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ITC Reports

For the latest information on individual WII projects and participants, challenges, and successes, read the complete WII whitepaper and/or the February 2008 update listed here.

NEW: Wireless Instructional Initiatives Program: From Wireless 1.0 to 2.0 (2001-2006) [PDF]
NEW: Addendum: WII Participant Updates, Feb 2008 [PDF]

Projects by year: 2001| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006

Overview

The OIT/ITC Wireless Instructional Initiatives (WII) program was initiated in 2001 and continued through 2006. Its purpose was to help faculty use the then-new UT wireless network to enhance student learning. Each year the project involved a new group of faculty participants from various departments in the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Communication and Information, Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, and Nursing. The equipment used by the students evolved from laptops and other equipment used just in class, to laptops distributed for 24/7 student use, to newer technologies such as Tablet PCs and PDAs.

Faculty participants applied and participated primarily due to their interest in collaborative learning. In most instances, they attended a multi-day training institute the summer before their WII courses to familiarize themselves with the equipment to be used, explore new teaching opportunities, and learn strategies to facilitate collaboration among their students. The amount of faculty training and planning was found to correlate strongly to the success of the projects. Post-project student survey results indicated tremendous enthusiasm for the projects, with almost all students indicating that they loved their overall project experience and desired to expand upon it and/or continue using the equipment in their other classes.

The Future

The UT Knoxville wireless network is a great resource. Whatever the specific technology utilized in conjunction with it in the future, the university should continue to provide the support and infrastructure necessary to facilitate and develop best practices for faculty adoption of collaborative technologies for educational purposes. In contemporary practice in higher education, accrediting agencies are looking for opportunities that incorporate active learning, collaboration, real-world experience, and technological competence, all of which can be promoted via wireless networking and will also make the institution competitive in attracting prospective students and potential employers. Therefore, it behooves UT’s future and graduates to incorporate such practices into the learning experience to the fullest extent possible.