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Ubiquitous Computing
“…teaching on the assumption that you don’t have
to dumb down the curriculum because not all
students have access to the Internet…”
By David G. Brown
VP, Dean, and Professor of Economics
Wake Forest University
http://www.wfu.edu/~brown and brown@wfu.edu
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8 BASIC MODELS OF
UBIQUITOUS COMPUTING
(Ordered by total cost, starting with the most expensive)
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All + Laptops + Annual Refresh (U Minnesota-Crk)
Refresh Less Frequently (Wake Forest U)
Substitute Desktop Computers (US Air Force Aca)
Provide One Computer Per Two Beds (Chatham)
Specify Threshold Level (U North Carolina)
Substitute Network Computers
Provide Public Station Computers (Boston College)
Teach with Explicit Assumption of Access
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Phase In Strategies
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Annual Lease
Phase in by classes
Phase in by programs
Phase in by type of program
Phase in by category (faculty, students, staff)
Hand me down
Loaner Pool
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THE WAKE FOREST PLAN
IBM A21m, Pentium III, 800 Mhz, 20GB, 14.1”ActMatrix, 192mbRAM, Re-writable CD
56k modem, 8MB Video Ram, 10/100 Ethernet, Floppy, Lithium-ion Battery
12mbps USB & Serial & Parallel & Infrared Ports, 6.7 lbs.
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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
•Windows 98
•Netscape Communicator 4.77
•MS Office2000 Pro
•Dreamweaver 4
•Shockwave & Flash
•Apple QuickTime 4.1.2
•Waterloo Maple V 6.0
•SPSS 10.1
•Real Player & Producer
•Adaptec Easy CD
•Norton Antivirus
•Remedy AR Client 4.05/01
ICCEL -- Wake Forest University, 2001
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Wake Forest University
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3700 undergraduates
92% residential
500 each: Med, Law, MBA, PhD
Winston-Salem, NC
1300 average SAT
28th in US News & World Report
Top 35 Privates in Barron’s Guide
Rhodes Scholars
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The Big Three
#1. E-mail
#2. Course Web Pages (Blackboard)
#3. Internet URLs
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Ways of Thinking About
Presidential Campaigns and Debates
A First Year Seminar Introducing
Students to the Liberal Arts
15 Freshmen
Meet twice per week
All with open laptops
ICCEL -- Wake Forest University, 2001
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Consequences for Wake Forest
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+SAT Scores & Class Ranks
+Retention & Grad Rates
+Satisfaction & Learning
+Faculty Recruitment
ICCEL -- Wake Forest University, 2001
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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%
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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
www.ankerpub.com
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With Ubiquity--The Culture Changes
• Mentality shifts-- like from public phone to personal phone.
• Teaching Assumptions shift-- like from books in the public library
to everyone owns a copy of his/her own.
• Timelines shift-- like from “our class meets MWF” to “we contact
each other all the time and MWF we meet together”
• Time horizons shift– like from “I’ll be able to use this computer
while in college” to “I’m learning to use a lifetime tool”
• Students’ sense of access shifts-- like from “maybe 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
Confirmation from Professors at
America’s Most Wired Universities
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Interactive Learning
Collaborative Learning
Communication
www.ankerpub.com
Visualization
Different Strokes for Different Folks
With standardization--•
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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
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With Portability--•
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Continuous Contact & Faculty Availability
More Student Collaboration
More Curriculum Flexibility
Easier Travel Abroad
Quicker Exchange When Machine is Broken
Fewer Computer Labs & More Classrooms
Greater Sense of Ownership
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BIG ISSUES
• Communication vs Presentation vs
Analysis vs Access to Internet
• Virtual Courses vs Hybrids
• Academic vs Administrative
• Consortia vs Going It Alone
• Today’s Students vs Alums Also
• Mandatory vs Optional
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BIG ISSUES
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Laptop vs Desktop vs PDA
Standard vs Threshold
Single Vendor vs Multiple Vendors
Buy vs Lease vs Student Buy
Blackboard vs WebCT vs Learning
Space vs Other Mgt Systems
• Cold Turkey vs Pilot
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Positioning for the Future
• What are your institution’s
strengths & weaknesses
• How do you determine
your place in an electronic
world?
• What will be your primary
student markets--program
areas? Degree credit?
Geographic span? Age?
• What are the appropriate
delivery technologies
next year? 5 years? Etc?
• What is a realistic
staffing plan?
Outsourcing? Support
personnel? Executive
leadership?
• What institutional
partnerships make
sense?
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WHY COMPUTERS?
…the institutional answer
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Communication!
Level Playing Field
After College Use
Faculty/Students Demand Them
Customized/Personalized
Digitized Scholarship
Brown’s First Year Seminar
• Before Class
– Students Find URLs &
Identify Criteria
– Interactive exercises
– Just-in-Time Quizzes
– E-mail dialogue
– Cybershows & Lecture Notes
• During Class
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One Minute Quiz
Computer Tip Talk
E-mails to Classmates
Class Polls
Team Projects
Chat During Lecture
• After Class
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Edit Drafts by Team
Guest Editors
Access Previous Papers
Follow Up Discussion
• Other
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Daily Announcements
Team Web Page
Personal Web Pages
Personal Portfolio
Exams include Computer
ICCEL -- Wake Forest University, 2001
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Thoughts About the Future
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Customized Learning
Collaboration in All Disciplines
Hybrid Methodologies
Every Person A Server
Electronic Publications
Confederations
Branding
Always in Touch
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Five Course Design
Strategies That Work
#1. Continuous Communication
#2. Preview and Review
#3. Controversy and Debate
#4. Different Strokes, Different Folks
#5. Outsider Involvement
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Faculty Development
Concepts Worth Considering
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Eager Faculty
Friendly Sharing (standardize!)
Standard Course Shell
Centrality of Educational Theory
Diversity Among Disciplines
Big 3 First (KISS)
Start with Hybrid Courses
Faculty to Faculty
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Faculty Development
Strategies-- Most Effective
•Friends and Neighbors!
•Full Time Academic Computer Specialists
Trained and Located in Disciplines (ACS)
•Well Trained Students Assigned to One
Faculty Member for Full Semester (STARS)
•Seminars Sponsored by the Center for
Teaching and Learning (not only technology)
•Tutorials re Equipment by Librarians
•All Campus Help Desk
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David G. Brown
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, N.C. 27109
336-758-4878
email: brown@wfu.edu
http//:www.wfu.edu/~brown
fax: 336-758-4875