Online Teaching and Learning continues to grow at San Francisco State University (SFSU). Today's students need us to accommodate flexible schedules, alternative course locations, different learning preferences, various levels of background preparation, unequal access to technology, and much more. Using the online environment can improve curricular and co-curricular success, by allowing us to share files, to interact and collaborate, and to assess progress as students, teachers, and experts in our disciplines. Currently, Academic Technology leads and coordinates development, training, and support for several different online teaching and learning tools, including Learning Management Systems, Streaming Media Solutions, and Electronic Portfolios among others.
Online Teaching and Learning responds to emerging needs with new technologies and approaches that enable engaging teaching and learning experiences both in and out of the classroom. Online meeting spaces with web-based video conferencing (e.g., Elluminate) allow students to participate in interactive class meetings from home, work, or other off-campus locations. Online collaborative software, (e.g. ThinkTank), facilitates 100% student participation in brainstorming, critical thinking, peer review, and other interactive exercises. Plagiarism detection software, (e.g. Turnitin), allows students to check their written work for proper citation before submitting it to an instructor. More needs and solutions, such as podcasting, will continue to emerge each year.
The Online Teaching and Learning team provides help to faculty and students who use these tools in several ways:
