An interview with Dr. Randy Hollandsworth

Randy Hollandsworth, PhD
Associate Professor - Instructional Design & Technology
School of Education

What is your favorite platform?

MAC

Why?

Because of the media capabilities that Mac offers over Windows.

What is your expertise in technology?

My field and PhD is in Education/Curriculum and Instruction/Instructional Design and Technology from Virginia Tech.  The field has a number of focus areas, one being instructional design, which is my area of expertise.  I have worked as an instructional designer and managed designers for corporate elearning and managed Blackboard and distance learning in higher education.  My research thread/interests are the use of simulations in learning, both computer-based and in the classroom.  My dissertation research was entitled "The Development of an Asynchronous, Computer-Based, Post-Instructional Module for Interpersonal Communications.  In this research, I developed and beta tested an online simulation teaching leadership skills to managers with Volvo Corporation and a Canadian hospital system as a follow-up to leadership training they had received from a California-based leadership training consulting group.  Most recently, Dr. Kathy O'Keefe and I conducted research entitled The Effects of Simulation-Based Teacher Training on Pre-Service Teacher's Sense of Self-Efficacy.

What are your favorite software?

iMovie, Captivate, Edmodo

How do you integrate technology in your courses?

I teach the integration of technology into the k-12 classroom for pre-service and graduate teachers, so that is all I do.  I use Internet-Based, Media-Based, and Hardware/Software-Based applications.  The most challenging element currently is the integration of tablets into instruction, which is an upcoming initiative for the School of Education.

What would be your advice for students and faculty who would like to engage in instructional technology?

First, don't be afraid to try out the technology in the classroom.  Also, ask the question, "What is the relative advantage of adding a particular mode or media to a learning environment?"

Any tips you would like to share?

Remember what researcher Dr. Richard Clark states, that the technology is the grocery truck but the design and structure implemented by the teacher are the real groceries. In other words, don't assume because it is there, that learning will transpire.  It needs structure, to be used for a significant purpose, and that the learning does not occur by magic when technology is applied.  The role of the instructor/professor/teacher/designer is needed more than ever.