Assessing
the Impact of Technology-Rich Spaces on Student Learning
Resources
NC State University Initiatives, Projects
and Grants
There are a number of NC State University campus activities related to technology and student learning and the Learning in a Technology-Rich Environment (LITRE) plan. LITRE is an empirical research program aimed at enhancing the extensive learning with technology opportunities available to students and faculty at North Carolina State University. More information on LITRE and projects directly connected to this program can be found at: http://litre.ncsu.edu.
The overviews
provided on this page attempt to outline some of NC State University technology
and student learning activities that incorporate an assessment
component. Links are provided to each individual initiative for
a more in depth overview of practice. Other NC State technology projects can be found on the Technology Practices Directory and on other LITRE pages.
College of Engineering Student Owned Computing -Mobile Computing Pilot Project: The goal of the Mobile Computing Pilot Program (commonly referred to as the Laptop Program) is to determine how the use of laptop computers and wireless connectivity can enhance the undergraduate academic experience in engineering. This program is conducted out of the Student Owned Computing program of the College of Engineering, look for the "assessment" link. In 2004, this project was written up: Rohrback, R., Spurlin, J., Mayberry, K, & Rajala, S. (2004). "Engineering Computing as an Essential Component of Inquiry-guided Learning", in Lee, V.S. (Ed.) Teaching and Learning through Inquiry: A Guidebook for Institutions and Instructors. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing. The assessment methods, findings and reports from 2001-2005 are available, and Joni Spurlin, University Director of Assessment, may be contacted about the assessment of these projects. Dianne Raubenheimer, Director of Assessment for Engineering, is the current contact for this project.
Friday Institute's mission is "To create, develop, explore, discover, refine, innovative teaching and learning solutions for the benefit of all learners." Research projects, and their assessment activities. As part of the Friday Institute, the Instructional Technologies to Enhance Teaching and Learning Collaboratory is designed to research technologies that can enhance teaching and learning and to determine the best ways to use these technologies to be the most effective in the classroom.
IDEA Grants: DELTA is providing assistance to NC State University faculty and staff in the form of funds and personnel to support planning, design and development of online distance education courses, programs and resources. DELTA Innovation in Distributed Education Applications (IDEA) Grants are provided to promote innovation in the use of instructional technology in online distance teaching and learning, build expertise in this area, and enhance the technology-rich learning environment at North Carolina State University. Each grant has an assessment plan. For more information, see: http://www.delta.ncsu.edu/ideagrants/information/history/index.html
Incoming student surveys: In an effort to better understand the technology needs and preferences of our incoming students, classes are surveyed prior to the start of the fall semester.LabWrite is an online resource designed to help students take full advantage of one of the most important activities for learning in the sciences-writing good lab reports. Assessment of this project can be found on-line.
LITRE: In 2002, learning
in a technology-rich environment (LITRE) was chosen as the theme
for NC State University's quality enhancement plan. This is a
university wide activity including major projects and grants available
for NC State University faculty. All projects and faculty grants
have an assessment component. See the LITRE
PLAN for an outline of assessment activities for the initial
projects. Keep a watch on the assessment
pages of the LITRE website for ongoing assessment reports
and information. See each funded faculty grant proposal and report on the 2004-2005 projects and 2005-2007 projects. Within each proposal and report are specific assessment
objectives and methods for assessing student learning. Geetanjali Soni, Coordinator for LITRE Assessment, is coordinating efforts of the large and small projects of the LITRE program. The LITRE
Assessment Committee consists of faculty and staff knowledgeable
about assessment of technology and student learning in their areas
of expertise.
Learning Technology Services, Delta: for publications and presentations related to distance education and on-line education, many related to assessment. Assessment of WebCT Vista Learning Management Systems at NC State University. Contact: Donna Petherbridge, DELTA.
The Mobile
Computing Initiative in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
(CALS) at North Carolina State University is based on
the College's desire to transition students from their high school
life to the college experience and to increase student learning
and productivity. The project is grounded in the University's
Learning in a Technology Rich Environment (LITRE) action initiatives.
Specifically, through its existing technology initiatives and
through mobile computing projects, CALS: 1) ensures that new students
are prepared to meet technology-use expectations; 2) integrates
appropriate technology-enhanced learning with the core academic
activities of the university; and 3) ensures that graduates leave
the university with appropriate technological proficiency. Mobile
computing tools serve these goals well, as most are customized
with software containing organization, productivity, and learning
applications for faculty, staff, and students. Presentations
and reports related to assessment of this project are available
on-line.
The Mobile Computing
Initiative in the College of Veterinary Medicine has issued
over 400 Palm Tungsten C handheld computers to incoming freshmen.
These units are Wifi (802.11B) equipped, 400 MHz Intel processor-driven
systems, with 64 MB of resident memory and an SD card reader.
The purpose of this initiative is to train students to utilize
readily available computer-based information resources to provide
the best medical care possible. Contact: Dan
McWhorter, Director of Web-Based Instruction in the College
of Veterinary Medicine.
NC State design standards for classroom technology.
ResNet is the residential computer network service provided to students living at NC State University. ResNet lets students connect their personal computer directly to NC State's computer network and, through the University network, to the Internet. Students are surveyed about this service.
Student Affairs have many projects related to technology and assessment. They are helping with evaluating the use of portfolios for assessment, use of technology in their various units and other LITRE initiatives. Contact: Carrie L. Zelna, Ph.D., Director of Student Affairs Research and Assessment.
Student-Centered
Activities for Large Enrollment Undergraduate Programs (SCALE-UP)
project is designed to be highly collaborative, hands-on, computer-rich,
interactive learning environment for large enrollment courses.
Rigorous evaluation has been conducted.
WebAssign
can be used as one type of assessment tool. This homework delivery
system harnesses the power of the Internet and puts it to work.
Collecting and grading homework is the province of the WebAssign
service.