Lin Zhang-xin, a student from the Graduate Institute of Educational Technology, together with her 19 fellow students, has just completed a 9 day visit to the University of Missouri-Columbia (UM). They were accompanied by several faculty members of their institute to attend some lectures and workshops held by the School of Information Science and Learning Technologies (SISLT) in UM regarding their joint project of an information experience lab that was kick-started last year. Huang Ya-ping, the chair of the department of Educational Technology, emphasized that a trip as such is important for her students should they wish to enhance their international experiences and global vision, which in turn will help the research repertoire of the institute.

With the help of UM, the joint project involves an establishment of a usability study lab for digital learning at TKU, which was completed last September. Upon completion, three professors from the SISLT arrived to give a series of lectures and workshops. The director of SISLT, Dr. John Wedman, even came personally in November to offer further insight in research designs and use of the lab. Hence, the visit to UM this time is simply a continuation of this cooperation. Cheng Yi-Jia, one of the accompanying professors, stated that their visit was to upgrade their research skills, collect data for further research that will be conducted in the lab at TKU, and finally, to ensure the newly set up lab is indeed correctly operated.

The lectures and workshops held during their visit were devoted to the methodology employed in the analysis of data gathered to examine the efficacy of digital learning. They were extremely well received by TKU students, as Lin Zhang-xin expressed. The courses were designed to combine theories and practices as “learning by doing” is the motto may American professors live by, she added. Hence, she and her colleagues benefited greatly from the lively lectures and stimulating workshops which were at times conducted by SISLT Ph.D. students. Liu Yi-shan, another graduate student, also mentioned that they were well cared for by Dr. Wedman, his staff, and students who all made their stay extremely pleasant and memorable.

A very important experience for TKU students, Lin Zhang-xin said, is the opportunity to see how the Information Experience Lab at SISLT, the one TKU’s lab is modeled on, is operated in real time. This experience and knowledge gained from visiting the lab will help them to operate their own lab more efficiently, she maintained. Another accomplishment they are all proud of, according to Professor Cheng Yi-chia, was that all students used English to conduct nearly every activity, showing a great degree of confidence in their language ability and professional knowledge. Finally, another exciting moment was the meeting with David Jonassen, who is a pioneer in educational technologies. He specifically gave a talk on the use of mind mapping computer software to TKU students, which was like the icing on the cake, making this 9 day trip a complete success. ( ~Ying-hsueh Hu )