By; Bridgett Volle
The agriculture department at Fort Hays State University has been moving forward with their use of digital learning in the past few years. For staff, such as Dr. Robert Keener, Associate Professor at FHSU, there is a whole new way of teaching, when it comes to the use of digital learning.
Dr. Keener, prior to his work at FHSU was a mixed animal veterinarian. Keener and his wife farm, and raise cattle. This makes Keener a great choice for Fort Hays State University, teaching classes that range from Animal Science to Artificial Insemination studies. As a teacher, Keener looks to “hopefully evolve the criteria in the classroom to a more interactive level rather than the basic historical typical lecture/power point presentation.”
With desires to move forward from the traditional lecture, Keener enlisted the help of the Fort Hays State University – New Media Studies. With their help, as well as, Dr. Gordon Carlson, there was an interactive cow created to help create a more realistic, hands-on approach for the students. Dr. Keener mentions that with the use of cellphones and computers, it is honestly necessary to morph teaching styles into a way that children are realistically using.
Although Keener looks at media to create new learning, he also believes that there are some learning opportunities that solely rely on traditional methods, but that it is truly necessary for professors, young and old, to be able to see where the use of media opportunities should take place.
With the use of the creation of the interactive cow, Keener has developed a strong desire to work more with Dr. Carlson in New Media Studies. His desires are to possibly develop other functional body systems in the use of animated models like the cow used.
Dr. Keener said it well, “I think (digital learning) will be a wonderful teaching tool for both myself as well as my students.”