Integration Project: Mary Margaret Just

Project Overview

The primary objective is to integrate technology into SWK 321: Human Behavior and the Social Environment - Middle Adulthood to Death so that students at the Morehead and Prestonsburg campuses can use MSU library-based resources efficiently and effectively, communicate with the instructor and other students to meet course objectives, and enhance their capacity to use computer technology.

PT3 Faculty Technology Integration Grant
Winter/Spring Semester 2002

The primary objective, integrating technology into SWK 321: Human Behavior and the Social Environment - Middle Adulthood to Death, involved 33 students meeting at three different times in two locations. Using computers in university computer laboratories in Morehead and Prestonsburg and student and instructor home computers made accessing library resources possible; facilitated communication over distance; and permitted communication at times most feasible for students, the Prestonsburg site coordinator, and the instructor.

Morehead students and Prestonsburg students used the data bases available through the MSU website link to Camden-Carroll library. Each student found, read, summarized and shared with classmates eight articles related to the topic for the week. The complete articles were available on the Internet to the instructor and interested students, which usually made printed copies unnecessary. Students and the Prestonsburg site coordinator used MSU email to seek clarification from the instructor. In a few situations students submitted their assignments by email.

The instructor transmitted lecture notes to students in all three groups using MSU email. Perhaps because students have a wide variety of hardware and software on the computers available to them, some problems with garbled reception occurred. Students who experienced problems found that forwarding MSU email to their other email accounts allowed them to read the notes. We used the emoticon :-s to express our mixed feelings.

To demonstrate achievement of the secondary objective of activities, files are available for Counsel on Social Work Education review that document the linkage between Morehead and Prestonsburg, interaction between students, site coordinator, and instructor, and the equivalency of instruction between sites.

All students were interviewed at the end of the semester. Most felt they had increased their ability to use computer technology. The MSU email system continues to be upgraded, which we hope will take care of some of the limitations we experienced.

We used email to arrange videotaping interviews in late June with the students in Prestonsburg and Morehead. The interviews were digitalized, edited, and transferred to CD-ROM by Patrick Hawkins, multimedia resource center director for the College of Science and Technology. The interviews were incorporated in a presentation "Bringing the Power of BSW Education to Rural America" for the 27th Annual Institute for Social Work and Human Services in Rural Areas on July 18.