Ubiquitous
Computing
at Seton Hall
University
Stephen G. Landry
CIO
Presented to
TLT Group
April 18, 2006
Key Ideas:
• There is a rich array of excellent teaching and learning
resources available online
• To take full advantage of these resources, institutions
need to ensure universal access to those resources
• Access to the technology is necessary but not sufficient
to use these resources to improve teaching and learning –
support, particularly support for technology enabled
redesign of teaching and learning, is needed
• Access to the technology has become much more
attainable in the last ten years, to the point where this is a
tractable issue for most institutions
Seton Hall University:
• Mid-Sized private Catholic-affiliated research intensive
University located in suburban NJ, approx. 15 miles
from NYC
– Main campus in South Orange NJ
– Law School in Newark, NJ
– 4,400 full time undergraduate students
• 50% live on campus / 50% commute
– 400 full time faculty
Strategic Planning at SHU:
• Following 1994 Middle States accreditation, SHU
embarked on an intensive strategic planning effort
resulting in the University’s 1996 strategic plan
– Increased undergraduate enrollment target from 900 per year to
1200 per year
– Increased scholarships / tuition discount
– Launched new schools of Diplomacy and Graduate Medical
Education; launched SetonWorldWide, the University’s online
university with seven wholly online degree programs
– Built new library and new academic building
– Made a substantial commitment to technology
• GOAL: “To provide a technologically advanced learning
environment for our students and faculty”
Implementation of Ubiquitous Computing:
• During planning in 1994-96, faculty saw the potential of
online resources to improve student learning but saw
access and support as impediments to their taking
advantage of these resources in their own teaching
• University launched its Mobile Computing Program,
aimed at providing access, services, and support
– First pilot in 1995 with twelve faculty in Business and A&S
and twenty Business Honors students
– Mandatory for all incoming first year Business Majors in 1997
– Mandatory for all incoming first year students in 1998
Mobile Computing Program:
• Seton Hall University’s Mobile Computing Program
is an innovative academic program involving three
components:
– Access: The University licenses the use of a laptop computer
to students as part of their tuition and fees
– Curricular Integration: The University provides support
and incentives to faculty to use technology in innovative ways
to enhance teaching and learning
– Network and Support Services: The University provides
the infrastructure and support services that enable the effective
use of technology in teaching and learning
Impact on Learning Environment:
• Mobile Computing Assessment Program demonstrates
that the program has had a positive impact on T&L
• Benefits have come primarily through the sustained
support for using technology to improve T&L
– Teaching, Learning, and Technology Center
– Internal Grants to Promote / Support Effective Faculty Use
– Focus on Technology-Enabled Redesign of Large
Enrollment Courses (along lines of PEW LCR Project)
• Examples: English / Psychology / Precalculus Mathematics / Oral
Communications / First Year Experience (Freshman Studies)
• Adoption of ePortfolios in Education / English / Psychology /
First Year Experience (Freshman Studies)
Implementing Ubiquitous Computing:
• Models of Ubiquitous Computing:
– Student Ownership vs. Institutional Ownership
– Standardization vs. User Choice With Minimum Specifications
• Examples:
– Institutional Ownership / Standardization:
• Wake Forest University, Seton Hall University, Ontario University
Institute of Technology
– Student Ownership / Standardization
• University of North Carolina / Chapel Hill, University of Vermont
– Student Ownership / Minimum Specifications
• Sonoma State University, Dartmouth University, RPI
Implementing Ubiquitous Computing (cont.):
• Ubiquitous Computing has become more attainable in
the past ten years:
– Hardware costs for laptops have come down (e.g., $2800 in
1996 vs. $1400 in 2006)
– Costs of network hardware and bandwidth have come down
(e.g., vs. $500 / mbs in 1996 vs. $50 / mbs in 2006)
– Software has become more stable and supportable (e.g., MS
Windows 98 vs. MS Windows XP, better virus protection /
antispyware, better network and computer management
software, etc.), reducing the cost of technical support
– Wide variety of instructional software and content now
available (e.g., Blackboard, Moodle, MyMathLab, etc.)
Implementing Ubiquitous Computing (cont.):
• Points to Consider:
– Access:
• many campuses have nearly all students with laptops but aren’t
acknowledging / supporting ubiquitous computing
• some campuses have access issues and need to develop plans to ensure
their students have appropriate access to technology
– But access is only one part of using technology resources to
improve student learning; other parts include:
• Support Services
• Faculty Adoption / Faculty Engagement
• Technology-enabled redesign of courses and curricula
Future Considerations:
• What kind of computing is sufficient for “ubiquitous computing”?
What about: handheld devices, cell phones, iPods, etc.? Is the
“minimum standard” access to a Java-enabled Web browser and a
reasonably fast Internet connection?
• If we extrapolate Moore’s Law, what will the “ubiquitous
computing” environment be like in ten years? In twenty? How
will colleges and their faculty respond to teaching in an
environment where all students have a very small, discrete,
“always on” computing device with essentially unlimited storage
and bandwidth and the resources of a future Google providing a
wealth of information and applications?
• What kinds of privacy and access to we value in our current
computing environment that we don’t want to loose in the future?
For More Information Contact:
Stephen Landry
Seton Hall University
landryst@shu.edu
www.shu.edu