Anthony Durante, Associate Professor Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Bronx Community College
J. Juechter, Director, Student Tech Fee Grant Department, Bronx Community College
Learning Modalities
NL-141
The pandemic forced faculty to convert STEM courses, normally requiring hands‐on laboratory manipulations and robust chalk‐talk, from in person to online modalities. The keyboard and mouse proved to be inadequate when trying to remotely display and annotate formulas, charts, spread sheets, and other related teaching supplements. Some faculty recognized that technology, currently used by graphic artists, illustrators, and others in the visual arts fields, could replace chalk or dry erase boards by enabling instructors to write, draw and annotate text and presentations remotely on a computer screen in real time. The technology involves affordable e‐pens and tablets, which several Chemistry faculty adopted successfully in distant learning. They could easily weave hand‐written notes seamlessly into BlackBoard Collaborate and Zoom platforms while lecturing, demonstrating experimental details, solving STEM problems, and more. This technology replaces other more costly devices and was such an asset that others began using them. User comments were consistently positive. One user commented, “I cannot teach online without an e‐pen;” and another user, “This device works like a mouse, but handles like a pen.” The presenters, experienced faculty at Bronx Community College, will discuss the features, advantages and benefits of this technology and show their planning approach, training system and distribution method, as well as providing illustrations and resources for purchase.