Wireless Instructional Initiatives Project Outlines
The Office for Research and Information Technology's Innovative Technology Center
(ITC) is currently sponsoring the 2003 Wireless Instructional Initiatives for the College of Communication and Information, the third
year of wireless instructional initiatives sponsored by the ITC.
Description and Overview
Wireless computing is emerging on select campuses as a powerful tool to enhance
communication, collaboration, and information management. As the University of
Tennessee, Knoxville, enters its third year of hosting a wireless computing environment,
the Innovative Technology Center (ITC) continues to collaborate with faculty to
investigate the best practices for teaching and learning, establish innovative
teaching practices, and explore the research possibilities. The College of Communications
and Information Sciences has been identified to participate in the 2003 Wireless
Instructional Initiatives project. This project is the first step to developing and
implementing instructional strategies using wireless computing in the College
and will serve as a pilot program for future opportunities.
Commitment and Requirements
The commitment and requirements on the behalf of participants include:
Project Support
The ITC will provide training and consultation throughout the project. Participants
will receive a laptop computer or equivalent funds to support the purchase of
instructional hardware/software based on project needs. Determined by the technology
configurations identified in the awarded project proposals, participants will
have access to laptops with requisite software for either in-class or student
distribution.
- Hardware
- Dell C640 or iBook laptops w/spare batteries
- Orinoco PCMCIA or Airport wireless cards
- 2 mobile carts (inter-semester storage, transportation, and security)
- Canon ZR40 camcorders w/extended life batteries
- MiniDV tapes, wired microphones, and tripods
- Software
- Office 2001 Professional (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, Publisher)
- UT Communications Suite (Netscape, Internet Explorer, Ewan, WsFTP)
- Norton AntiVirus
- Adobe Acrobat
- Win2000 OS (PCs)
- SPSS (PCs only)
- AdPlus (PC cart only)
- DreamWeaver (Macs only)
- Final Cut Express (Macs only)
Pedagogical Investigation
Our research agenda for these projects centers on the following questions:
- How do collaborative learning communities exist in traditional
teaching environments?
- How they are fostered through wireless computing?
- Does CL contribute to content mastery?
In addition, we will continue investigating the laptop, software, and
network support issues surrounding wireless computing.
Conferences and Presentations
The following is a list of conferences where data from the Wireless Instructional Initiatives has
been presented or accepted for presentation.
Presented at:
Accepted to:
2002 Engineering (WISE) and Biology Project Focus
The Wireless Instructional Initiatives Strategies for Engineering (WISE) project was conducted during the Fall 02 and Spring 03
semesters. The focus of the WISE project was to develop and
implement strategies to foster student-centered collaborative learning communities using wireless
computing. Different from the approach used in the WISH project, the laptops were distributed to students to foster the
development of learning communities inherent in the project-focused problem based learning found in the Engineering
curriculum. The WISH lessons learned in areas of technical support were used to meet the challenge the College of Engineering
faced in how to support students 24 x 7 (24 hrs./day x 7 days/week) in their Fall 03 student laptop requirement.
The Biology project utilizes the "WebQuest" model of inquiry learning in a subset
of the Biology 101/02 laboratory sections. This model involves students exploring
and researching a particular topic and preparing a web site to present the results
of their inquiries, and it will be used to compare the performance of the 8
WII sections with those of the traditional laboratory approach used by the other
8 sections. The project is intended to provide data to stimulate wider thinking
about changes that the Division of Biology might wish to introduce to all of
its general education biology courses. The 2002 Engineering and Biology participants continue to utilize the project equipment.
Reflections on the 2001 WISH Pilot Project
The first wireless instructional initiative was the 2001 WISH (Wireless Instructional
Strategies for the Humanities) Pilot Project conducted during the Fall 01 semester.
The focus of the WISH project was to develop and implement
instructional strategies using wireless computing and serve as a pilot program for future instructional
initiatives using wireless computing.
Several 2001 WISH participants continue to utilize
the project equipment. The participants' final reports
reflect enthusiasm and excitement resulting from their experiences in addition
to the reality of time dedicated to rethinking teaching to more collaborative
instructional opportunities for their students. Some of ITC's "lessons learned"
from the WISH project include a clearer picture of how to support faculty through
ongoing consultation and hands on training as well as the technical support
needed to maintain the laptops, network, and configure software applications.
Contacts For More Information
For additional information or questions, please contact a member of the WII Implementation
Team:
