Faculty Spotlight
May - June 2004: Shu-Li Chen
Teaching Strategies
College of Nursing professor advising students.
As in most academic areas, faculty in the College of Nursing recognize the
value of graduates who demonstrate exceptional communication skills and computer
literacy. Using Online@UT, according to Dr. Chen, provides significant opportunities
to practice both. For example, she requires her students to post their clinical
notes within the course discussion forums, fully expecting that all written
communication be up to the level of "real world," professional standards-spelling,
punctuation, grammar. Dr. Chen states these expectations clearly in her course
syllabus and models that behavior in her own posts.
College of Nursing professor advising students.
Online@UT also allows Dr. Chen's students-even those with heavy work loads who live far from campus-to participate in team projects. Rather that meet in person, team members share documents and ideas online via email, group discussion boards, and group chats. The same learning objectives are met, the same skills acquired, but the exchange of information occurs electronically and at a much greater convenience to all involved. In the process, Dr. Chen says, the technology alters familiar teaching models. In the traditional classroom, teachers deliver information that is then absorbed and (hopefully) regurgitated by students. Online interactions change that, demanding more direct input from student voices, more give and take.