Executive Summary of Results

I am still involved in the final stages of the creation of the project, as is my Project Coordinator, Kathryn Propst, and others with whom I am working at the Teaching and Learning Technologies Center. Already, though, it has completely changed my Z401/Music of the Beatles course, adding a new multimedia dimension that now serves as the platform for the entire course. I am currently teaching Z401 with the new materials, and I plan to have the project essentially complete by the end of the current semester (though further revisions and updating will be ongoing).

Need for the Project

My Z401/Music of the Beatles course has migrated this year from a small seminar (30 students) to a large (350 student) lecture format. The extensive multimedia materials I created for my Z201-Z202/History of Rock Music courses were the direct inspiration for the creation of the Z401 course materials. As in Z201-Z202, the Beatle materials have created an entirely new platform for the course, providing a constant visual thread to parallel the audio examples I play in class and ending forever the days when I had to arrive in class with an armload of CD's, cassettes and videotapes. I now have a huge bank of audio examples available with the click of a mouse or keystroke, which makes navigation much easier and allows for a more detailed examination of every song and musical influence.

Use of Technology

This project has focused exclusively on the creation of materials for use inside the classroom (bypassing any copyright complications). It is, in essence, all about methods of storing and delivering content: the capture, archiving, compression and delivery of audio and video materials. My work with the TLTC staff has centered around the discovery of the best solutions for addressing my specific teaching needs, an ideal course development situation that the SBC Fellowship has made possible. I have been able to imagine the materials I would wish to have available and the means by which I would like to present them, and then find ways to make those ideas a reality through the design of a user interface that makes an enormous archive of audio and video examples available in an intuitive and functional manner. It is a huge project, really, and it is hard to describe its scope and logistics in words. I am very much looking forward to the opportunity to demonstrate aspects of it at future SBC Fellows and related events.

Instructional Design Plan

Describe how the use of technology used supported your teaching approach:

• What student learning outcomes were expected?
• How did your teaching plan encourage active learning, provide feedback, address respective learning styles, and build collaboration?
• What resources were used? (campus technology support services, etc.)
• Would your project be easily understood and executed by other faculty?

My project might not translate easily to other environments where audio and video media are not an issue, but I am certainly convinced about the importance of using a variety of media whenever possible, especially in large classes, to keep the attention and interest of this generation of college students, who respond well to a level of sensory stimulation that might have seemed distracting in earlier days. I expected that this project would have a dramatic effect on both my teaching and my students' engagement with the material, and that has proven to be the case, judging from feedback I have received during the semester.

This work has been a true partnership with the Teaching & Learning Technologies Centers in Bloomington, and it simply would not have been possible without their extraordinary support.

Potential to Impact Student Learning

Clearly define how your project improved student learning - include specific examples of how your project:

• Fostered depth of learning
• Supported efforts to improve retention
• Fostered the learning of large numbers of students
• Has broader applications that will affect learning K-12 or community environments?

The project has allowed for a much more intimate look at the Beatle´s lives and music. Where in the past I might have simply told a story or described a scene, I now have photos and videos a mouse click away. Since the Beatles seemed to spend every waking moment in front of a camera or microphone, there is certainly no shortage of material. (I am still sifting through the hours of available video, and making choices about what to include.) For the biographical aspects of their career, I can now literally narrate a "slideshow" through the entire semester, while the musical elements are now remarkably detailed, with every available demotape, alternate take and outtake serving as a study of the Beatles' creative process. (There are, for example, nine versions of "Strawberry Fields Forever" chronicled en route to the final, released version.) Fortunately, the Beatles' music holds up remarkably well under intense scrutiny, and loses none of its joy and energy in the process.

These materials are ideal for my large classes, as they provide a focus for attention and an easy means of relaying of specific information (song structure, recording dates, etc.), taking the place of the chalkboard, overhead projectors and so on.

Assessment Plan

Briefly explain the effectiveness of your assessment plan:

• What measure of assessment was used?
• How did your approach obtain measures of performance?
• Did you feel your measurement was accurate and effective?

I rely on feedback during class and email from students, all of which has been very positive. I have also enlisted the current class to check for mistakes and typos, and they have been quite helpful in pointing these out and are clearly paying close attention to the material.

Plan for Colleague Development

Describe your role and activities as a mentor:

• What mentoring activities were implemented to assist colleagues?
• How did you help to develop colleague's instructional technology skills?
• How do you think your contributions to the Knowledge Base will help colleagues planning similar projects?
• Is your project approach potentially applicable to other contexts or disciplines?
• What tips would you offer?

My colleague Andy Hollinden used an early version of the program during his offering of the Z401 Music of the Beatles course during this past summer session (while I was teaching in London), and I was able to receive positive and constructive hands-on feedback from him, and I assume this will be the case in the future as well.

Beyond that, I have not really had the opportunity to share the project with others, but I look forward to occasions when that might be possible.

I am aware that I have a unique subject matter, one that lends itself particularly well to this type of media-rich approach. I am not sure if my experience or approach would translate well to other courses or disciplines, but I am certainly sold on the value of custom-designed multimedia materials for engaging student interest and facilitating the delivery of course materials, whatever they may be.

Final Comments on Project Results

• Do you think you met the goals of your project?
• What, if anything,would you do differently?
• Did you have any unexpected outcomes? (positive or negative)
• Would you recommend this teaching approach to colleagues?
• What other comments or suggestions would you offer to complete this report?

Yes! The goals of the project have been met and exceeded and my courses and students have clearly benefited from the new course format, which has completely reenergized my teaching and my own engagement with the material. Although the work has continued beyond the bounds of the specific grant period, the SBC Fellowship really made this work possible, as it provided the resources and the rationale for the time I have devoted to the project. The fellowship was, for me, perfectly timed and much appreciated.

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Last updated: 18 May, 2007

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