Professor Tailors Lessons to Student Needs Using Lecture Tools Software

Thomas Aicher prefers to teach his classes with what he calls the “scrambled method.” Sometimes, his lectures are heard through laptop speakers as students watch from home. Sometimes he lectures in class, and sometimes students do homework from their school desks.

Aicher, sports administration program coordinator and assistant professor in the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, has used this “scrambled” method since Spring 2013, but recently began Phase II of UC’s Echo360 pilot, which will expand to include the enhanced features called Lecture Tools. 

Echo360 is a streamlined lecture-capture system that allows instructors to create and upload content – before or during class – and students to access it anytime, anywhere, from any device. Previously, Aicher used iMovie and iSpring to create interactive lectures and quizzes for students to view from home. 

“The students struggled with it at first, but as they go through the semester they see the value in having a lecture at home adds to in-class opportunities,” Aicher said. 

Now he is switching to Echo360 Lecture Tools, which he uses in conjunction with PowerPoint to build interactive lectures that students take home.

“They do their lectures online right now, so when we get to class we can recover some of that information and apply it to projects they are working on,” he said.

This software is also used for in-class lectures to engage students and ensure they understand the material. 

Students can ask questions or make comments through the Lecture Tools feature, so they don’t have to interrupt or speak in front of the class.

Aicher likes that Lecture Tools encourage the shy students to speak out more. He said quiet students often have the most to contribute, or have the most questions.

“It allows them to ask questions to ensure they understand the material better,” Aicher said.

He approaches learning from a student-centric perspective. He wants to engage his students rather then just have them sit in his class. He wants to change their expectations of learning, so they can have better results.

With all of the eLearning software and tools available to faculty, Aicher wants to ensure he is using the right products for his students.

“Don’t just use tools for tools. There are thousands of tools we can use,” he said. “But whatever you choose, you have to have a purpose for it and why it’s valuable for their learning.”