Winter 1997
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Winter 1997 |
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With a few keystrokes on their portable laptop computers, freshman English composition students at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology are learning that engineering, science and literature have something in common: Computer technology as an educational resource.
"Because they're so comfortable with technology, Rose-Hulman students appreciate using the computer as a writing tool," says Williams, assistant professor of English. "Students work harder on assignments and come away with a better understanding of the concepts in the material I teach." Yes, computer technology -- through on-campus networks, the Internet, e-mail and the World Wide Web -- is expanding and improving the educational horizons for Rose-Hulman students and faculty.
Long-Term Commitment to Computer Integration
These applications are possible because of Rose-Hulman's commitment to providing its students with the latest technology at students' disposal -- whenever they want it. The process of integrating computer use with the curriculum started in 1982 -- the longest continuing planning and implementation process in Rose-Hulman history. In 1995, Rose-Hulman became one of the first undergraduate engineering and science colleges to require freshmen to purchase laptop computers. Laptops were designed to resolve three problems that had stalled the computer integration process: Over utilization limited student access to computer-based classrooms for completing homework assignments; obsolescence demanded major financial investments to replace fixed-base computer equipment; and diffusion of curricular advances required major resources to increase the number of fixed-base computer classrooms. Today, three-fourths of the student body enjoy the luxury of being connected with classmates, professors and the outside world through their laptops. There are computer hookups available in all residence hall rooms (560 ports), 24 classrooms (960 ports), several laboratories (180 ports), the Logan Library (48), fraternity houses (48 ports in each house), the student lounge of Moench Hall and even the WORX snack bar of the student union (18 ports). "Other colleges have set aside computer labs, where students stand in line to use them. At Rose-Hulman, we now have a writing lab in every classroom and open area on campus," says Williams, who joined colleagues Caroline Carvill and Patricia Carlson in using computer software networks in freshman composition courses during the fall quarter. A. Thomas Roper, vice president of planning and data systems, simply states: "Perhaps no one tool (the laptop computer) has done more to increase student and faculty productivity." In a 1995-96 study, a focus group of Rose-Hulman sophomores -- the first class required to bring laptops to their classes -- were asked to respond to the statement: "The laptop computer has enhanced my education at Rose-Hulman." Of the 107 students that participated, 21 percent strongly agreed with the statement, 47 percent agreed, 17 percent were neutral, nine percent disagreed and six percent strongly disagreed.
There's No Place Like Home Page
More than 500 Rose-Hulman students, faculty, staff members and campus organizations have home pages on the World Wide Web. Rose-Hulman's web site (http://www.Rose-Hulman.edu) receives nearly 10,000 accesses daily from alumni, parents and prospective students from as far away as Australia, Estonia and Singapore. Rose-Hulman's web site now allows fans to listen to radio broadcasts of most Engineer football and basketball games; alumni saw photographs from this year's Homecoming bonfire long before the ambers cooled; and Astronomy Club members posted images of planetary objects photographed through telescopes at the Lynn Reeder Observatory. The Internet and e-mail have been invaluable tools for biomedical engineering graduate student Brian Cahill (Mech. Eng., '96) in completing tests of biomaterials for Boehringer Mannheim Corp., an Indianapolis-based biomedical research company. He sends information twice daily to keep officials abreast of his research related to his master's work on encapsulation materials for an in vivo blood glucose sensor. "Where else can you sit in one place and visit sites all across the world just with a few simple keystrokes?," Cahill asks. "The Internet is a useful tool when researching the latest biomedical advances and biomedical companies. "Rose is far ahead of other colleges as far as making technology available to undergraduate and graduate students. The Internet will be a big part of my future endeavors with whatever company I work for," he says.
Enhancing Research and Classroom Activity
Donald Bales, a senior civil engineering student, utilized the Internet to research cooling systems as part of his senior design project for an indoor ice skating rink in Bloomington, Ind.; Andre Vachon, a junior electrical engineering student, learns through e-mail when his workstudy check has been electronically deposited into his bank account; and KrisJon Hanson, a senior electrical engineering major, scans the New York Times' web site daily for information to complete research papers for a World Politics class. "In 5 to 10 minutes I can keep up with what's going on throughout the world which helps me participate in classroom discussions. It's a valuable resource," Hanson said. The entrepreneurial spirit of Rose-Hulman students and alumni has been captured by graduate student Jason Kear (Mech. Eng., '96) and senior mechanical engineering major Zack Johnson. They have established their own small business on the Internet (www.zear.com) -- through an off-campus computer server -- that gives customers an opportunity to order a wide range of products (electronics, housewares, sporting goods, jewelry and toys). "It has been a wild experience for us," Kear states. "We have sent packages to Pakistan, Romania and Newfoundland. We never know who is going to place an order next." The students' Internet site recently had its 10,000th visitor -- after just three months in business! In the classroom, Chemical Engineering Professor Jerry Caskey requires students to design web sites that feature their projects in materials engineering classes. The sites replace past practices of a poster presentation or oral report. "Because of their strong technical backgrounds, our students like working on Internet-related projects, and they're very comfortable with finding information on the World Wide Web," Caskey explains. "Also, students have something to show prospective employers for summer jobs, internships and scholarships." Assignments from Freshman English Composition classes were posted on a web site for a worldwide audience to read. "It is a good motivational device," Carlson said. "Friends and family members were able to see students' writing. The students also invited commentary from others and looked forward to receiving messages from people across the country." In Carlson's Science Fiction literature classes, students used the Internet this fall to enhance classroom discussions on William Gibson's novel, "Neuromancer." (Gibson created the terms cyberspace and virtual reality.) They joined chatrooms on the World Wide Web to participate in intelligent, fast-moving discussions on science fiction themes, authors and events. "Such discussions with external groups increase our students' awareness of multiple perspectives and diversities of opinions," says Carlson, a nationally renowned multimedia expert. "In the discussion, students usually take a position and then work to support, develop and extend these thoughts. I believe students gain a greater appreciation for the dynamics of an intellectual debate or discussion." Electrical Engineering Professor Mark Yoder established a web site so students and colleagues could experiment with classroom demonstrations before, during or after class. The demonstrations are part of a CD-ROM that accompanies a new textbook on digital signal processing, "DSP First: A Multimedia Approach," which Yoder co-authored. E-mail enables faculty members and students to receive campus news when traveling throughout the world.
Like CARE Packages from Home
"When you already know a group of people very well on a personal and/or professional level, e-mail is an excellent way to maintain contact and conduct business," says James Eifert, former vice president of academic affairs. He is currently on sabbatical in Japan, but remains informed about campus developments through daily e-mail messages. "They're like CARE packages from home," he says. "Despite being half the world away, I feel like I'm still a part of Rose-Hulman." Students at the University of Stuttgart in Germany give progress reports about their international experiences through e-mail, while Acting Vice President of Academic Affairs Barry Farbrother and Mechanical Engineering Professor Lee Waite linked into the Internet from the Australian outback (during the 1996 World Solar Challenge) to keep in contact with their Rose-Hulman colleagues. "I was responding to e-mail messages from Alice Springs, Australia -- the middle of nowhere," Waite said. "It just proves that technology has made the world a lot smaller." Even prospective Rose-Hulman students get into the e-mail act. Nina Erminger, a high school senior from Houston, Texas, has kept in daily contact through e-mail with three friends -- located in Virginia, Illinois and New York -- developed during her participation in Operation Catapult, a three-week on-campus summer program for persons interested in science and engineering. "We try to keep each other informed about which colleges we get accepted to and other vital information, like the weather," states Erminger, who uses the Internet to research topics for debate and Model United Nations competitions. "I find more information through the Internet than I would ever find at the library. I am looking forward to getting my own laptop when I go to Rose-Hulman since I depend on computers so much." So, computers and Internet access have become recruiting tools, too.
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