News from Component I

Online registration has been successfully launched at Benedictine. The Herculean task of implementing this system was accomplished through the efforts of the following dedicated individuals:

David Sonnenberger, David Striker, Uma Syamala, Kamlesh Sanghavi, Lawrence Rhew, Jon Miller, Jessica Henry, Dan Moran, Kate Malone, Sharon Collins, Janet Hulsey, Chet Shaw, Mary Powers, Wendy Finch, Cathy LaBash, Sally Shore, Jonilyn Mick, Nadia Darwish, Matt West, Christina Argianas, Phil Brozynski, Debra Wright, Marco Masini, Carlos Burton.

Many thanks to all who supported this groundbreaking project.

Transfer Guidelines necessary for the automatic articulation of transfer credit were completed. Before the end of the calendar year, automatic articulation of transfer credit will be a reality.


Library Website Honored

The Benedictine University Library has been named the recipient of the WebJunction Grand Prize Award for “Innovative Content and Use of Technology for 2004-05” for the development of the Virtual Library Club. The Virtual Library Club, designed by Instruction Librarian Joan Hopkins, won an award last December for libraries of its size thus becoming eligible for the Grand Prize. WebJunction is the product of five organizations including the Online Computer Library Center and was established by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The Web site, www.webjunction.org, provides a portal for public libraries and other organizations that provide open access to information. The website was developed with Title III support.

Faculty Project

Lisa Townsley has continued working with other Mathematics faculty to revamp the Calculus I computer laboratories. Lisa led a department discussion on how the traditional four-day-a-week scheduling should be changed to adapt to University-wide scheduling changes. The department agreed to set up the fourth class day, traditionally computer investigations, to run independently of lecture. Previously the laboratory experience was integrated into the lecture course, with the same instructor serving both roles.

The Mathematics department now has one set of fully operational lab projects for Math 207 (the new course number for lab) and goals to create 3 more sets of labs along the same lines (so the coursework cannot be copied). Labs meet weekly for two hours. Generally there is a prelab assignment (reading or review) posted to WebCT. The labs are designed to be turned in at the end of the period. Labs use DERIVE and calculators. The primary communication means between lab sessions is by WebCT. The DERIVE sessions and homeworks were graded by a student grader.

The addition of online placement testing should insure that properly placed students have a good chance to succeed. The amount of work necessary to generate the lab projects could not have been accomplished without the release time provided by the Title III grant.


More News from Component 2

Jon Lewis attended the first annual Lectora Users Group meeting in Florida where he distributed copies of the geography modules developed under Title III. The grant obtained the newest version of the software, which will be used to create art history modules for the Cultural Heritage courses over the summer.

Eileen Clark and Jon Lewis created online tutorials describing the use of software packages supported by the grant (Lectora, LiveText) and of Microsoft Office products. They also demonstrated use of Excel and PowerPoint to RHET102 students as part of the drive for all incoming undergraduates to meet basic technology competencies. In addition, self-paced CD tutorials covering Microsoft Office software were acquired and placed on reserve in the library for students, faculty, and staff to use. In order to assess the skills of new students, an online survey was distributed to all incoming freshmen during their orientation session. When students first used their Benedictine University e-mail account, they received a message directing them to the site where the survey was located.

The LiveText tutorial and a Title III sponsored training visit helped move the Education program toward the grant's electronic portfolio goal.

WebCT workshops offered during the regular semesters continued to support faculty as they develop an online presence for their courses. Innovative uses of the software have emerged, including Mathematics and now Writing Placement tests. Thus, students now encounter technology before fully enrolling in the University.

The final round of summer workshops was held in late May and early June. These featured specialized sessions on the use of Turning Point’s personal response system, how to utilize publishers’ WebCT course materials, and an overview of the Tegrity system. Additional sessions were held on basic technology training and on specialized uses of PowerPoint and Excel. The most popular sessions were entitled “Moderated Workshops”, which provided resources for faculty to work on specific projects of their own design with support available on an as needed basis.

Over the summer, several specialized projects involving undergraduate instruction were undertaken, including an update and extension of the chemistry pre-lab project initially begun by Wayne Wesolowski, an assessment of the impact of technology on instruction in the core curriculum, and development of self-grading art history modules.

In an attempt to consolidate and extend the work begun under Title III, Jon Lewis submitted initial grant proposals to the Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education, the Hewlett Foundation, and the Mellon Foundation. Eileen Clark and Jon Lewis also served on the interview team charged with recommending the new director of Information Technology.