Technology and design program highlights innovation in education

The program, within the Department of Curriculum Studies in the College of Education, aims to empower students to master digital learning design and build a career-ready skillset with guidance from innovative, research-informed faculty. The multidisciplinary field draws from psychology, communication, systems theory, learning sciences, and information technology. 

The strength and success of ETAD is a result of the continued commitment and passion Dr. Jay Wilson (EdD), Dr. Richard Schwier (EdD), Dr. Paula MacDowell (PhD) and Dr. Marguerite Koole (PhD) bring to the program.

Dr. Jay Wilson (Professor, Curriculum Studies) 

The first online courses at USask were ETAD courses and were experiments in innovative delivery of what was traditionally done through face-to-face lectures and textbooks. Our Masters was the first online degree at USask. We offered flexible ways to complete a degree, which allowed those who were not near Saskatoon or even in the province to complete the program. 

The first podcast at USask was one of my summer courses. The files were so big that they crashed the entire PAWS system but it was the forerunner to providing flexibility and repeated exposure to course material. 

Some of the earliest uses of streamed video for instruction were part of the program's early offerings. Short and engaging videos made for a way to leverage faculty knowledge and increase flexibility in learning. Design studio teaching has always been a big part of the creative side of our program.  

Whether at Kenderdine Campus at Emma Lake, St. Peter’s College, in virtual environments, or through a Learning Management System, students are encouraged to create and share artifacts of their learning. They receive authentic feedback and are exposed to new ways of assessment. These approaches allow for a rich SoTL (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning) approach to research that includes students as co-researchers.   

Dr. Richard Schwier (Emeritus Professor, Curriculum Studies) 

I could drum up a few things that are more “innovative” in design or substance, but I’d rather give two “unflashy” examples of how we innovated by necessity and because our students needed something that didn’t exist or flew in the face of conventional wisdom.  We’ve always prided ourselves on listening and helping.  

In the early 1990s our program was entirely face-to-face. We had two sisters-in law driving to campus for night classes from Biggar, Sask. As professionals and mothers—not to mention the safety issues swirling around driving to attend night classes in the winter—we came to an agreement that we would videotape the classes and mail the VHS tapes to them every week.  

Their observation?  It was just like sitting at the back of the class and holding their questions until office hours. Surprised? No. Relieved? Yes. I thought about what that might mean to making our grad program available to a wider audience outside of Saskatoon. 

The literature was clear — video segments in online courses should be short and well-produced. That advice seemed logical but also didn’t seem to be backed up by much solid research, and it didn’t ring true with what we knew about our students — they were adults who had real lives, and who wanted control of their learning.  

So, Jay and I created ‘wildcat video’ for our grad courses where we set up a camera on a tripod in my back yard and we recorded complete lectures.  Most of them ran for more than an hour but they were all done in one take.  

Students appreciated the casual setting, the easy-going approach, and they could pause and rewind as much as they wanted. And they wanted the convenience of the whole thing, not a bunch of pieces tacked together on a webpage. 

Dr. Paula MacDowell (Assistant Professor, Curriculum Studies) 

When I think about innovation in ETAD, what first comes to mind is our students. They arrive with curiosity and questions from their classrooms, workplaces, communities and lives.   

My role is often to create the conditions for those questions to become design projects that are meaningful and useful to others. In recent years, ETAD projects have explored artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality and digital games. Students have designed AI-supported teaching resources, sustainability games, digital escape rooms, virtual worlds with Indigenous teachings, open educational resources and much more.  

Learning comes alive in my classes as students learn by designing and contributing to public knowledge on how technology can address real educational challenges. Some ETAD projects have gained recognition through international awards, prestigious scholarships, scholarly publications, and conference presentations.  

Our students are not waiting for the future of education to arrive. They are leading the way and helping to design it. Through their design work, they are telling new stories, enriching communities, and leaving a legacy for those who will follow. 

Dr. Marguerite Koole (Associate Professor, Curriculum Studies) 

As an early-career assistant professor, I brought my toolkit of academic interests and found myself immersed in this new and interesting environment. I merged these elements in my teaching.  

For example, a local friend often agrees to speak to my ETAD 802: Historical and Theoretical Foundations of Educational Technology students about how behaviourism applies to training falcons for hunting. In one of our service-learning courses, ETAD 874: Advanced Instructional Design, classes have had opportunities to work with the local 4-H organization, the Saskatchewan Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, the U of S Museum of Antiquities, the local school divisions, to name a few.  

I have never seen an ETAD 874 instructional design project turn out as anything other than wonderful and inspiring. I am gobsmacked by the creativity, cleverness, and sincerity of the students.  

Now as a more mature faculty member, I meet scholars from around the world and, whenever possible, I invite them to Zoom into my classes and discuss their research with the students.

Dr. Jay Wilson 

Every student I have had the pleasure of working with has left me with an increased understanding of people, design, and teaching and learning in general. Part of what makes teaching such a great career is the give and take of countless relationships with students.  

Every learner is motivated by unique goals and interests. Joining them for part or all of their journey is one of my greatest joys. I know what I know, but what I learn from interacting with professionals from a range of areas expands my horizons. I could not be more grateful for what students have gifted me through the ETAD program.  

Dr. Richard Schwier 

I love my students, full stop. If there’s a single thing from among the universe of remarkable things my students have taught me, it might be forgiveness. They have taught me to bring an ethic of forgiveness to literally every interaction we have.  

If I fail them in one of the hundreds of ways I have over the years, they have been relentlessly forgiving toward me. This has given me permission to forgive myself, and that’s not easy. Now, if they fall down, my instinctive response is to forgive.  

And I sense that they thrive from knowing they are in a forgiving environment. They are safe to risk, challenge, rage, and inquire. Nobody takes the position of attack dog, waiting to correct each other, or me. Rather, we have come to welcome each other’s flaws and even celebrate them. That’sspecial.  

Dr. Paula MacDowell 

ETAD students have taught me that educational innovation begins with courage. It takes courage to try a new technology when the outcome is uncertain. It takes courage to share a half-formed idea with a community of peers. It takes courage to begin graduate coursework that feels ambitious, unfamiliar, and overwhelming.   

Again and again, I have watched students move from self-doubt, “I really don’t know if I can do this,” to pride in their work, “I can’t believe I actually created this!”  

Many students begin by apologizing for what they do not know. Then, week by week, as the course unfolds, they draw inspiration from peers and start speaking with confidence as emerging researchers, designers, authors, and leaders. They begin to trust the design process, connecting how their assignments can make a difference and contribute to educational change for the greater good.  

Seeing this transformation is one of the greatest privileges of teaching in ETAD. 

Dr. Marguerite Koole 

My goal is to create interesting and timely opportunities for engagement and exploration of the field. In our courses, we try to relate real-world experience with the theory and practice of educational technology and instructional design.  

We also try to expand our discussions of theory and philosophy emerging not only in North America but in other global contexts. We encourage the students to critically assess common, taken-for-granted—yet persistent—mythologies in the field such as notions of digital natives, digital millennials, learning styles, and 21st Century skills.  

One of my favourite comments on a recent course evaluation is, “I didn’t realize that educational technology could be so philosophical.” 

Dr. Jay Wilson 

Students show up based on what they have heard or read about the educational experience we offer from others. There is the draw of accessing courses online but our focus on community building and flexibility is a key foundational element for our students. 

Our faculty take the time to engage with learners. We create an environment that brings students together to learn from one another and share the gifts that they bring to the program. We have had a strong presence in both undergraduate and graduate programming which is also unique and leads to the cultivation of students at multiple stages of their teaching careers. 

As a result of our focus on innovation and student success, faculty in our program have been recognized with provincial, national, and international teaching awards. 

Dr. Richard Schwier 

I think one of the most remarkable accomplishments of the program is that the learning community is real–not artificial, fabricated, or contrived, despite being a program that is almost entirely online.  People know each other, care about each other, and develop a shared identity during the program.  

These are people, not avatars. We talk deeply and share more than most would believe possible in an online setting.  When people do meet face-to-face for the first time, say at a summer retreat or at convocation, they greet each other like old friends, because that’s exactly what they are.  

I think one value that drives this is trust. Students trust that they will receive something important and valuable in the program, and we trust our students to bring something important and valuable too, and to teach us at the same time. And we mean it. 

Dr. Paula MacDowell 

What I love about ETAD is that students bring their authenticity and unique personalities into the program. They test course concepts in their classrooms and workplaces, bring back stories from practice, invite one another into their thinking, and offer peer feedback as critical friends. Joy and humour are part of how we build trusting relationships between students and instructors.  

My assignments are grounded in constructionism, an approach to learning that emphasizes designing, building, and inventing as ways of knowing. Students learn by experimenting with diverse technologies, developing prototypes, solving problems, and reflecting on what their designs make possible. They take intellectual and creative risks because they know their ideas and contributions are valued.  

While the curricular focus is on educational technology and design, the learning is deeply human. How fortunate I am to be one of the learners. 

Dr. Marguerite Koole 

When I first arrived in Saskatoon, I had little knowledge of the appeal and fascinating aspects of the city and the surrounding areas. Whenever anyone asks me about my decision to move here, I always comment that Saskatchewan is one of Canada’s best-kept secrets.  

The beauty and openness of the prairie landscape to the south and the boreal forests to the north are dotted with myriad lakes and sandy beaches. There are unique micro-breweries and quirky museums along the vast highways. There are the tunnels of Moose Jaw and the salty, mineral waters of Manitou Lake—Canada’s own version of the Dead Sea.  

Is this a great place to study? For sure. Is this a great program to take? Absolutely.