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Rose-Hulman Institute of
Technology has been awarded a $100,000, two-year grant from Microsoft
Research to study the impact of tablet personal computer technology on
teaching and learning.
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| Sudipa
Kirtley, associate professor of physics and optical
engineering, works on a tablet PC in a Rose-Hulman physics
lab. |
The funding will also enable
Rose-Hulman faculty to increase the applications of wireless tablet PCs
and interactive, educational software across the entire curriculum.
"The grant will expand the use of tablet computer technology and DyKnow
software beyond our physics and humanities classes that have used the
technologies thus far," said Julia Williams, principal investigator for
the grant, who has used the technologies in technical communication
classes she teaches as an associate professor of English.
"Our goal is to have faculty and
students from most, if not all, 10 academic departments involved during
the second year of the study," stated Williams, who is also executive
director of the Office of Institutional Research, Planning and
Assessment at Rose-Hulman.
Williams noted that through more
than two years of experience with tablet PCs, faculty have learned that
the technology can encourage and enable students to better interact with
other students and teachers, rather than receive information passively.
"DyKnow software allows faculty to
transmit course content directly to a student's computer during
classes," Williams said. "Using the tablet's pen, students can add
personalized notes at any time, or a professor can transmit a student's
work to the tablet PC of every student in class."
The grant will help faculty learn
more about the impact of changes in student-faculty interactions as a
result of pen-based tablet PC use. Faculty will learn more about how
tablet PC and DyKnow software meet their needs.
"We'll also learn more about the
reaction of students to the technology and which changes in learning are
the most beneficial," Williams added.
An online journal will be created
that will feature case studies of the curriculum development projects,
assessment methods and evaluation results.
"It's important to enable other educators to learn and benefit from our
activities which will begin this summer," said Williams.
In addition to Williams, other
Rose-Hulman faculty and staff involved in the project are Sudipa Kirtley,
associate professor of physics and optical engineering; Meredith
Zoetewey, assistant professor of technical communication; David Mutchler,
professor of computer science and software engineering; and Zac
Chambers, associate professor of mechanical engineering. Shannon Sexton,
director of assessment, will manage the assessment and evaluation of the
project.
The winning proposals focused on
using the Microsoft Tablet PC to enrich the classroom experience for
instructors and students across all disciplines. Microsoft Research was
founded in 1991 to conduct basic and applied research in computer
science and software engineering.
A leader in interactive education,
DyKnow combines sound teaching with intuitive technology to create the
most flexible and effective solutions for teaching, learning and
collaboration. Grounded in the educational experience, DyKnow software
engages learners through note delivery technology, interactive tools,
content playback, classroom monitoring and anywhere-anytime access. | 
