In a world of e-mail, Internet access and AOL Instant Messenger, Duke students are daily and constantly exposed to a variety of technological resources. However, the technological advances that students have easily adapted to may pose more challenges for professors.
"I grew up typing on a typewriter. [Using new technology] is something we have to learn from scratch," said Professor of Political Science Thomas Spragens.
This sentiment may be shared by professors across the nation.
According to a new national survey of university faculty, two out of three professors say they are stressed out trying to keep up with technological advances, outweighing other concerns such as teaching loads and the pressure to publish.
"The level of stress resulting from information technology is quite likely a reflection of the time faculty invest in computer use," researcher Linda Sax told The Associated Press.
Sax, a researcher from the University of California at Los Angeles, helped direct the national survey of 387 of the nation's two-year and four-year colleges and universities.
Of the 34,000 faculty members surveyed by mail during the 1998-99 academic year, 35 percent use the Internet to conduct research and 38 percent use technology to create class presentations. By contrast, 87 percent use computers to send e-mail and 85 percent use them to write memos or letters.
Researchers speculate that professors may avoid using technology because they are unfamiliar with it and are scared of it. As a result, many never learn how new technology works, what its applications are and how to handle it calmly.
"They feel a little threatened by technology because of the traditional [habits] they have to sacrifice," explained Associate Professor of Political Science Michael Munger. "People are used to doing things the way they grew up doing it and if people are good at what they do, they will be reluctant to change [their teaching styles]."
Munger also attributes increasing pressure to modify class instruction as a response to the changing expectations of students.
"I felt stressed out two years ago because more and more, students would expect to see things electronically or ask how to get something off the web. I was really frustrated when I just didn't know the answer," Munger said. He has since created web pages with links to class resources and electronic discussion forums that are used in conjunction with his course material.
However, not all teachers feel much stress to adapt their courses by incorporating changing technologies.
"I see using technology as an opportunity to learn new ways of how students understand material," said Bill Hoese, an lecturer in biology who is receiving funding from Duke's Center for Instructional Technology. "Since I see [technology] as a possibility, I haven't felt pressure in a negative sense."
Additional pressure for faculty to modify courses may arise from changes outside the classroom as well.
"Through their own research, professors are beginning to realize that technology and computing have a big impact on how scholarly fields change," said Lynne O'Brien, director of the CIT. "These changes may modify how they think about their work and, as a result, create internal pressure to revise their courses to match changes in their fields."
In response to these pressures, Duke created CIT in January 1999 as part of a new plan for integrating information and technology in course instruction.
"CIT is still fairly new, but it shows Duke's commitment to helping professors adjust to changing technology," O'Brien said.
CIT not only provides workshops and training to educate faculty members, but also funds selected proposals submitted by professors that utilize some form of technology.
Currently, the center is using nearly $170,000 in grants to fund 24 projects from "almost every school and every department," O'Brien said.
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