Thinking out of the box when using technology to teach will be the topic of discussion for ISU faculty, staff and students today.

W. Robert Stephenson, university professor of statistics, will present his lecture, “Filmed in Front of a Live Audience – Technology for Distance Education,” at 2 p.m. in 1344 Howe Hall. The presentation is part of a series of Master Teacher Workshops sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Stephenson, who has taught at Iowa State since 1979, said his workshop will focus on the creation and delivery of distance education curricula.

“I will look at what professors do in traditional classes, what works and doesn’t work on video,” he said. “You just can’t bring a recorder into the classroom and expect it to look good.”

He said he will also discuss the logistics of delivering lectures to off-campus students via technology.

“We are currently shipping [off-campus students] the tapes, but we are in the process of moving to streaming video,” he said.

Stephenson said he is anticipating the presentation of his workshop.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “Hopefully, I can learn a lot from the people that are going to be there and their experiences as well as have an opportunity to share my experiences.”

Paul Jewell, program coordinator for engineering extension, said Stephenson lives up to his title of Master Teacher.

“He was there from day one, and he’s a real out of the box thinker, and he’s not afraid to try new things,” he said. “Every student I talked to who has taken his classes says he’s the best,” he said.