St. Thomas faculty members are testing out a new device called the Swivl which allows professors to record themselves teaching and reflect on their classroom practices.

The Swivl is a small rotating device that has a dock for tablets and smartphones. The professor wears a lanyard with a small motion sensor allowing the Swivl to keep track of where they are in the classroom.

Using a video recording app on the tablet, the professor can record a video of themselves teaching.

Ann Johnson, director of Faculty Development, discovered the Swivl last year. She purchased it near the end of the fall semester after hearing colleagues in Information Resources and Technology, who had purchased a few Swivls at the beginning of the semester, referencing the power and functionality of the device.

Johnson sees the device as an easy way for faculty to get valuable feedback on their teaching.

“The faculty here are very motivated to improve their teaching ability,” Johnson said. “The Swivl is a great tool that offers a means of continual self-improvement.”

Michelle Sharp, visiting assistant professor in the modern classical languages department agreed.

“It is a humbling experience to watch yourself. There are so many things that we can observe when we watch someone else talk,” Sharp said.

Sharp has already used the Swivl once this semester and plans to use it again later on, to see if the changes she hopes to make in her teaching are evident.

She said the only strange thing about the use of the Swivl was the initial five minutes of class where students were getting used to the small devices moving about in the classroom.

Sophomore Maggie Sheats, a student in Sharp’s class, said she got used to it after a while after noticing it “for the first five minutes.”

Sharp said the unobtrusive nature of the Swivl helped when it came to receiving honest feedback about the class.

“It was helpful to see something closer to a student’s perspective, and the pressure of a human observer standing in the back of the room was taken away,” Sharp said.

Faculty who rent the Swivl are allowed to view the footage on their own time or work with a consultant from the Faculty Development Center. Johnson said this provides a valuable, private way for professors to strengthen their abilities.

Six faculty members have used the Swivl and Johnson said she’s hopeful the device will become more popular in St. Thomas classrooms soon.

“I’d love to see more faculty take advantage of this opportunity,” Johnson said.

Jeffrey Langan can be reached at lang5466@stthomas.edu.