Last month CCNMTL educational technologists Paul Joseph Stengel and Sarohini Chahal traveled to Chicago, IL to present at the 2015 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting. While there, Stengel and Chahal presented to, and attended presentations by, colleagues in the field of educational research.

As part of an in-progress graduate student research-roundtable, Stengel and Chahal presented research regarding “The Effects of Peer Collaboration on a Summer Intensive 21st Century Teaching Institute”. The research investigated whether peer interaction during edtech trainings lead to the formation of sustained peer support networks, and more informed choices when using technology in the university classroom. Survey results showed that participants were interested in working with their peers on difficult teaching challenges, and also that interactions of this nature enhanced the technology knowledge of participants. The research project was sponsored by CCNMTL and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Teaching Center.

Stengel and Chahal also attended conference presentations related to work at CCNMTL and the GSAS Teaching Center. Of particular interest were sessions on teacher professional development and Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCS). The team spent some time with the AERA Faculty Teaching, Evaluation, and Development special interest group and attended a great session on “Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Influencing Instructional Practice”. The team also attended notable paper sessions on MOOCS that discussed research on the challenges and possibilities for emerging teacher professional development MOOCs, Hybrid MOOCs as well as a process for MOOCs designed by university students.