Using Technology to Engage Online Students in the UIS Campus Student Arts & Research Symposium University of Illinois at Springfield Carrie Switzer, Ph.D.

Using Technology to Engage Online Students in the UIS Campus Student Arts & Research Symposium

University of Illinois at SpringfieldCarrie Switzer, Ph.D. Layne Morsch, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Psychology Associate Professor of Chemistry

Michele Gribbins, M.B.A. Sheryl Reminger, Ph.D. Online Learning Specialist Associate Professor of Psychology

Meagan Cass, Ph.D. Abigail Walsh, D.M.A.Assistant Professor of English Applied Music Specialist

Symposium Overview

• Campus-wide undergraduate and graduate student symposium.

• Combined natural sciences, social sciences, computer science, humanities, art, music, & theatre.

• Two day event: performances, art exhibition, oral presentations, poster presentations, and keynote speakers.

UIS Online

• Online students encompass over 1/3 of the UIS student population.

• Over 50% of credit hours at UIS are from online enrollments.

• A goal of the symposium was to engage online students and make presentations accessible to every member of the campus community.

Online Student Involvement

• Online faculty and program coordinators encourage students to present.

• Options for involvement include:• Presenting remotely.• Traveling to campus and

presenting in person.• Watching remotely.

• Live/Synchronous• Archived/Asynchronous

Technology

• Live-streaming via Office of Electronic Media.• Microsoft Lync

• Remote presenters interact through Lync and are displayed to the on-campus audience.

• Online students can ask questions in real time via online chat.

• Online facilitators for all presentations.• Student presentations and keynote addresses are

archived on the symposium webpage.• http://www.uis.edu/undergraduateresearch/stars/stars-webcast/

Benefits to Students & Faculty

• Online Students • Have access to similar research opportunities as on-campus

students.• Are offered a unique and meaningful way to feel more connected

to their faculty mentors, other students, and the university.• On-Campus Students

• Presenters can critique their own archived presentations.• Can view archived sessions and participate in the symposium

even if they are not able to attend.• Faculty

• Can create assignments based on the keynote addresses and/or student presentations for their online and on-campus classes.

Challenges & Recommendations

• Funding• Obtain support from administration and centralized source of

funding.• Department participation

• Meet with specific faculty members to educate and encourage involvement.

• Increasing student involvement, especially online.• Encourage faculty to offer extra credit to attend the symposium.• Have faculty develop class assignments using symposium

presentations and keynote speakers.• Create online promotional videos.• Offer travel grants to online students who want to come to

campus to present.

Challenges & Recommendations

• Technical/Logistical Difficulties• Ask students in advance

what their presentation format will be. Microsoft Lync does not work for all presentation styles.

• Judging