Five freshman seminars experiment with technology

Freshmen in Psychology Professor Jefferson Singer's seminar examine their cameras.

Freshman Blake McDonald tries on a corset with help from visiting assistant professor of theater and costuming specialist Sabrina Notarfrancisco.

Ascending a staircase was never a challenge for freshman Blake McDonald until he had to wear an 18th century pannier for a day — and he has the pictures to prove it.

As part of an assignment for "Designing the Body," a freshman seminar taught by Dayton Associate Professor of Art History Abby Van Slyck and Associate Professor of Studio Art Andrea Wollensak, McDonald used a Nikon CoolPix digital camera to take photos of himself performing everyday activities in the vintage hoop skirt throughout the course of a day.

The assignment gave students a feel for the way women dressed in the 18th century. The class, which explores the relationship between furniture, architecture and dress on the human body, is one of five freshman seminars using digital cameras or iPods to enhance student learning this semester.

"Instead of just describing the awkward moments, we had an image to go with it," said Hannah Read '10, another member of the class. "Using my camera for the assignment has been helpful in thinking about that time period."

The goal of the program launched by the College's Information Services and the Center for Teaching & Learning is to explore new ways to broaden a student's academic experience.

"We want to learn what impact the technology has had on student learning inside and outside the classroom," said Chris Penniman, the College's director of instructional technology. "The feedback we get from students and faculty will be used to enrich the academic and personal experience for future students."

Michael Reder, director of the Center for Teaching & Learning, is teaching "England and the End of the Empire: Recent English Fiction and Culture, 1980-present." Students in his class are using iPods to record their oral feedback on written work and analyze song lyrics. Voice memos can be shared with Reder and members of the class via e-mail.

Other courses using digital cameras this semester are Psychology Professor Jefferson Singer's "Identity: Psychological and Literary Perspective" and "Food in Art, Culture and Cinema" taught by Chris Steiner, the Lucy C. McDannel '22 Associate Professor of Art History. Students in "Dropping the Bomb," taught by Associate Professor of History Alexis Dudden, are using iPods.