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SECTIONS FRAMEWORK
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Bates, A. W., & Poole, G. (2003). Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education: Foundations for Success. Jossey-Bass, An Imprint of Wiley. 10475 Crosspoint Blvd, Indianapolis, IN 46256.
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The SECTIONS framework is based on an acronym representing the criteria that should be considered when selecting instructional technologies. It may be used for analyzing the relative merits of a particular form of rich media:
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Students:Is it appropriate for your student population?Consider:student demographics, student accessibility, and student learning styles. • Are transferrable skills being developed?
• Does the technology allow for an appropriate degree of openness to the community beyond registered course participants?
• Can students show their work via web link (url)?
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Ease of Use: Is the interface and design reliable and intuitive to the learner?Consider:Free plug-ins, navigation panels, help and instructions on use. • Will students need to make a major investment in time to learn how to use the technology?
• Will I need to make a major investment in time to learn this technology?
• Am I comfortable enough with the technology to guide students?
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Cost Structure:Is the production cost reasonable?Consider:Cost of software, development time, skilled development staff, and cost of maintenance and updates. • Are the time costs relatively low to design a learning environment using this technology (or at least cost/benefit ratio is favorable)?
• Will students incur additional costs as a result of incorporating this new technology/approach?
• Are there licensing costs associated with the hosting/archivingof materials beyond the life of the course?
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Teaching & Learning: Will it enhance learning?Consider:Student engagement, learning styles, and active learning. • Does this technology support the learning goals that I have identified?
• Will students be engaged in authentic, real-world learning as a result of implementing this technology?
• Does this technology support peer/self assessment as well as instructor assessment?
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Interactivity:Does it move the learner beyond just reading, viewing and listening?Consider:End-user experience, interaction and feedback. • Does this technology support interactions with peers, instructors and others associated or contributing to the learning tasks?
• Does this technology allow for sharing/collaboration with learning communities beyond registered course participants?
• Can people easily interact with the products/resources developed in the course?
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Organization:Is an effective organizational system in place to ensure that a particular media or technology is both feasible and practical?Consider:Campus resources, skilled development and support staff for instructors and students, and server/hosting technologies. • Are the support structures in place to maintain and update this technology?
• Is there help available for me or my students if we need it?
• Is there a way for me to retrieve my material if this technology fails or is replaced?
• Does this technology work with the SIS?
• Will students need to manage their own accounts?
• Will I need to add students manually into the online environment?
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Novelty:Does it offer a welcome relief from instruction that relies heavily on text?Consider:Students as digital natives, and their engagement/motivation. • Will this represent a new approach to teaching for me?
• Will this provide a new and (novel) learning experience for students?
• Are there examples of use in an educational context?
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Speed:Is it quick to implement and update?Consider:Time to produce and modify, and design templates.• Can I make changes to content and learning activities on the fly?
• Is this a new (beta) technology or “tried and true”?
• Can I (ultimately) be independent in my development with the use of this technology?
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