Abstract:

The use of computers with an internet connection, and other media tools, in class, is a powerful resource that opens up new ways to enhance learning activities within the university classroom. This is true for both the undergraduate and graduate levels. However, the very availability of such tools becomes a temptation for the students, whose attention can easily deviate from the topic of the lecture and from the learning activities that they are supposed to perform. In this paper, cases of successful use of technology in the classroom, coming from courses taught by the authors, are presented. These range from the use of free access educational software for the development of specific competences, in undergraduate courses on physics and mathematics, to the retrieval of fresh data from stock market web sites to work with in graduate courses on finance. The use of a learning platform provides the appropriate framework for an effective delivery and use of materials, in and out of the classroom, and for communication and evaluation. The case examples show how a careful selection of highly interest provoking activities, the adequate pace at moving from one activity to the next one, and a few internet access restrictions, can yield the required equilibrium condition for maximum student involvement and best educational results.