Wake Forest’s Experience with
Ubiquitous Laptop Computing and Its
Possible Relevance for Notre Dame
General Session for TLTR, Faculty & Staff---May 16, 2003
David G. Brown, Professor of Economics, Wake Forest
David G. Brown, VP & Dean
Wake Forest University
Brown@wfu.edu
http://www.wfu.edu/~brown
Outline of Introductory Remarks
• Set scene: The Wake Forest Experience
– Technology at Wake Forest
– How has Teaching & Learning Changed?
• Will address Current Notre Dame Issues--–
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Required computer ownership?
Standard Load for All Students?
Required Portability?
Gains from Wireless?
Video to Residence Halls?
• Future: Where is Teaching-Learning Headed?
– What we’ve learned so far
– The Millenium Context
THE WAKE FOREST PLAN
IBM A21m, Pentium III, 700 Mhz, 20GB, 14”ActMatrix, 196MB, Re-writable CD
56k modem, 8MB Video Ram, 10/100 Ethernet, Floppy,
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
CONCEPTS BEHIND PLAN
• Students First (nomadic)
• 2 Layers: Threshold +
• Communicate/Access (Not Present/Analyze)
• Dominant Use After College
• Equity of Access
What’s Happened Since Laptops
• Mentality shifts-- like from public phone to personal phone.
• Teaching Assumptions shift-- like from readings are on
reserve to everyone owns a copy of his/her own.
• Timelines shift-- like from “our class meets MWF” to “we
see each other all the time and MWF we meet together”
• Students’ sense of access shifts-- like from “I can get
that book in the library” to “I have that book in my library.”
• Relationships shift-- like from a family living in many
different states to all family members living in the same town
The Conclusion: Computers Increase Learning
By Improving Communication!
Computers Enhance My Teaching and/or 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%
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, 2002
FIRST YEAR SEMINAR
The Economists’ Way of Thinking:
• To understand a liberal arts education as an
opportunity to study with professors who think by
their own set of concepts
• To learn how to apply economic concepts
• To learn how to work collaboratively
• To learn computer skills
• To improve writing and speaking
Students = 15
All Freshmen
Required Course
Before Class
During Class.
After Class
WHY STANDARD?
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Communication Utility! (George Gilder)
99% Reliability A Must in Classroom
Buddies Share Hardware & Knowledge
Better, Cheaper Support Systems
Marketing Advantages
Faculty “Trusts” Equality of Access
WHY PORTABLE?
Academic Reasons
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Continuous Contact
More Collaboration
Greater Faculty Availability
Greater Sense of Ownership
More Flexibility: On site data collection &
essay writing. In class use.
• Study at best location, not limited to dorm
Academic Opportunities
[Growing from Mobility & Standardization]
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Redesigned Courses (Gardening Metaphor)
Faculty Teamwork, Interdisciplinary Coop
Collaborative Assignments & Study Groups
Active Sub-Communities (centers, disciplines.
Student organizations, databases)
Student-Faculty Partnerships
Study Abroad & Internships
Student Self Confidence re Information Fluency
Marketing to Grad Schools & Employers
Usefulness of Wireless
• Like @ UND, all classes have Internet access at the podium &
a mounted SGA projector.
• 60% of our classrooms are wired to each student. Another
20% are wireless. 25% of our undergrads have wireless
cards. Less faculty.
• Wireless is a technology in search of educational uses!
Yes, med school rounds. Yes, convenience.
• Someday, not yet. When our backbone can be wireless, it
will be cost effective. Until then, we’re going slow.
• Pittsburgh + WF + American University
Usefulness of Video to Dorms
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30 Second Videos of Physics Demos
Large Auditorium Lectures
Concern: Copyright & Academic Freedom
At WF capacities are largely unused
Future: Chunks should & will be available
Assuming that 90% of the Notre Dame students
have computers, where do we go next?
• If all students have laptops, will use in class be signficantly
increased? [Our experience is “no.” But the use outside
class skyrockets!]
• Are all faculty comfortable with the equity of access &
teaching accordingly? If not, how about a faculty motion?
• Could “friends teaching friends.” “helpdesk & other
service,” & time-savings from greater compatability be
increased by articulating a preferred hardware/software?
If so, how about recommending a standard computer &
software load to all students?
• Would communication in the community be enhanced if
students had email during the summer and when abroad,
faculty at night and at meetings, students in study groups?
If so, why not suggest laptops?
What We’ve Learned So Far
About Technology and Teaching
1. More Learning results From Better
Communication!
2. Students relish Buffets!
3. Blended Courses are Best!
4. Ubiquitous Access is Essential!
5. Simpler is Better!
6. Professor becomes Personal Trainer!
The Millennium Context
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Personal. Customized. Interactive.
Student-Centered Curriculum
Teams of Professionals to Support Learning
“Houses” instead of Disciplines
Hybrid Courses (80-20 and 20-80)
Loose-leaf Collections of Course
Components, instead of Textbooks
If you want to hear more about Wake Forest’s initiative,
tune to live broadcast at 3PM this afternoon!
“Mobile Computing
for Teaching and Learning at Wake Forest”
CREN Tech Talk hosted by Howard Strauss (Princeton)
Jay Dominick, CIO, Wake Forest
David G. Brown, VP and Dean, Wake Forest
http://www.cren.net/know/techtalk/events/mobile2.html