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CITES EdTech would like to spotlight some of the faculty that
we work with. Periodically, we will add profiles and multimedia interviews of distinguished faculty regarding their own experiences with online teaching and their thoughts about the future of educational technology. If
you would like to be a part of our faculty showcase, please email
us at edtech@uiuc.edu.
 Vernon Burton
Professor of History and Sociology
A Nationally Recognized Advocate for Web-Based Learning
Professor Vernon Burton is a UIUC Distinguished
Teacher/Scholar who heads the initiative for Humanities and Social
Sciences Projects at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. An eloquent and thoughtful proponent of online technology, Burton's latest book, Computing in the Social Sciences and Humanities, explores the intersection of traditional disciplines and advanced technology. Professor Burton is also Project Director of Riverweb, one of the most dynamic interdisciplinary web sites in the world.
 Donna Charlevoix
Lecturer of Atmospheric Sciences
Encouraging Active Learning in Large, Introductory Classes
Like many teachers of large classes, Donna Charlevoix
wondered what her students were getting
out of her lectures. She worried that she was too
focused on the mechanics of managing a lecture, while her students
were concentrating on little more than the acquisition of information
that would help them correctly answer questions on a test. To address
this conundrum, Charlevoix turned to inquiry-based
learning. She redesigned the
entire curriculum in the introductory atmospheric science courses
so that they focused on student research projects and experimentation.
To pull this off in her large-enrollment classes, she needed to
rely on a number of different classroom and online technologies.
 Gary Cziko
Professor of Educational Psychology and English as an International
Language
Always Exploring
While many faculty members use online quizzes in more
traditional ways, Professor Gary Cziko has embraced online communication tools. He uses the Illinois Compass quiz tool to offer his students dynamic, collaborative, group quizzes in his educational psychology statistics courses. Using a campus computer lab during class as a medium for active learning, Professor Cziko has his students take online quizzes in small groups, which allows them to work together to solve problems. Professor Cziko also hosts a number of online research projects in language learning. Besides actively exploring much of the latest communication, computer, and Internet technologies, Professor Cziko also stays busy playing jazz locally.
 Cleora D'Arcy
Professor of Crop Sciences
Innovative Practices in Teaching and Learning
In the course she teaches, Plant Pathology 200: Plants, Pathogens, and People, Professor Cleora D'Arcy takes an exemplary approach to teaching a large class of 75 students by matching the multiple learning styles of her students with a variety of teaching activities. Professor D'Arcy believes that good teaching requires giving students multiple paths into the subject matter and to not force students down any one specific path that may prove to be inappropriate for the individual student. The multiple path approach helps the instructors reach all students in the class, thus enabling the students to attain their full potential in learning the subject matter.
 Jon Gunderson
Project Director, Disability Resources and Educational Services; Coordinator, Assistive Communication and Information Technology
Our Illinois Campus Expert on Accessibility and Web Design
Jon Gunderson's continued research interests focus on how to improve the design of assistive technology for people with disabilities to achieve maximum performance and greater independence in their use of computer-based technologies. Currently he is working on projects related to the web and information technology accessibility. He is the past chair of the of the W3C User Agent Working Group and is currently involved in making DHTML more accessible as part of the W3C Protocols and Formats Working Group. He also developed the PC Talking Typing Tutor, a software program for Microsoft Windows to teach people with visual impairments and blindness how to touch type, and the Illinois Accessible Web Publishing Wizard for Microsoft Office.
 Walter Hurley
Professor of Animal Science
Always Thinking: Technology and Inquiry-Based Learning
Professor Walt Hurley transformed his course from one that relied on a traditional lecture format to one that centered on problem solving and inquiry-based learning. To effect this transformation, he made relatively simple technology - mostly simple web pages that he constructs himself - serve his pedagogical purposes. As his course evolved from a traditional lecture model to a course completely based around inquiry learning, Professor Hurley has used technology to support and enable his new course model. His web site is not simply a textbook, or a collection of handouts in a course packet, but a true online reference, which is used all over the world. It allows students to choose what they want to learn when they want to learn it, as they work through case studies he assigns to them.
 Christian Sandvig
Assistant Professor of Speech Communication
Leading Campus in Combining Creative Student Projects with Blogs
Facing increased enrollment in his course in communication technology and society, and wanting to keep his commitment to writing assignments, Professor Christian Sandvig moved all of his writing assignments - and all the feedback to students - to blogs. He finds that with good planning he has kept the teaching workload manageable. At the same time students have responded with a good quality of writing and creativity, and even incorporating the use of multimedia (such as images and movies) on their own initiative. To put this transformation into effect, he kept the technology simple and put most of his energy into sound teaching techniques: creative assignments, thoughtful and thorough feedback, and consistency in responding to writing.
 Shelly Schmidt
Professor of Food Chemistry
Engaging Students Through Multimedia
Professor Shelly Schmidt was an early adopter of online
technology, posting extensive materials on the web for
her students. Her online lectures smartly combine text,
hyperlinks, images, sound, and video. Her dedication to
teaching has been recognized through numerous awards, including
the Excellence in Extramural Teaching Award, the Excellence in
College and University Teaching in the Food and Agricultural Science
Regional Award, the Institute of Food Technologists Samuel C.
Prescott Young Investigator Award, the Agriculture and Food Chemistry
Division of the American Chemical Society Young Investigator Award,
and the University of Illinois University Scholar Award.
 Bruce Wicks
Associate Professor and Director, Office of Recreation and Tourism
Development
Collaborating Across the Internet
Professor Bruce Wicks has pioneered using online
course materials across time zones and cultures. Joined
by a colleague in Korea, Professor Wicks had students in the U.S. collaborate
with students in Korea on developing web-based itineraries for
traveling in the U.S. Realizing the revolution the web has
brought about in the tourism industry, Professor Wicks has engaged his students
in web development group projects that enhance the study of tourism through the use
of the field's technology.
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