Computing Support of
Instruction
Dr. H.E. (Buster) Dunsmore
dunsmore@cs.purdue.edu
Purdue University
Department of Computer Science
PowerPoint slides created by Paula Perkins
© 2004, Purdue University
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40th Anniversary
 Recently, Purdue’s Department of Computer Science
celebrated its 40th Anniversary
2
Purdue Computer Science
began in 1962
 No computer on campus
 Programs were punched
into cards and driven to
Indianapolis
 End of each day programs came back to
campus on green bar
paper
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Purdue’s First Computer
Fall 1963, Purdue University
got its first computer on campus
 Enormous – size of this
room
 Vacuum Tubes
 Transistors
 Air Conditioning
4
How Much has Technology
Changed in 40 Years?
 Computers are now
1000 times faster
 Computers now store
1000 times more
information
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Forty years….
 Forty years ago they could not have imagined
today’s handheld computers
 What will next forty years bring?
 Cannot even imagine…
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Technology In the
Classroom
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Re-inventing the Blackboard
 Blackboard was
technological breakthrough
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Greenboard
Whiteboard
Slides
Transparencies
Sound recordings
Video
Computer
Specialized software
Internet connection
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Reality Check…
 Not all classrooms have
needed equipment
 Some faculty fearful of
using such technology
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How can we make things better?
 Make Technology:
 Pervasive
 Natural to use
 Wireless
 Effortless
 Easy to use a little or a
lot
 Provide standard
desktop for instructors
 Make it easy to combine
methodologies

Blackboard,
transparencies, video..
 Provide technical staff
 “Security blanket”
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Ideal Situation
 Multiple computers
 Multiple screens
 Fast and reliable
Internet connections
 Technical Staff &
Software
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Create slides
Create demonstrations
Create animations
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Student Technology
 Laptops
 PDA’s
 Wireless system
connections
 Digitized video
 Cell Phones
 Text Messaging
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Technology Outside
the Classroom
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Technology Outside the Classroom
 Concept is relatively
new idea
 Forerunners:
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Library
Telephone
Collections of reserved
materials
Tutors
Help desks
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Current & Future Technology
 Current Technology
 Class Website
 Description
 Syllabus
 Reading Material
 In-class presentation
material
 Assignments
 Video
 Grades
 FAQ’s
 Future Technology
 Digitized lecture video
 Video Conferencing for
“office hours”
 Beyond imagination
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Technical Staff & Software
 Make the use of
technology outside the
classroom easier

Create and administer:
 Websites
 Video
 Grades
 FAQ’s
 Electronic bulletin
boards
 Chat rooms
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Online Student Service Websites
 Register for classes
 Pay tuition
 Research term papers
 Take Internet classes
 Check grades
 Email friends
 Build own website
 Much much more…
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Distance Education
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New Concepts…
 “Distance Education”
“Distance Learning”
“E-Learning”
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Trends in Distance Education
 More people interested
in:
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Supplementing
education
Getting degree
Non-credit education
 Industry and Military
interested in costeffective ways to train
 Becoming more
expensive to provide
traditional classrooms
and labs
 Technology available in
homes, libraries,
community centers
becoming very
sophisticated
Trends would all seem to converge with
Distance Education – people taking
classes without going to class
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Overcoming Problems
 Problems:
 Delivering information
 Controlling progress
through class
 Conducting labs
 Helping students with
projects & papers
 Testing
 Making it possible thru:
 Internet
 Web
 DSL/Cable access
 Desktops, laptops,
PDA’s
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Value added by Instructor
 Providing websites, slides, demos,
animations is not enough

Most critical component - Instructor
 No technology will replace human interaction
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Instructors can “read” students in classroom
Instructors can provide further explanation
Instructors can guide discussion in a different
direction
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How can we make progress?
 Deliver instructor via digitized video (but live is best)
 Synchronous – Provide interaction via
communication devices
 Asynchronous – Archived video, video FAQ’s,
occasional access to Instructor
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Administration Problems
 Situation
100 students taking class…
 All beginning on different day…
working at different rates of speed…
ending on different day…
 Suicide!
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Making it Work
 Multiple entry and exit points
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(course modules)
Technology in the classroom
will adapt easily to Distance
Learning
Websites, digitized video,
FAQ’s etc. viewable
anywhere ... not just in
classroom
Need technical staff help
Use common format/structure
for web-delivered courses
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Student Technology on Campus
 What students have:
 Laptops
 PDA’s
 Cell Phones
 Much more advanced
technology
 They want to be able to
link into system to get
this information
 What campuses need
to provide:

Common areas with
wireless hook-ups
 Upload/download
 Check calendars
 Email
 Virtual Library
 Internet
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Blurring of Administrative and
Instructional Support
 History – separate computers in separate
buildings
 Because of networks and remote access, no
longer reason to keep separate
 Barriers to integration:
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Inertia
Security concerns
Some degree of different functionality
(administrative still has some large data
processing applications)
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