Status of Ubiquitous Computing
[Lessons Learned So Far]
David G. Brown
Professor/VP/Dean/Former Provost
Wake Forest University
Karen R. Petitto
Instructional Technology Specialist
West Virginia Wesleyan College
Ubiquitous Computing Defined
“…all teaching proceeds on the
assumption that all students and
faculty have appropriate access to
the internet.”
David G. Brown (editor), Ubiquitous Computing,
Anker Publishing Company, Bolton, MA, 2003.
http://www.ankerpub.com/books/brown_uc.html
Sixty-one Lessons Learned Cited
by 12 Pioneers
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Acadia (Canada)
Clayton
Dartmouth
Drew
Drexel
HEC (Canada)
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Hong Kong
Minnesota-Crookston
RPI (Rensselaer)
Seton Hall
Strathclyde (Scotland)
Wake Forest
Over 100 notebook colleges and universities
http://itc.vcsu.edu/asp/notebook_univ_listing.asp
Hierarchy of Ubiquity
• All “Own” Identical Laptops + 2-Year
Refresh
• All “Own” Identical Laptops
• All “Own” Threshold Laptops
• All “Own” Identical Desktop Computers
• All “Own” Threshold Computers
• All “Own” Network Computers
• All Have Access to Threshold Computers
• All Have Access to Public Computer Labs
• Teach with Explicit Assumption of Access
Progress Toward Realizing the Full
Learning Potential of Ubiquitous
Computing
Increments of Equipment
Learning Potential of Ubiquitous Computing
Increments of Equipment
0%
25 %
50 %
75 %
100 %
Add
5%
Add Handhelds connected
everywhere wirelessly
Add Laptops connected
everywhere wirelessly
Add
14 %
Add all with wireless
connectivity in classroom
Add
1%
Add all with wired
connectivity in classroom
Add
5%
Add all with connected
Add
60 %
personally owned computers
Add all with access to
public lab computers
Instructor only computer
connectivity & projection
Add
5%
10 %
THE WAKE FOREST PLAN
IBM A30, Pentium III, 1.13GHz Processor, 30GB Hard Drive, 384 MB RAM
15”ActMatrix Screen, CD-RW/DVD, Floppy, 56k modem, 16MB Video Ram,
10/100 Ethernet, USB & Serial & Parellel & Infrared Ports
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IBM Laptops for all
Printers for all
New Every 2 Years
Own @ Graduation
31.000 Connections
Standard Software
99% E-Mail
Start 1995, 4 Year
Phase In
• +15% Tuition for 37
Items
• +40 Faculty and 30
Staff
Standard Load Includes—
MS Office, Dreamweaver, SPSS, Maple,
Acrobat, Photoshop, Shockwave, Flash,
Net Meeting, Real Producer & Player,
Media Player, Windows XP Moviemaker,
Apple QuickTime, Netscape & Explorer,
Netscape Calendar & Communicator,
Windows XP Professional
Communication - Interaction
Computers Enhance
Teaching & Learning Via-Presentations
Better--20%
More Opportunities to
Practice & Analyze--35%
More Access to Source
Materials via Internet--43%
More Communication with Faculty Colleagues, Classmates,
and Between Faculty and Students--87%
ICCEL -- Wake Forest University, 2002
Computers allow people---• to belong to more communities
• to be more actively engaged in each
community
• with more people
• over more miles
• for more months and years
• TO BE MORE COLLABORATIVE
ICCEL -- Wake Forest University, 2003
Research Results
http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v9n49.html
• 18,844 students at 71 American
Universities--students at more wired schools actually
reported more student-faculty contact,
cooperation among students, and active
learning.
• The Big Three Student Uses
– Email with professors and classmates
– Internet for class-related materials
– Word processing
WVWC Model
• IBM ThinkPad – entire campus has
same model
• 3 year lease
• Laptop + Network + Rich
Electronic Library Resources =
Information Technology Program
• Network Printers Available
• Very “Windows” oriented program
• Use of WebCT (not widespread)
• IBM Certified Repair Center
• 9 Support Staff/Faculty
How have programs changed
since their inception?
The Big Three Administrative
Decisions
• What vendor?
• What institutional
model?
• Funding?
Vendor Considerations
• Institutional Customization
• Order and Delivery
• Length of contract (lease, buy,
lease to buy, etc…)
• Durability of the “Box”
• Maintenance
• Teaching and Learning
support
Model Considerations
• Response to Student Use and Expectations
– Status Quo
– Changing skill level
– Changing work habits
• When, Where and How?
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Dynamic nature of Educational Technology
Faculty “buy-in”
Maintenance and Upkeep
Institutional Commitment to the Program
Program Funding
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Sustaining Start-up Grants
Endowment Losses
Tuition and Fees Structures
Overall cost projected to
decrease
– Computers, Networks,
Hardware, Software
How do programs differ in
management and delivery?
• Where is the
administrative base
of the program?
• How is the Library
involved?
• HelpDesk issues
• Contract services
• Maintenance
What’s Ahead for Ubiquitous
Campuses?
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Personal. Customized. Interactive.
Student-Centered Curriculum
Teams of Professionals Supporting Learning
“Houses” instead of Disciplines
Hybrid Courses (80-20 and 20-80)
Loose-leaf Collections of Course Components, instead of
Textbooks
• Electronic Portfolios for Students
• Wireless (802.11a)
• Less Infatuation with Computing
Karen R. Petitto
West Virginia Wesleyan College
59 College Avenue
Buckhannon, WV 26451
petitto@wvwc.edu
304.473.8378
http://faculty.wvwc.edu/petitto
David G. Brown
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, N.C. 27109
336-758-4878
email: brown@wfu.edu
http//:www.wfu.edu/~brown
fax: 336-758-5012