One Approach to Motivating Faculty to Use Multimedia

"Build it, and they will come." A famous line from Field of Dreams may apply to baseball, but building "smart" classrooms does not always guarantee that they (faculty) will "come" to use multimedia presentations. The purpose of this article is to give some words of encouragement and guidance to those given the task of trying to get reluctant faculty members to integrate multimedia technology into their classroom presentations. Many, such as Hirschbuhl[1] and Pinheiro and Oblinger,[2] feel that the use of multimedia-assisted instruction is the "wave of the future." Despite this observation, today's faculty are not highly motivated to start the transition process from traditional to multimedia classroom presentations. To encourage their faculty, many institutions of higher learning have built or upgraded existing facilities to create Educational Technology Equipped Classrooms (ETEC), or "smart" classrooms. After a sometimes significant financial outlay by the institution, it is reported that approximately only 2-3% of the faculty utilize these facilities.[3] The traditional lecture continues to be the dominant vehicle to convey information to students. Why, as we approach the close of the 20th century, do faculty continue to use a teaching technology that predates the invention of movable type nearly one half a millennium ago?[4] Some psychological researchers have found that given opportunities to change, even though the change is positive, it could trigger a behavioral observation referred to as "fear of failure." This phenomenon creates a state of reluctance for the individual to undertake a change in his/her repertoire since there is a possibility that the situation would create embarrassment or ridicule from students and colleagues. In this case, the comfort area remains with what is tried and true; no risk is involved or welcomed. Thus, the first step in assisting faculty in the transition process of using technology rather than continuing with their previous mode of classroom presentation, is to show them that technological change is worthwhile. If faculty could be motivated to use multimedia computer-based technology, they would come to realize that there are numerous advantages. Three such advantages have been identified by Oblinger:[5] * Unlike the information on a chalk board, once information is put into the computer it is not easily erased. * Adding or updating lecture material stored in this medium is quick and easy. Whether the new material is text, video clips or still images, once put into the computer and assigned a file name, it is ready for use in the presentation. * It allows for consistent delivery of information "from section-to-section" or "instructor-to-instructor" in courses with multiple sections. This provides the assurance that, at the minimum, students receive basic required subject content even though the material is presented by a variety of faculty across many course sections. Beyond Oblinger's thinking, other advantages include: * A by-product of faculty using this technology in the classroom is that students will be more inclined to use computer-based multimedia presentations during their school years (visual presentations; class projects) and post graduation (occupational endeavors).[6] * Unlike videotaped clips and photographed slides and prints, captured video clips do not lose their quality after numerous showings. * Unlike multimedia programs purchased off the shelf, multimedia presentations designed by the instructor are tailored to match the exact needs of the students and do not include information irrelevant to the course's instructional objectives. Customizing presentation material is a cost-effective way of addressing special adaptations that focus on target information while tapping into in-house resources. * With the proper multimedia equipment setup, the ways in which presentations can be delivered are limited only by the instructor's imagination. …