Academic Technology Expert Mark Schlesinger Previews UMass’ Instructional Technology Conference

Posted on January 22, 2008 by Jennifer Brady

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[Editor’s Note: Mark Schlesinger, Ph.D. , is the Associate Vice President for Academic Technology in the Office of the President at the University of Massachusetts. He works with faculty and staff at the five University campuses to enhance teaching with technology. He is on leave from the Boston campus, where he is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies and former director of the Communication Studies Program. While at UMass Boston, he directed the Communication Studies program from 1996 through 2004, expanding the program’s options and introducing the Minor. Schlesinger came to UMass Boston in 1977, joining the College of Professional Studies (which later became the College of Management) to create a program in problem solving and communication skills. He led the development of UMass Boston’s first writing proficiency system, and later formed and led the Department of Analysis and Communication in the College of Management. He also served as that college’s Associate Dean and Assistant Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Boston. In addition to his courses on problem solving and critical thinking, he developed and taught offerings in analytical writing, information systems, media and society, and the intersection of information technology and human communication. He is a pioneer in the use of technology in the classroom and in distance education, and has won national recognition for his work in this area. His scholarly work has emphasized teaching and learning of cognitive and communicative skills. Dr. Schlesinger is also one of the individuals chiefly responsible for creating, managing, and nurturing a visionary annual University of Massachusetts event known as the Instructional Technology Conference. Next scheduled to occur April 11-12, 2008, we caught up with Dr. Schlesinger this week for an update of this year’s planned event highlights. Click to visit the conference site.]

Q: Before we launch into event specifics, Dr. Schlesinger, you’ve been in, around, associated with, and otherwise immersed in technology for a long time, isn’t that right?
Dr. Schlesinger: If acquiring my first personal computer in 1982 before many, if not most, UMass students today were born is a long time, then yes. It was an Osborne 1 and there aren’t very many people these days who have any idea what that was.

Q: We can fix that. Here’s a link to Wikipedia’s entry about Osborne Computer.
Dr. Schlesinger: How about this… I used to teach SuperCalc, write in WordStar and use a database management system known as dBase. If you include all that in this interview, you’re apt to lose your audience.

Q: Let’s take our chances. Here are informative links to SuperCalc, WordStar and dBase. In all seriousness, the technology has come a long way in what actually hasn’t been a very long time at all, wouldn’t you say?
Dr. Schlesinger: No question. It has. But you haven’t seen anything yet.

Q: Which brings us to your Instructional Technology Conference. New technology in higher education is what it is all about, isn’t it?
Dr. Schlesinger: Absolutely. But it’s important to know that this isn’t just about technology for its own sake. The things we want to talk about at the conference speak directly to where scholarship, technology and teaching and learning intersect or overlap. Technology’s relevance in higher education, in other words, is of chief importance.You can see this in our preliminary announcement of the two day session this year to be held in Boxborough, Massachusetts. We’ve asked for presentations and poster sessions on such topics as: Using IT to assess student learning; Teaching with technology with a focus on designing, developing, and implementing curricula in physical, online and blended settings; Technology tools in the physical and virtual classroom; and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning as it relates to the systematic inquiry into teaching, learning, and technology. The event is a real showcase of technology for and by our faculty throughout the University of Massachusetts system. In fact, current recipients of the University of Massachusetts Grants to Enhance Teaching and Learning will report on and demonstrate their work.

Q: Are presentation and poster proposal submissions still open?
Dr. Schlesinger: No, the deadline for submissions has passed. This year we had an unprecedented number of worthy proposals for concurrent sessions and poster demonstrations, and it was extremely difficult for the selection committee to make its choices. The committee met recently, and we’ll be sending out notifications very soon to everyone who submitted a proposal.

Q: In the past, your well-attended ITC events have been distinguished by tremendous keynote speakers. Last year I think you had Randy Bass of Georgetown University who is, among other things, the Executive Director of Georgetown’s Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship which as I understand it is a University-wide center supporting faculty work in new learning and research environments. Have you selected a keynote speaker for this upcoming two-day conference in April?
Dr. Schlesinger: Yes. This year our keynote speaker will be Chris Dede who is the Timothy E. Wirth Professor in Learning Technologies, Teaching, Innovation, and Education Program in the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University.

Q: I am assuming that one very important gauge of the event’s success is the number of people it draws. Last year I recall some 250 people managed to find two days in their busy schedule to attend.
Dr. Schlesinger: That’s correct. I’m anticipating this year’s ITC will attract an even larger audience. To explain, it seems that four to five years ago, most people saw technology as perhaps just a better, more efficient way of doing the same old things. Word processing, for example, doesn’t really make anyone a better writer, per se. Today, more and more faculty, whether focused on the traditional classroom or online teaching, see technology as a way to share, collaborate, connect, improve the immediacy and bring a new level of interactivity to the teaching and learning process. Lots of new technology is more accessible, too, by which I mean it is easier to use many of today’s intuitive applications, utilities, widgets, feeds, plug-ins and so forth.

Q: Does the ITC draw or accept commercial technology sponsors? Can technology companies with solutions for higher education contact you for this reason?
Dr. Schlesinger: This year we’re hoping to formalize vendor arrangements. We’re inviting vendors to sponsor events or sessions, and will offer a total of three concurrent sessions for vendors — for a price, of course. This allows us to not charge attendees. We don’t come close to making a profit, but no one questions the worth of our investment in this event.

Q: Thank you for your time today, Dr. Schlesinger, and the information about the ITC. Maybe we can attend the ITC this year and blog from the event?
Dr. Schlesinger: Thank you for your interest, and by all means, drop in April 10th through the 11th. You’re more than welcome to blog about the proceedings.

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One Response to “Academic Technology Expert Mark Schlesinger Previews UMass’ Instructional Technology Conference”

Academic Technology Expert Mark Schlesinger Previews UMass … on January 22nd, 2008 11:49 am

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