Supporting Students through E-Textbooks and Problem-Based Software

"Please Don't Make Me Buy a Textbook": Using ExtraOERdinary Materials to Save Money and Increase Access for Students
Lisa C. Young, Instructional Design/Ed Tech Faculty, Scottsdale Community College
The Maricopa Millions project is saving students money and creating greater access to learning materials using open educational resources. This presentation will provide details on how a very large community college district is developing awareness of OER to faculty and students, increasing use of OER and documenting critical measures. The presenters will share how the targeting of developmental education courses and high-enrollment classes ensures students have the learning materials necessary on day one of class (or before) without having to break the bank.

OUTCOMES: Identify strategies to increase awareness and use of OER at your institution * Identify strategies for documenting the use and impact of OER * Understand the impact of the use of OER on cost and access, from a student view

Pathfinder and ThinkSpace: 13 Years of Software Development to Teach Discipline-Specific Problem Solving and Clinical Judgment
Jared Danielson, Director of Curricular and Student Assessment, Iowa State University of Science and Technology
Current research emphasizes the instructor's crucial role in providing students with meaningful practice, reflection, and feedback opportunities. Nonetheless, it can be difficult to provide students with carefully designed and meaningful practice and timely feedback in commonly available computer-based teaching environments. We will describe two related learning tools that address this challenge, the diagnostic Pathfinder and ThinkSpace. Participants will review research showing the importance of meaningful practice, process, and reflection; learn characteristics of effective computer-based practice environments; and conceptualize the design of meaningful problems in their own content areas using veterinary medicine, business communication, and food science/nutrition as examples.

OUTCOMES: Understand the importance of engaging students in effective problem-solving and reflective practice activities * Identify the characteristics of practice activities that engage students in meaningful problem solving * Adapt the characteristics of effective practice activities to your own content area * Design effective computer-based, problem-solving activities that will promote student learning