IM Lecturer Clint Tuttle teaches two large sections of MIS 302F, with about 750 students total. In his preparations for his Fall 2012 semester, he identified one of the challenges of teaching such a large class as managing responses to student questions. Additionally, he wanted to encourage more problem-solving and self-motivated learning among students.

Clint decided to test out Hoot.me as an alternative to Blackboard message boards, which were not actively utilized by students. Recently featured on PBS, CNN, and UT Know, Hoot.me is a Facebook application that encourages student and teacher collaboration through the functionality of a discussion board and video chatting. It can be easily accessed through an icon on your sidebar in Facebook. Hoot.me was created and developed by UT students Michael Koetting, Gaurav Sanghani, and Sid Upadhyay in 2010 at 3 Day Startup.  It was intended to provide a single, concerted place for students to self-organize and help each other.

Because of its visibility and accessibility as an app in Facebook, Hoot.me has already been a great success. In fact, between the start of the semester and Thanksgiving break, over 1100 questions have been posted on the MIS 302F Hoot discussion board alone. Students are able to quickly crowdsource within the large sections and find help with questions about assignments, cases, and exam reviews. It encourages students to be more accountable to each other and step up as stewards in the class.

The Hoot.me team has leveraged the data created this semester in MIS 302F to learn about online student learning behavior and interaction. With this data and the help of MIS lecturers, the young startup continues to redesign this innovative learning tool. As information managers continue to leverage technology to improve learning, Hoot.me is quickly becoming a staple in today’s more interactive classrooms.

Learn more about Hoot.me.