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Four UA faculty members are teaching courses at Centennial Hall that will offer enhanced technology to aid instruction and student learning.

By La Monica Everett-Haynes, University Communications
August 24, 2009

Elaine Marchello has spent years using index cards to gather information about her students while using the traditional lecture style to teach them. 

But with the start of school on Monday, she is one of four University of Arizona faculty members who are teaching one of the largest and most technology-infused classes offered at The University of Arizona.

Marchello, coordinator of Undergraduate Programs and a veterinary science and microbiology lecturer, will be teaching "Human and Animal Interrelationships From Domestication to the Present" at Centennial Hall.

She expects teaching at Centennial Hall will enable her to offer more content while creating an active learning environment that will be much more engaging than what she has previously experienced as a faculty member.

"I will have more and more time to spend with my students," said Marchello, also associate dean for the UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. "I will do my best to keep it as personal as I can so that the information will be useful to them." 

Two other courses to be offered at Centennial: "Introduction to Oceanography" will be taught by geosciences faculty George Gehrels and Joellen Russell; "Eroticism and Love in the Middle Ages" will be taught by Albrecht Classen, a UA Faculty Fellow and Distinguished Professor in the German studies department.

"We started with a modest number of faculty because we wanted to make sure we could provide the highest quality experience," said Melissa Vito, vice president of student affairs.

All the while, Vito said her division will collect data on the effectiveness of each class offered at Centennial Hall and also on student learning and the student experience at the venue.

This isn't the first time courses are being held at Centennial Hall, but the courses are substantially different than those held there decades ago.

Vito also said facilitators are also looking at placing support staff in the lobby of Centennial to be on hand after class to provide students with information about a range of University offerings, such as advising.

"I think the students are feeling good about this. We have done a lot to make this a great experience," Vito said. "We're piloting a specific type of learning support that we have not done before."  

For instance, classes will be recorded on video, allowing instructors to podcast their lectures if they choose.

Students taking Classen's course will be split into smaller cohorts or sections, allowing students to interact more closely with one another and a peer mentor.

And prior to the start of classes a large screen at Centennial Hall will be used for "passive instruction," Vito said, informing students "movie theater style" about upcoming events, resources and other information.

"We are thinking about the physical environment of Centennial and the ability it provides to convey information to a large number of students," Vito said. "We are also looking at learning as something you actively experience."

Also, students will be able to use their iPhones, iPod touch devices and BlackBerry smartphones during class. Another option for students in her class is to purchase a clicker, a wireless device that allows users to signal a response.

This is something Marchello said she is particularly thrilled about.

In the past, she has taught her "Human and Animal Interrelationships" course in the form of three back-to-back classes for a total of more than 500 students. Teaching at Centennial means she will teach 800 students in one class.

"I can reach more students in less time and with less stress," Marchello said. "This is wonderful. And I'm going to get instant feedback from the students." 

She intends to use the response systems daily to take attendance, test student learning and to also get feedback about the pace of the class.

"If I talk about something in class, I can find out right away if I didn't explain something well," she said, nothing that this type of teacher-student communication is especially valuable. She intends to enrich her course even further with Web resources and videos. 

"They've put a lot into this project," Marchello said. "And it's easy with the podcasts and the responsive wear – I was sold."