Business profits from technology

Using a program called Elluminate, Fisher’s image appeared on his student’s computers. Using his PowerPoint notes, he lectured his students while they sat at home or in their dorms.

Fisher, an economics professor, was visiting Chulalongkorn University, the premier institution of higher learning in Thailand.

Fisher sent his students an email with a link to the video. The students could then see and hear their professor as he taught them from thousands of miles away.

They were free to ask questions via instant messaging that appeared for all to see. Elluminate allows up to six students to appear at once to talk with their professor, if they turn on their cameras.

Fisher could take roll to see how many of his students were watching the lecture. Additionally, the session was also recorded for students to go back and view parts they might have missed.

The business college’s distance teach programs not only enhance learning, but also mirrors real-life and the types of interactions students can expect in the business world, said Frank Gonzales, instructional technology consultant for the Orfalea College of Business. Many big corporations in the world use programs similar to Elluminate in their business dealings, Gonzales said.

The college is aiming to help its students succeed with the increased use of technology, said Brian Tietje, associate dean of the college.

“The Orfalea College of Business is strongly committed to supporting student success by leveraging technology to deliver learning experiences across both time and distance,” Tietje said.

The college is putting emphasis on business technologies to help reduce the average cost of instruction. The technology is also there to provide flexibility to help match different student learning needs, Tietje said.

There are several different tools in use right now at the college. The first is Blackboard, which is used by most professors at Cal Poly.

Blackboard helps a lot in making classes more efficient in that professors can see what resources students are accessing and how much they are doing so, economics senior Patrick Holder, a fourth-year economics major who tutors business students.

Business professors are using another tool called Aplia, an online homework program. Professor Eric Fisher said he has found the program to be very useful.

“Aplia is very good software, it creates mini scenarios for students to learn about economic principles like supply and demand,” Fisher said.

The program is practical for students and a good learning tool, Holder said.

Aplia gives problems and experiments for students to work out on their computers. It’s these simulated scenarios that are in-line with real situations that people in the business world face, Holder said.

Another system in place at the college is called iClicker. It’s an interactive tool that is built into PowerPoint for use in lectures.

“One of the main detractions of big lectures is passive learning,” Professor Fisher said.

iClicker turns this around. Each student brings a small remote to class that’s equipped with buttons A through D on it.

Every 10 to 15 minutes a slide will appear with a problem on it and the available answers. The students must “click” the answer they want to try.

The results appear for the professor to see. From here the professor can determine where the class is at, in terms of which answers were the most common or how many students answered correctly, Patrick Holder said.

Not only does this keep students attentive, but also it gives them incentive to show up to class, Fisher said.

“It keeps the students a little bit more awake and gets them to see the importance of lectures and showing up,” Fisher added.

The technology in place at the college has made learning and teaching accessible in many different ways.

“There is a treasure chest of assets and tons of content available for professors to teach their students better,” Gonzales said.

Instructional designer Teresa Cameron was hired at the college to promote and develop the program into the college.

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“We’ve made it possible for students to complete their courses while away from Cal Poly on their internships, while professors are off campus for conferences and research, and for guest speakers to visit our students ‘virtually’ from across the country and the globe,” Tietje said.

In the end, students get better learning environments and are given access to a wealth of resources, Cameron said.

Business sophomore Zach Kiolbasa said he feels that the technology is preparing him for the real world.

“I feel the technology state of the college is expanding and it’s good because I need to learn different ways to communicate with people in the business world besides face to face,” Kiolbasa said.