Traditional lectures are a thing of the past in Dr. Joseph Ross’ genetics classes.
Instead of writing on a board with his back turned to students and talking for up to 80 minutes, Ross, a Fresno State biology professor, uses an iPad that projects onto a screen so he can draw equations, charts and more.
Then, he gets students involved using their own devices — tablets, laptops or smartphones. He conducts real-time polls online during class. He asks questions, has students answer through their devices (sometimes after small group discussions) and collects the responses in seconds to discuss them in class.
“I really wanted to have the students involved in doing, not just having me lecturing in front of the class, showing them screenshots of how to use online genetics analysis tools and then asking them to do it later,” Ross said. “It would be great if we could do it all together.”
Ross was one of the early adopters of Fresno State’s DISCOVERe mobile technology program in 2014, and he is one of nearly 400 faculty members now trained to teach courses using tablets and other technology.
The program, which started with 40 faculty members and 1,200 students, transforms the classroom experience to help students master digital literacy skills needed in the workforce. It increases group collaboration and reduces the cost of classroom textbooks and other materials by up to 72 percent.
This academic year, more than 12,000 Fresno State students are enrolled in DISCOVERe courses which make up about half of the classes offered on campus.
A campus loaner program provides 1,600 free iPads to students. The University purchased 400 new iPads this semester due to an increase in enrollment. Students can borrow the tablets through their entire college career as long as they are enrolled in at least one DISCOVERe course.
Fresno State President Joseph I. Castro’s vision for the program was to make technology accessible to all students so they have the tools they need to succeed and are prepared for careers that are increasingly dependent upon technology.
“DISCOVERe is among the University’s top priorities because of its clear benefits in empowering our talented and diverse students for success,” Castro said. “The pace at which our students and faculty have embraced this innovative program has surpassed our initial projections.”
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