I love technology! I am always one of the early adopters. I must have the newest and shiniest gadget or software that is still in beta. Right now, I have a preorder in for the Leap Motion Controller, an input controller that senses your individual hand and finger movements so you can interact directly with your computer. How do I plan to use it? I have no idea, but it looks “cool.” Such is my relationship with technology. Cool is good.

This obsession with the latest and greatest technology sometimes clashes with either practicality or, more importantly, common sense. As instructional designers, we are always looking for ways to help our faculty be more productive in designing and implementing blended and online courses. Likewise, we are always seeking creative and innovative approaches to improve student engagement. In this quest, I, for one, sometimes forget the basics and look to technology to solve the problem rather than considering a simpler, more basic approach. For example, I am a great fan of screencasts—that is, having professors deliver their content with a video capture of their computer screen or webcam while they lecture. It can be daunting for some to create a screencast and, more importantly, may not be necessary. In fact, it may make just as much sense to create a PDF or HTML document and have students read it. Consequently, I must temper my enthusiasm for the use of technology and let the requirement drive the solution. Too often, we let technology become an answer looking for a problem.

Recently, I was looking at the use of virtual labs for use in the College of Science and Health. There are a number of companies in the marketplace that offer chemistry, physics, and biology labs online. Some of the labs are computer-based simulations of actual lab activities, complete with a lab manual, equipment, and chemicals. One lab will even simulate a small explosion if you throw a lit Bunsen burner into the trashcan. After looking at several of the labs and sample courses, it became clear that these labs would not replace the actual experience and attendant problems of being in a live lab. How do you simulate a clogged tube or clamping the titration tube properly in the stand? How do you develop “lab hands”? But wait! This is perfectly good technology going to waste. The labs were very well done and entertaining. Perhaps they could be used to prepare students for the actual wet lab. That is, do the virtual lab before coming to the hands-on lab so that the students were familiar with the processes and procedures.

Armed with the great idea and innovative technology (a solution looking for a problem), we presented a sample lab to several of the faculty in the college. We couched it in the context of a lab preparation activity rather than the replacement for the lab. Several good questions arose and the subsequent discussion was enlightening. First, the cost of these labs, in this case fifty dollars per course, was not a burden the faculty wanted to place on students in light of the fees and books they already have. More importantly, the faculty did want the students to come to the lab better prepared but there was a much simpler solution than throwing costly technology at the problem. It turns out that a simple video of a TA setting up a specific lab could yield as much benefit as the more costly simulated lab. The students would simply review a short video before coming to the lab. So we agreed to engage our video production unit to create a short introductory video: “Put this clamp here; then, place the beaker on the stand over here….” This may well be as effective as a virtual lab and is certainly more cost effective for the student. Moreover, it is simpler to manage and implement.

More often than not, the simpler approach can be just as effective as the “tech cool” approach. It is always good to stand back and decide if we are using technology because it makes sense or if there is a simpler solution that is just as effective (or even more effective). I must force myself to remember that there are a host of technology-driven solutions out there, delivered by companies who are managed by shareholders. Our shareholders are our faculty and students and it is our responsibility to deliver solutions with the practical and reasonable use of technology. Cool is not always the correct solution (darn it!).