UP Tech Talk Podcast

Dr. Tammy VanDeGrift and Niki Schulz both know what it's like to teach a classroom of engineering students and wonder how much actually sinks in with students. Now there's a way to find out. Both have been experimenting with recording class material on video and asking students to watch before coming to class. As a result, class time can be used for small group collaborative exercises in problem solving. Students get to interact with each other and Schulz and VanDeGrift get to find out how well students are grasping new concepts and putting them into practice.

Gwynn Klobes wants students to answer a fundamental question before launching out into the world of business. “Who Am I?” is one of life’s most perplexing questions but Junior year business students have an opportunity to explore some answers while working through a unique process of scripting and shooting a “Brand Identity” video

Dr. Phyllis Egby, Assistant Professor of Education, is proof that you don't have to be a tech star to be a super star who uses technology.

Dr. Tanya Crenshaw, Associate Professor of Computer Science in the Shiley School of Engineering, talked with us recently about her passion for making videos for use in the classroom and for UP's GreenDot program. Dr. Crenshaw favors a creative approach to video making including the use of props (like a box of toys) and her own freestyle drawings. In the podcast, she talks about the value-add for her students from her use of carefully selected online videos and tutorials as well as her own creations to free up some class time for more interaction.

While it's easier than ever to find great visuals, awesome music, and video excerpts that are perfect for your presentation or project, it's also more problematic than ever to use them. New laws, licensing, and other restrictions present a complicated landscape to navigate when you're just trying to finish a PowerPoint. Here to decipher some of the more confusing aspects of what you can and cannot use is Heidi Senior, Reference & Instruction Librarian with the Clark Library.

Mary Oaks, Associate Prof of Nursing, is known for her vibrant red hair, upbeat personality, and penchant for storytelling, often playing the parts of many different patients in the SIM lab which she manages or peppering her in-class sessions with tales from the trenches of being an Army nurse and an ER veteran. She is also a frequent "flipper" of her classroom, using the Explain Everything app to include striking visuals and interactions in her presentations.

University of Portland recently expanded it's study-abroad options for Engineering majors from a week summer term only to also allow for a full Spring semester in Salzburg, Austria, offering students a chance for "greater cultural and language immersion". Today we are joined by Niki Shulz, an Instructor with the Shiley School of Engineering, who spoke with us about using state of the art web conferencing software to offer tutoring and support to Engineering majors half a world away.

Preparing teacher candidates to handle the landscape of the 21rst century classroom is one of the many tasks in front of UP’s Dr. John Watzke, Dean of the School of Education. Dr. Watzke talked with us about the gaps that exist in schools and current efforts to address them.