Search DU CTLAT Blog

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Teaming Up to Develop a Faculty Institute on Teaching, Learning and Technology


by Janet R. de Vry, Judy A. Greene, Sandra Millard, and Patricia Sine

A week-long Faculty Institute on Teaching, Learning, and Technology was developed at the University of Delaware through the collaborative effort of four different areas of the University, each with significant experiences in offering faculty instruction and service. The response from faculty was overwhelmingly positive. This article describes this collaborative experience and suggests some keys to success for other institutions that may be planning faculty technology development programs. MORE

Copyright 1996 CAUSE. From CAUSE/EFFECT Volume 19, Number 3, Fall 1996, pp. 22-27, 32-34. Permission to copy or disseminate all or part of this material is granted provided that the copies are not made or distributed for commercial advantage, the CAUSE copyright and its date appear, and notice is given that copying is by permission of CAUSE, the association for managing and using information resources in higher education. To disseminate otherwise, or to republish, requires written permission. For further information, contact Julia Rudy at CAUSE, 4840 Pearl East Circle, Suite 302E, Boulder, CO 80301 USA; 303-939-0308; e-mail: jrudy@cause.colorado.edu  
Share/Bookmark

Lincoln University News (PA): Lincoln University Spreads Its Mission of Training Media Professionals to Louisiana

July 11, 2011

New and used light fixtures, microphones, and mixers are some of the items that were donated to Tara High School in Baton Rouge, LA to help establish the first media center in a public school in the area.

Tara High School, for years, has envisioned a space where its students can have a creative outlet and develop a specific craft in the multimedia industry.

In 2010, Lincoln University opened its state-of-the-art Media Center, a training facility for the Mass Communications Center of Excellence and students interested in multimedia. The Center is comprised of two high-definition television studios (LU-TV), two digitally automated radio studios (WWLU) and Avid and Final Cut Pro editing stations.

The digital upgrade left the University with a surplus of operational equipment from its previous, analog radio and television studios.

“Lincoln University is totally dedicated to equipping students with skills to navigate through the evolving multimedia industry,” said President Ivory Nelson. “Our Media Center provides students with a unique and unmatched learning experience in the digital era of multimedia. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to assist other learning environments in accomplishing the same mission.”

Lincoln University became partners with Tara High School when the University’s Media Manager Ashley Sims learned of the school’s vision from Joseph Redmond, and realized that the University had the equipment to make it possible.

“Joseph told me of his desire to provide the Tara High School students with a media facility for their professional and personal development,” said Sims. “He and I both believe that every young person needs to be exposed to the power of the media and the value of being a media producer. Through this donation the Tara students will be able to voice their unique experiences to their community. We’re just glad that Lincoln could help them in reaching this goal.”

In the 1970s through the early 1980s, Tara High School was home to a thriving radio station. Federal cuts to the arts in education spelled the end of the station in 1982. Upon its return, the station’s mission statement will be to educate, entertain and preserve Louisiana’s unique musical heritage. In addition, the planners intend to use Tara students as the primary source of broadcast talent. Putting the radio station back on the air is just the first step in the process. When it is all said and done, Tara Student Media intends to operate a student-run TV, video and news photography operation in addition to a computer platform that mimics the functions of Newsy.com.

The East Baton Rouge Parish School System (EBRPSS) is one of the largest school districts in the state of Louisiana and home to nine U.S. Blue Ribbon Schools, a nationally renowned Magnet Program, the student winner of the 2011 national Raytheon MATHCOUNTS competition, three Gates Millennium Scholars and the state High School Student of the Year. The urban school district is located about an hour outside New Orleans in the state's capital, Baton Rouge, and has an enrollment of about 43,000 students in grades Pre-K through 12. The total enrollment includes a diverse population of students in regular, Gifted, Talented Arts, English as a Second Language, Magnet and Vocational Education programs. In addition, there are Exceptional Student classes for challenged students through the age of 21. EBRPSS also serves about 4,000 Adult Education students annually.

######

Lincoln University - founded in 1854 as the nation’s first Historically Black University – combines the best elements of a liberal arts and sciences-based undergraduate core curriculum and selected graduate programs to meet the needs of those living in a highly technological and global society. The University enrolls approximately 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students.

Internationally recognized for preparing learners and producing world-class leaders in their fields, Lincoln has created five academic Centers of Excellence-programs of distinctions. They are: Lincoln-Barnes Visual Arts, Grand Research Educational Awareness and Training (GREAT) for Minority Health, Mass Communications, Teacher Education and Urban Pedagogy and Business and Information Technology.
Share/Bookmark

eLearners.com: Travel Tips for Students Taking Online Classes


Traveling this summer? Whether it's for business or recreation, you can always tote along your online classes.

"I took some of my materials with me, in particular my ethics textbook, for a reason, and that's to make sure I don't fall behind," says Steve Slawin, who took a family vacation to Edinburgh, Scotland this summer. He is currently studying online at St. Petersburg College in Florida to earn an associate's degree in business.

If you are traveling and need to study, set daily goals for yourself, such as reading a chapter, then logging into your class for 30 minutes. Here are a few essentials to remember:

• Internet fees vary depending on your lodging; budget anywhere from $10 - 18 a day for service
• Laptop batteries typically last no more than 2 hours; pack a power adaptor for your computer (international travelers may need to pack an adapter plug as well)
• Touchpads, or trackpads, on laptops can be cumbersome; bring a small mouse with you for extra comfort
Share/Bookmark

Blackboard Launches New, Real-Time Collaboration Platform Built for Education


Blackboard Inc. announced the launch of Blackboard Collaborate, the only education-focused platform for real-time collaboration that helps institutions shift more learning, networking, and communication online to improve education quality while reducing the cost of academic operations. Combining the strengths of the Elluminate and Wimba products, the innovative, easy-to-use platform goes beyond Web conferencing to deliver robust Web, video and voice conferencing as well as presence, instant messaging and voice authoring. MORE


Share/Bookmark

University Business: Paine College Accreditation Reaffirmed


Paine College received reaffirmation of its accreditation for the next 10 years by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools-Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC). The announcement comes after a three-year self-assessment conducted by Paine College officials and an on-campus visit by a SACS-COC approved team of administrators from peer institutions.

Read more >>
Share/Bookmark

University Business: College Presidents' Paychecks Raise Brows

There's probably not a very good time to announce that a college president is going to be making $100,000 more than his predecessor. The California State University System probably picked one of the worst. MORE
Share/Bookmark

Spelman College News: SPELMAN JOINS $18.5 MILLION EFFORT TO CREATE MIND-MACHINE INTERFACE




July 11, 2011
ATLANTA (July 15, 2011) Spelman College will participate in a new multi-institution research center established to work on robotic devices that interact with, assist and understand the nervous system. Funded by an $18.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering will combine advances in robotics, neuroscience electromechanical devices and computer science to restore or augment the body’s ability for sensation and movement.

"I'm thrilled that Spelman computer science and STEM students and faculty will have educational opportunities, research experiences, and faculty exchanges with CSNE and the University of Washington where the center is based,” said Andrew Williams, Ph.D., chair, associate professor of Computer and Information Sciences, Spelman. “Spelman's experience with humanoid robotics research and education make us a natural fit for learning how the brain and nervous system interfaces can be extended to help people with disabilities move robotic or natural limbs."

At the center, which launches this month, researchers will develop new technologies for amputees, people with spinal cord injuries and people with cerebral palsy, stroke, Parkinson’s disease or age-related neurological disorders.

“We already see chips that interface with neural systems and then stimulate the right muscles based on that information, and we have purely mechanical lower-limb prostheses that are fast enough to compete in the Olympics,” said Yoky Matsuoka, a UW associate professor of computer science and engineering and director of the new center. “Our center will use sensory and neural feedback to give these devices much more flexibility and control.”

Partners include Spelman, MIT, UW, San Diego State University, Morehouse College, Southwestern College, the University of British Columbia and the University of Tokyo. Faculty and students from Spelman's robotics research group along with partner institutions will work to perform mathematical analysis of the body’s neural signals; design and test implanted and wearable prosthetic devices; and build new robotic systems.

CSNE has 23 industry partners including Microsoft Corp., Intel Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp. as well as smaller companies and startups such as Impinj Inc., NeuroSky Inc. and NeuroVista Corp. Industry organizations and venture capitalists will also help turn ideas into products and companies.

Collaborators also include nonacademic research institutions such as the Allen Institute for Brain Science and the La Jolla Bioengineering Institute, and hospitals in Seattle and San Diego.

The grant is for five years of funding, with the possibility of renewal for another five years. The majority of the funding will support undergraduate and graduate student research. Early systems might involve remote or wearable devices that help guide rehabilitation exercises to remap brain signals and restore motor control. Ultimately, researchers hope to develop implantable prosthetics that are controlled by brain signals and include sensors that shuttle information back to wearers so they can react to their environment – creating robotic systems that are truly integrated with the body’s nervous system.

This NSF-funded engineering research center’s primary mission is to integrate research with education and community outreach. The center will work with school districts in Seattle and San Diego to develop neural robotics curriculum for middle school and high school students. It also will reach out to women, underrepresented minorities and people with disabilities.

Terrilyn Simmons
(404) 270-5822
tsimmons8@spelman.edu

Tom Daniel
(206) 543-1659
danielt@uw.edu


Spelman College:
Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a prestigious, highly selective, liberal arts college that prepares women to change the world. Located in Atlanta, Ga., this historically black college boasts an 83 percent graduation rate, and outstanding alumnae such as Children's Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman; former U.S. Foreign Service Director General Ruth Davis, authors Tina McElroy Ansa and Pearl Cleage; and actress LaTanya Richardson. More than 83 percent of the full-time faculty members have Ph.D.s or other terminal degrees, and the average faculty to student ratio is 12:1. More than 2,100 students attend Spelman. For more information, visit: http://www.spelman.edu/
Share/Bookmark

"The best film on birth in America" - New Chaptered DVD

Broadcast on PBS' Independent Lens series, BORN IN THE USA is the groundbreaking and award-winning documentary that follows an obstetrician, a nurse-midwife, and a licensed homebirth midwife as they work---each with a dramatically different idea about what is best for birthing women. Their stories shed light on the medical, legal, and cultural factors influencing women's choices in the birthing room today.


- "The best film on birth in America." -Marsden Wagner, Former Director of Maternal and Child Health at the World Health Organization

- Featured on the Oxygen Network and in Self and Fit Pregnancy.

- Free online resources include a BORN IN THE USA Viewing Guide.

BORN IN THE USA

A film by Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider

60 minutes. Now Chaptered on DVD!

To view a segment from the film, for more information, or to order click here: http://patchworksfilms.net/films/born_usa.html

BORN IN THE USA is especially recommended for these fields:

Women's Studies
American Studies
Family Studies
Women's Health
Medicine
Sociology
Nursing
OB/GYN
Public Health
Film/Media/TV
Gender Studies
Cultural Anthropology
Osteopathic Medicine
Health Care Administration
Allied Health
Complementary Medicine
Alternative Medicine
Kinesiology
Biology
Careers
Consumer Health and others...

----------------------------------------------------------

"Captures the complexity of birth and clearly points out the involvement of today's women in the process. " -Library Journal

"With consummate skill, the makers of this thought-provoking and compelling documentary explore how beliefs about childbirth translate into care and care into consequences, a subject of no small importance. Bravo for tackling a complex and controversial subject in a way that produces much light and no heat." -Henci Goer, author of The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth and Obstetric Myths Versus Research Realities

"Beautifully produced, well balanced, and comprehensive in its portrayal of contemporary childbirth in America." -Richard Feinbloom, M.D., Former Director, The Family Health Care Program, Harvard Medical School

"Outstanding." -Robbie Davis Floyd, Medical/Cultural Anthropologist, author of Birth as an American Rite of Passage

"...traces the birthing industry in America and explores the shifting social and cultural beliefs about women, technology and the perceived ability to control natural events." -New York Times

Click here for more information or to order: http://patchworksfilms.net/films/born_usa.html
Share/Bookmark

Campus Technology Smart Classroom: Amazon Launches Cross-Platform Textbook Rentals

By David Nagel 07/18/11

Share/Bookmark

CHEAmail [CHEAmail@chea.org]: Reflections on the Future of Accreditation

Just Released!


Recently, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) published Reflections on the Future of Accreditation. This 80-page collection of focused and thoughtful essays addresses the implications of a potentially profound transformation of U.S. higher education accreditation, examining key issues for accreditation and its future.

Edited and with an introduction by CHEA President Judith Eaton, this CHEA Initiative volume features original contributions from widely respected leaders in higher education accreditation, including:

Barbara Brittingham
Stephanie Cole
Michael B. Goldstein
Milton Greenberg
Mary Jane Harris
Joshua Kim
Michael P. Lambert
Doug Lederman
Elise Scanlon
Peter Williams
David B. Wolf

CHEA members will receive a complimentary copy of Reflections on the Future of Accreditation.

Additional copies of the book are $24.95 for CHEA members ($29.95 for non-members). Use the online registration form or call (202) 955-6126.

A national advocate and institutional voice for self-regulation of academic quality through accreditation, CHEA is an association of 3,000 degree-granting colleges and universities and recognizes 60 institutional and programmatic accrediting organizations. For more information, visit CHEA's Website at http://www.chea.org/

Council for Higher

Education Accreditation
One Dupont Circle NW
Suite 510
Washington, DC 20036
(tel) 202-955-6126
(fax) 202-955-6129
chea@chea.org
Share/Bookmark