This paper discusses issues surrounding the development and implementation of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) at the curriculum-and programlevels. The Japanese program at the University of Alberta has introduced CALL courseware in language courses including those with multiple sections. An evaluation was conducted at the initial implementation stage to measure the success of the project. The results of the evaluation indicated that students and instructors were positive towards the curriculum reform through the implementation of CALL technologies. However, several issues also arose during the integration process. We found that the seamless integration of technologies was diffi cult to achieve, especially in dealing with a language like Japanese which requires additional software to display and input the idiographic characters. Our experience also underscores the importance of student support in the implementation stage. Special consideration should be taken to achieve a good "fi t" between pedagogy and technology. Moreover, each instructorʼs understanding and sharing of his or her view of the CALL integrated instruction was found to be vital for a program-level CALL implementation. The University of Alberta case serves as an example and benchmark for others planning to conduct a similar project.
Executive SummaryStudies in gender have offered many reasons for the differing attitudes and skill levels that male and female undergraduate students possess when it comes to learning technology skills. Male and female students have differing learning styles influenced by such experiential factors as biology, historical inequalities, inconsistent political rights, and problems of sociological constructions. Studies such as Clegg and Trayhurn's (2000) in the United Kingdom (UK), Crews and Butterfield's (2003) in the United States, the European Union's (EU) the Women in Technology North West's surveys (2004), and the World Bank's research (2005) demonstrate that the gender gap is a reality when it comes to technology training, in most institutions and countries, both developed and developing. The gender gap persists despite many efforts to curb the effects of institutional and social inequality. However, the gender gap is different in each context and must be contextualized in each situation; in fact, the gender gap as a term conflates several different arguments and may indeed contribute to misunderstandings of the issue.In May 2003, the Technology Edge Research Project completed a major study of undergraduate liberal arts students and their attitudes concerning the technology skills that they have gained during university. This report builds upon the findings of the Technology Edge Research Project's preliminary needs assessment; this research was documented in a previous article in the Journal of Information and Technology Education (JITE) entitled, "Providing a Technology Edge for Liberal Arts Students" (Butler, Chao, & Ryan, 2003).Elaborating on our findings as they specifically related to gender issues, this paper addresses the following research questions: 1) Is there a gender gap between final year male and female undergraduate students when it comes to information technology (IT) skills?2) What are the differences in attitudes and self-reported skill levels of final year male and female undergraduate students, in both the arts and non-arts? What is the relationship between these attitudes and measured aptitudes?3) How can educators address these differences, when they develop and deploy materials designed to improve IT skills?
A B S T R AC T Numerous challenges face teaching staff in a postsecondary institution who wish to explore their options and integrate technology into their teaching practice. The Arts Technologies for Learning Centre (Arts TLC) at the University of Alberta has adopted a model that enables students to support teaching staff by taking the role of technology mentors to them.The student mentors guide, advise and teach the teaching staff about the appropriate use of technology. The emphasis is less on the production of materials, and more on the development of self-sufficiency for the teaching staff member. The successes, challenges and prospects of this approach are discussed. K E Y WO R D S : mentoring, professional development, technolo gy integration, technolo gy training active learning in higher education
Too often, computers become the focus of a technological integration endeavor in education. Instructors may well be excited about the potential uses of computer-assisted education, but at the same time feel lost in a high-tech jungle. However, computer technology is just a means to an end. The real question for instructors and course designers is how to understand a course holistically, including its goals, content, structure, teaching methods, and even the underlying theories of learning. This holistic analysis helps determine the best way to incorporate technology, or a variety of technologies, to deliver a course effectively. This chapter describes, through a case study, this holistic approach towards course design and presents the implications for using educational technologies in a conventional classroom setting.
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