MRIC: Adapting Technology for Teaching
Sean Butterfield and Evan Williamson, “Adapting Technology for Teaching: The Creation of an Open Educational Resource”, Malcolm M. Renfrew Interdisciplinary Colloquium, University of Idaho, 2018-09-18.
Abstract: Last year, Sean Butterfield accidentally wrote a textbook, and it was Evan Williamson’s fault. Together, they developed an Open Educational Resource (OER) for teaching the Lionel Hampton School of Music’s sophomore music theory sequence – a core class for all music majors that has a reputation for being difficult and inaccessible. This OER not only made the class accessible financially, but it also accommodated an entirely new curriculum designed around an inquiry-based learning method. The online distribution system allows the class teaching assistants to update the textbook in real time, enabling students to take an active role not only in their own learning, but in designing a permanent resource that includes their own thoughts, wording and concepts. The presenters will give an overview of the course and discuss the software and distribution platforms. They also will explain how this pedagogy has the potential to allow any course to engage instructors and students in a more meaningful, effective and memorable way.
IntMus Links
- Think Open Fellowship (University of Idaho Library)
- Open Definition (Open Knowledge International)
- Open Music Theory, by Kris Shaffer, Bryn Hughes, and Brian Moseley, 2014+ (OMT source on GitHub)
- Static Web tools:
- GitHub (cloud based platform for version control, collaboration, project management, and code sharing)
- GitHub Pages (free web hosting service)
- Jekyll (static site generator, provides the theme / templates)
- Markdown (simple plain text content)
- Interactive features:
- abcjs (live editable music examples in the text, e.g. Happy Birthday in G major)
- Disqus (discussion around assignments, e.g. Unit 4 assignment)