavy
Is; it helps students and faculty alike in terms of access to information, international communication and serves as a window to the world
Is; every educated person should be able to use the computer as a tool.
Is; it has motivated me to reevaluate my course materials and my approach to certain courses.
Is; we need to take full advantage of what technology can do to enhance teaching and learning.
Is; it’s another tool.
It’s there and faculty needs skills.
It allows me to provide students with much more access to learning opportunities.
BY itself it is neither important or unimportant; How it is used is what makes any technology workable and effective.
Is; it frees up faculty time and makes resources available
It can compliment the teaching – learning process.
Is not; because information does not lend itself to developing analytical and thinking skills. Information is not intelligence.
Is; helps instructor assist students in gaining most up-to-date facts; in one course has resulted in not requiring students to buy text-material; off web is more current and informative.
Is / is not; has a place at times but need not be the only tool to acquire and develop knowledge; First hand experience and a good book can work wonders beyond the tiny blue screen.
Is; IT extends learning beyond the walls of the classroom.
Is; it provides continuous access to the course materials, facilitator, resources and interactive communications.
Is; it can and should enhance the content for a course; It can also provide more opportunity fort self-directed and interactive learning.
It is future; our students are using it and know how to use it; it is an effective or more effective way than classroom teaching.
Is; it allows students to focus on the why rather then the how of learning.
Is; that’s the only way
Some courses are easier to understand; less boring.
Better graphic are possible. Material available on the web is easily accessed, saves paper and saves my time.
Is; availability of knowledge.
My discipline requires that my students be trained to use all technology tools available.
it is used so often in the business world
many possibilities for students and professor growth, methodological changes, motivational changes
In preparing future teachers it’s an essential tool. In addition, if we as university professors don’t model effective uses, our students will be at a loss in public school classrooms.
It helps student interest.
1) Present high interest material in engaging manner. 2) Allows students to not “copy” down everything I say. 3) Tools that students will need once they leave MTSU.
Provides another means of communication with students & vice versa.
It should be a supplement. Too many teachers use it as crutch and lose valuable discussion & class interaction opportunities.
Today’s students require a great deal of stimulation of all senses. They grew up with Nintendos!
is; it is the wave of the future. We must be on board.
it is increasingly part of all jobs & communication.
It increases student computer literacy skills, making them more marketable. Expands knowledge-base opportunities.
Must learn for future.
it has potential to broaden & deepen both content and communication
has real world significance
is; it is fast; supplies like CDs & laser disks are easier to handle & store because they are smaller than books
today’s student is o longer satisfied with the traditional “talking head” lecture format. They demand far more of us & this is one way to address their needs.
is; it gives the instructor another avenue to clearly present information
this is a highly technological world & our students must be introduced to technology or they will be behind.
it can be a method of delivery that enhances the content I intend to deliver.
I just do not feel that technology is proper in basic classes. Students must crawl before they fly.
is; it can increase learning!!!
I do not want my academic freedom encroached upon.
it facilitates dialogue and learning
it expands learning opportunities and the ability to build a learning community.
It enhances what can be accomplished in a traditional course and makes possible the delivery of courses through distance environments.
is; it promotes efficient use of class time.
is; students expect it. It should improve both teaching and learning.
It provides several ways to involve student in the educational process.
enhance teaching
is; it’s here to stay and we need to explore its potential to support pedagogy.
It provides a much more effective way of turning in papers that the student has not written. Students can now cheat at a much more effective level with less likelihood of being caught.
Speed, efficiency, lots of data presentation power
This is the wave of the future for higher Education. If we want to progress, we must continue to be updated.
It’s the best way to reach students today and helps to provide students with the skills needed to be successful today
Sometimes it helps. Most of the time it seems to hinder their actual understanding on how to do the problem because they depend on calculators or computers to do it for them.
is; it holds student interest and provides clearer presentation
Allows communication w/ students outside of traditional classroom and office they have greater access to me, info, & each other
It allows better understanding by students & allows me to explore more depth of subject.
It expands the interactive tools available to enhance the teaching and learning process.
is; It enhances the learning environment.
Used properly it enhances my ability to present material. I can increase my “contact time” with students by proxy.

Question 48:

Give every professor release time and financial assistant to develop on-line courses.
For on-line courses, the workload is at least twice as much as a regular class; this should be taken into account when workload is assigned. Faculty need release time to develop on-line courses or extra pay.
Trying to utilize more web-enhanced instruction with the class and research load is difficult. This stuff takes time beyond the usual lecture prep.
I would love to attend more instructional technology workshops, but time is a difficult problem; nonetheless, they are very valuable.
If I taught in a master classroom, I would be encouraged to learn more about computer applications to teach courses. I still must resort to VCRs and slides, and tape recorders/.
Would like to learn more computer applications; its simply as question of time.
Instructional technology, as in all technology, changes rather than improves student / teacher relationship. What does one give up by using the technology? If someone thinks one doesn’t give up something, than that person isn’t thinking carefully
OIT is very important for the University. It is a lot of help. OIT should develop a how-to type of pamphlet and distributed to faculty and others. It would cut time for everybody; Example: How to use Kermit, How to access frank from home.
I would use technology more is class if I could count on it to be available, working.
We desperately need more master classrooms in Liberal Arts, particularly Peck Hall
“Focus” is important – technology should support learning, the learner and the facilitator and not the other way around.
You can only create an environment conducive to learning; you can only encourage students / faculty to learn; you cannot teach anyone anything.
When the University is serious about web-based instructions, its development will be part of my workload.
Problem: TIME !! There isn’t enough time for this, reasonable teaching and research!
I believe technology can allow profs to not personally interact with students or disable student peer interaction.
Not enough time to develop use of instructional technology.
We need more Master Classrooms.
At this point, I do not have access to a computer station to display presentations in class. I use a 17” monitor (student lab station) to display for 18 – 30 students at a time. This is not adequate for teaching effectively. I also do not have a office station that supports the software that my students use to develop their projects. The dept refuses to buy the station for my office because it is over 1000.00. To evaluate student projects, I must take their projects home. This is very disturbing.
Unfortunately, there seems to be very little technology to use in the classrooms where I have been teaching public speaking. This is foolish, since students are given opportunities to practice communication skills, but rarely have to equipment.
need more time to develop my skills.
Our department enrolls a good number of non-traditional students. They do need extra assistance in gaining the technological literacy skills needed to compete with traditional students. Any extra help here would be great.
But not at the expense of keeping the technology needed for academic programs. Way too much was spent on master classrooms out TAF funds last year at the expense of leaving out-of-date instruments in the chemistry dept. There should be no more master classrooms added until all departmental technology needs (state-of-art instruments) are met.
We need more master classrooms & more rewards for working on computer-based course work. DMC is where I get help—where is it in this evaluation survey?
It is critical in this day to consider & facilitate accessibility features in all aspects of computer & technology use! Failure to do so makes this medium an impossibility for those with access issues, thereby causing detriment to both professor and students.
OIT’s new faculty sessions (both general & later) are just a presentation of organizational chart about which no one cares. Presentations ought to be: here’s what we can help you do, here’s the system (WebMT, Course Info, desk top) that can help you, here’s who you call to access system and learn about it, In other words, give use needs and services not “who does what”
The master classrooms have the computer to one side—I’m stuck there—still the teacher is the center of attention—yet I can’t interact in proximity to students—
It is frustrating that we are pushed into computer technology as if it’s a panacea for instruction. There are plenty of more useful supplies out there, such as human cadavers for Anatomy lab, that computers will never, ever be better than! Computer enhancement of instruction is great, but unfortunately MTSU is riding the fad wagon & ignoring other technology & tools. Furthermore, every faculty I have spoken to regarding we-based classes says they are more time-consuming than traditional classes. So I say give us the lighter contact load that this warrants!
I still think it’s more fun to teach a “real” class rather than an on-line one. There is a lot of communication that takes place non-verbally, which does not translate digitally.
As usual, my impressions of this questionare at seem biased towards providing positive answers to instructional technology—It is hard to speak bad about it, but it is overated. Showing students pretty pictures tends to dumb down education, not improve. Students need to learn in abstract black & white—they are coming into class without basic math & thinking skills—our textbooks (&instruction) are becoming picture-books!
Needs to be a plan to keep hardware working & updated in order to entice use. Web based should NOT take the place of teaching if students wish to have personal explanations given by faculty. Some faculty use it as a means to put distance between the faculty & student.
I am very “technology savvy” and run a home based web business as a hobby. I am not anti-technology just against being pressured to use it when I feel it is inappropriate
Keep up the great work. I really appreciate all that you all do! Thanks!
OIT support is lacking at MTSU. Service is poor. Personnel, including Mgmt does not follow-through w/faculty requests for assistance. Turn around time not acceptable
OIT does a great job in providing both instruction and support for teaching technology—just needs more help—
Courseinfo has completely changed the way I teach and allows me to interact more with individual students, to provide them with access to research and learning opportunities beyond the classroom and library, and to support independent and collaborative behaviors among students.
The workload at MTSU is not conducive to learning new technologies. Also, the availability of maser classrooms is extremely limited. Computer technology could be used far more effectively if it were available in all classrooms.
More tutoring is needed for master classrooms and to upgrade older systems
Support at OIT is crucial.
There are about 300 studies on learning on computers. The vast majority show that they are not more or less effective than any other method. Therefore, don’t expect computers to have any influence on learning. Steve Schmidt in the psych. Department did a study and found one diff. As did Skip Kendrick.
Poor questionaire!
A very interesting survey. Well planned—thought through.
In this business world, (I worked for AmSouth for a year) I see that people want to know how to do their work (on the computer) but rarely do they know why! (ie they want to know how to put 2 + 2 into calculator, bur rarely do they know why 2 + 2 = 4)
I make great use of e-mail for sending info, messages, supplemental info on lectures, websites of interest etc to students. This ability (opportunity) has enhanced my teaching.
It is difficult for me to answer the above as I am new here just learning the ropes. I have used technology (computer, calculators, computer-based laboratories, etc) extensively—but not at MTSU as my computer is inadequate (low memory, cannot adequately handle Internet) and the software & hardware I am used to is not currently available to me! Question: x5582
I took classes here before technology & now with it the understanding & depth of a subject is unimaginable—PLEASE KEEP!! GROVEY!
Time—I need more time! Courseinfo has worked great this semester.