Best Practices for Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning: Connecting to Psychology and the Social Sciences

The use of technology and teaching techniques derived from technology is currently a bourgeoning topic in higher education. Teachers at all levels and types of institutions want to know how these new technologies will affect what happens in and outside of the classroom. Many teachers have already embraced some of these technologies but remain uncertain about their educational efficacy. Other teachers have waited because they are reluctant to try tools or techniques that remain unproven or, as is often the case, lack institutional support. This book is designed to help both groups, so that those with technological expertise can extend their knowledge, while technological novices can "ramp up" at their own pace and for their own purposes.

Best Practices for Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning brings together expert teacher-scholars who apply and assess technology's impact on traditional, hybrid or blended, or completely on-line courses, relying on technology as a teaching tool for classroom management and interaction (e.g., Blackboard, PowerPoint, student response or "clicker systems," multimedia tools), as well as student-based uses of technology largely independent of instructors (e.g., social networking on popular sites including Facebook and MySpace). Each chapter will address how technological improvements can be connected to assessment initiatives, as is now routinely advocated in psychology and social science education. The book features current scholarship and pedagogy involving innovative technology that impacts on student learning in psychology and related disciplines, focusing also on student reactions to these novel technologies, and proper assessments of how well they promote learning. This text will serve as the standard reference on emerging technologies for undergraduate instructors.

Dana S. Dunn is currently professor of psychology and director of the Learning in Common Curriculum at Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA. He is the author or editor of 12 books and over 100 articles, chapters, and book reviews. Dr. Dunn frequently speaks on assessment matters, issues facing higher education, and psychological topics at professional conferences, and he served as President of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology in 2010. Dana Dunn is winner of the 2013 Charles L. Brewer Award for Distinguished Teaching of Psychology from the American Psychological Foundation (of the APA). Janie H. Wilson is a professor at Georgia Southern University, where she has been teaching for over 15 years. Dr. Wilson's research on teaching focuses on the importance of building rapport with students. She conducts studies on student evaluations of rapport as related to students' attitudes, motivation, and grades. Recent and current projects include building rapport through touch such as a handshake, electronic communication such as email, and numerous immediacy behaviors as well as examining the importance of the first day of class. Dr. Wilson currently serves as the Program Director in the Society for the Teaching of Psychology. James E. Freeman has been teaching for over 34 years and is currently a professor of psychology and director of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Virginia. Dr. Freeman's specialty area is research methods and statistics. He has also served in various capacities for the Society for the Teaching of Psychology and committees for the American Psychological Association. Jeffrey R. Stowell is an associate professor at Eastern Illinois University. His research interests are in test anxiety, and how technology can enhance student learning. Dr. Stowell currently serves as the Internet Editor for the Society for the Teaching of Psychology.