Wireless Instructional Initiatives Project Outlines
The Office for Research and Information Technology's Innovative Technology Center
(ITC) is currently sponsoring the 2005 Wireless Instructional Initiatives for the College of
Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, the fifth 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 fifth 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
Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources has been identified to participate in the 2005 Wireless
Instructional Initiatives project. This project represents a continuation of last year's project to
develop and implement instructional strategies using wireless computing in the College.
Commitment and Requirements
The commitment and requirements on the behalf of participants include:
- Integrate wireless laptops and/or PDAs in their course for a minimum
of one quarter of the semester.
- Participate in a summer institute that incorporates pedagogical consultation
with individualized training.
- Submit bimonthly status reports to the ITC WII Implementation Team and
the other WII participants for the duration
of the project.
- Conduct pre- and post-course student assessments during the 2005-06
academic year. ITC will provide the basic assessment tools.
- Submit a final report.
Project Support
The ITC will provide training and consultation throughout the project. 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
- Laptops with wireless access
- GPS/PDA devices
- Software
- Office 2003 Professional (Access, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Word)
- UT Communications Suite (Netscape, Internet Explorer, Ewan, WsFTP)
- McAfee VirusScan
- Adobe Acrobat Reader
- Windows XP OS
- Photoshop Elements
- ESRI ArcPad
- SAS
- Vortex
- TerraSync Pro & GPS Pathfinder Office (GPS/PDAs)
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:
2004 Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Project Focus
The WII 2004 project, conducted
during the Fall 04 and Spring 05 semesters, involved faculty and students in
various departments of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. In addition to wireless
laptops and Tablet PCs, handheld PDA devices that incorporated digital cameras and GPS receivers were distributed
to students for 24x7 access as well as for in-class use. Given the field-based nature of the
disciplines represented by the College, most faculty participants incorporated the technology into field-based, collaborative
learning activities that mimicked the conditions of the workplace environment.
2003 Communication and Information Project Focus
The WII 2003 project, conducted
during the Fall 03 and Spring 04 semesters, targeted faculty and students in
the recently merged College of Communication and Information (previously the College of Communications and
the School of Information Sciences). Blending elements of the WISE and WISH programs, laptops were
distributed to students for 24x7 access as well as for in-classroom use, and digital cameras and other
equipment were also provided for short-term student checkout. Given the pervasive use of technology in
the fields represented by the College, many participants extensively incorporated collaborative assignments
involving multimedia and digital video into their curricula.
In addition to the established research agenda on fostering student-centered collaborative learning
communities via wireless computing, this project also investigated the role of "flexible labs" from the
College administrative perspective. The mobile equipment was also been useful in addressing space and other
resource constraints in the College.
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.
Resources
For more information about teaching with wireless technology, check out the
ITC Wireless Instructional Resources page.
Contacts For More Information
For additional information or questions, please contact a member of the WII Implementation
Team:
