The Pew Learning and Technology Program Newsletter

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The Pew Learning and Technology Program Newsletter
Vol. 2, No. 4
December 2000
Editor: Lowell Roberts

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Redesigning Learning Environments
* Virginia Tech: Linear Algebra
* The University of Alabama: Intermediate Algebra
* The University of Idaho: Pre-Calculus

2. Pew Learning and Technology Program
* Round III Institutions Selected
* State-of-the-Art Learning Environments: The Pew Grant Program in Course Redesign Round I Results
* Round II Project Plans Available on Web Site
* Pew Symposium Held: "Innovations in Online Learning: Moving Beyond the No Significance Difference"

3. Pew Project Updates
* California State Polytechnic University-Pomona: General Psychology
* Carnegie Mellon University: Introduction to Statistical Reasoning
* Fairfield University: General Biology
* Riverside Community College: Elementary Algebra
* University of Dayton: Introductory Psychology
* University of Idaho: Pre-Calculus
* University of Massachusetts: Introductory Biology
* University of Tennessee, Knoxville: Intermediate Spanish Transition

4. Common Ground
* Distance Learning 101
* Intellectual Property: Who Owns the Course?
* We Like Your SATs, but You Live too Close to Campus
* Colleges on the Web: First Courses, Now Self-Studies
* Army and Navy: the Rivalry Continues

5. PLTP Calendar

6. Archives and Reposting

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1. Redesigning Learning Environments

* Virginia Tech: Linear Algebra
* The University of Alabama: Intermediate Algebra
* The University of Idaho: Pre-Calculus

In the first issue of the Pew Learning and Technology Newsletter, we described Virginia Tech's redesign of its linear algebra course and its Math Emporium <Vol. 1, No. 1)>. Now the University of Alabama and the University of Idaho have received grants in Round II of the Pew Program in Course Redesign to build on the success demonstrated by Virginia Tech.

In August 1998, the Virginia Tech Math Emporium opened with the objectives of increasing the amount of math students learn, increasing the content retained as they moved on to other courses requiring math concepts, and serving more students with fewer resources. To accomplish these goals, the VT Math Department expanded their previous experiments using interactive software and a more learner-centered approach and designed a radically new math learning environment. Today, with 500 computers arranged in pods of six, students learn by selecting from an array of learning opportunities, including online interactive lessons, hypertexts, individual tutoring, small problem solving groups, optional lectures, and frequent self-assessments.

Virginia Tech has shown the efficacy of their design. Open seven days a week, 24 hours a day, the Emporium is now used by over 7000 students in 10 introductory math courses from all colleges in the university. Resources are used more effectively in the Math Emporium and math learning has increased, as measured by a comprehensive final exam and other well-planned assessments. Funded in Round I of the Pew Program in Course Redesign, the redesign of Linear Algebra at Virginia Tech involves a reduction in the cost-per-student from $77 to $24, a projected annual savings of $97,400. (For more information, please see the course Web site at http://www.emporium.vt.edu. Choose class 1114)

As part of Round II of the Pew Grant Program, the University of Alabama will redesign Intermediate Algebra, building on the example of VT's Math Emporium. Approximately 50% of Alabama's incoming freshmen take Intermediate Algebra. The problems identified in this course are similar to those at Virginia Tech. Student enrollments are high, about 1,500, and performance is poor. The number of staff is inadequate, and students are not receiving the timely feedback on homework needed for success. Student tracking is weak, and more than 50% of the students must repeat the course. The way the course is currently taught is a high-cost operation for everyone involved. Even after an earlier attempt at revision, the Intermediate Algebra course at Alabama remains too labor intensive and does not provide a learner-centered experience.

Alabama's redesign will include a self-paced, computer-based learning environment in a 70-seat computer facility, the Math Technology Learning Center. Early results from a summer pilot showed that students averaged a 10-15% increase in their grades and a 50% reduction in D/F grades. In fall 2000, Alabama made the transition to the new format. All 1,131 students are taking the course in the new format in the new Math Technology Learning Center. The redesign will reduce the cost-per- student from $122 to $86, a 30% savings by substituting capital for labor, offloading labor-intensive feedback, grading and record keeping to sophisticated software. The university anticipates additional savings, as fewer students need to repeat the course. (For more information, see the Math Center Web site at http://www.math.ua.edu/~mathtour/mtlc/.)

The redesign has generated considerable enthusiasm, including a front- page story in the student newspaper and an editorial praising the new program. Alabama is planning summer institutes for high school teachers to introduce them to this new approach to math instruction. The university already has enhanced the computer resources in the Math Technology Learning Center and plans to expand the size of the facility to increase capacity by 60% for the spring semester.

At the University of Idaho, the team is redesigning three pre-calculus courses (Intermediate Algebra, Algebra and Pre-Calculus) that enroll 2,450 students per year. Similar to the other two schools, the University of Idaho seeks to increase student success rate (one third of the students fail to achieve a grade of C or better in the current courses) and to increase the retention of math learning. As part of the redesign, the university is establishing a new mathematics learning center, POLYA. In POLYA, 70 computers will be grouped in pods of four with space for group work. Students may select streaming-video lectures, tutorial exercises coordinated with a textbook, self-assessments, and just-in-time assistance. The content will be organized in modules for multiple uses. The new active learning model will reduce the cost of offering all three courses from $235,069 to $103,593. (For more information, see the POLYA Web site at http://www.its.uidaho.edu/polya)

There are similarities and differences among the three university projects. All three
-- focus on math courses;
-- include computer-based, self-paced learning and tracking components;
-- provide a variety of learning options to accommodate more diverse learning styles;
-- substitute a lab-based learning environment for lecture and recitation sections;
-- anticipate greater consistency of concepts covered for all students in the computer-based environment;
-- enable continuous improvement through modification of the software and other learning resources, based on feedback available through computerized tracking options from all users; and
-- demonstrate significant cost savings through the substitution of capital for labor.

The major difference among the three projects is the type of students being served. At Virginia Tech, Linear Algebra is part of the regular math sequence. While taught at the freshman level at VT, Linear Algebra is usually taught at the sophomore level at other institutions. In contrast, the math courses being redesigned at the University of Alabama and the University of Idaho are designed for students who need to improve their math skills prior to taking college-level math. The students involved at the latter two institutions are those who are not usually expected to succeed in math courses. These two new projects demonstrate the wide applicability of the Math Emporium model for both improving student success and reducing instructional costs.

There are some additional differences among the three designs. The University of Alabama and the University of Idaho are using commercial software, while Virginia Tech employs software developed in-house, since none is available that meets their specific course objectives. While all three expect their labs to be open beyond the normal day, at this point only Virginia Tech has moved to a 24x7 schedule.

The University of Idaho expects to assign each student to a focus group of students with similar majors led by one faculty member, who will serve as the mentor or teacher-on-demand. This model contrasts with the one used at Virginia Tech that has only one faculty member who manages the entire course. There students receive on-demand tutorial help from any math faculty member, graduate assistant, or undergraduate assistant who is present in the Emporium when the student is working.

The Universities of Idaho and Alabama, along with Virginia Tech, are leveraging the power of information technology to establish individualized learning environments suitable to their students' needs. All three are reducing the cost per student, while increasing the quality of the learning experience for students. An unbeatable combination!

For more information about these projects, contact Ken Hannsgen at Virginia Tech (hannsgen@calvin.math.vt.edu), Hank Lazer at the University of Alabama (hlazer@aalan.us.edu) and Dene Thomas at the University of Idaho (dthomas@uidaho.edu).

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2. Pew Learning and Technology Program

* Round III Institutions Selected

Forty institutions have been selected by the Pew Grant Program in Course Redesign to move to the next stage of the Round III application process. The program received a large number of excellent responses to its institutional readiness criteria. Three-person teams from the forty institutions will participate in a program workshop in New Orleans on January 11-12. Following that workshop, each institution will submit responses to the program's course readiness criteria. Based on those submissions, 20 institutions will be selected to participate in a second workshop and to submit final proposals.

The institutions selected are: Arizona State University, Atlantic Cape Community College, Bridgewater State College, Brigham Young University, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, California State University-Chico, Drexel University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida State University, George Mason University, Glendale Community College (CA), Indiana University-Bloomington, Iowa State University, Lehigh University, Miami-Dade Community College, North Shore Community College, Northern Arizona University, Ohio State University, Portland State University, Prince George's Community College, Rochester Institute of Technology, Shoreline Community College, Tallahassee Community College, Temple University, Texas A&M University-College Station, Texas Tech University, University of Georgia, University of Kentucky, University of New Mexico, University of North Carolina- Greensboro, University of North Dakota, University of Pittsburgh, University of Southern California, University of Southern Mississippi, University of Texas-Austin, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, US Air Force Academy, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

* State-of-the-Art Learning Environments: The Pew Grant Program in Course Redesign Round I Results

February 26, 2001, DFW Airport Marriott South, Dallas, Texas

This seminar will present the results of Round I of the Pew Grant Program in Course Redesign. Faculty project leaders from four institutions will talk about their models of course redesign, including their decisions regarding student learning objectives, course content, learning resources, course staffing and task analysis, and student and project evaluation. These models provide varied approaches that demonstrate multiple routes to success, tailored to the needs and context of each institution.

Co-sponsored by the Executive Forum in Information Technology at Virginia Tech, these seminars provide a unique opportunity for you to:

-- Learn firsthand how to increase quality and reduce costs using information technology from successful faculty project leaders.

-- Find out how to design learning environments for the future by tapping the expertise of those who have done it.

-- Talk with experienced faculty from multiple institutions about how and why they made their redesign decisions.

-- Move beyond "today" and learn where online learning is going . . . find a model that will work for your institution.

For information and registration materials, please visit Workshop Information.

* Round II Project Plans Available on Web Site

Full academic plans and cost savings plans for each of the recently awarded Round II projects are now available on the program Web site. Institutions receiving $200,000 grants for large-scale course redesign include Cal Poly Pomona (Psychology), Carnegie Mellon University (Statistics), Fairfield University (Biology), Riverside Community College (Elementary Algebra), the University of Alabama (Intermediate Algebra), the University of Dayton (Psychology), the University of Idaho (Pre-Calculus), the University of Iowa (Chemistry), the University of Massachusetts (Biology) and the University of Tennessee (Spanish).

Redesign strategies include Web-based quizzing and class preparation, intelligent tutoring, student- centered online projects, and use of commercial as well as institution-developed software for student concept acquisition, practice, and tracking. Round II projects demonstrate a range of costs savings from 21% to 86%, with an average savings of about 40%, consistent with the cost reductions found in the projects funded for Round I. For each project, the description includes a contact name and e-mail so that interested individuals can learn more from the award- winning institutions. To learn more, link to Project Descriptions Sorted by Grant Rounds.

* Pew Symposium Held: "Innovations in Online Learning: Moving Beyond the No Significance Difference"

Colleges and universities are offering thousands of fully online courses and, in the process, ostensibly altering centuries-old methods of teaching and learning. Few of these courses, however, make significant improvements in either the cost or quality dimensions of student learning; instead, they frequently replicate face-to-face pedagogies and organizational frameworks. On December 11 and 12, 2000, the Pew Learning and Technology Program convened a group of leading practitioners in Phoenix, Arizona. This roundtable explored new designs for online learning that build on the strengths of the Internet in order to surpass traditional modes of instruction. A monograph that captures the thinking of these knowledgeable individuals will be produced in spring 2001.

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3. Pew Project Updates

Updates of the Round II projects.

* California State Polytechnic University-Pomona: General Psychology

California State Polytechnic University-Pomona has completed examination of video-streamed materials and is currently reproducing the weaker units and increasing the range of topics with timely updates, such as the effects of AIDS on the individual and society. The test bank for current video-streamed materials is complete, a necessary first step to "on-demand" testing for students. A flow chart of Cal Poly Pomona's plans for its animated interactive CD will be posted at http://www.csupomona.edu/~itac/idea/Psych201. Director, Poser, Flash, and Mimic will be used for the animations and production. These plans will be updated throughout the next two years. The site also will have links to other components of the project, as they are completed, along with pilot data, as it is analyzed. Pomona is negotiating with a publisher to provide additional resources for shared best practices. For more information on California State Polytechnic University-Pomona's redesign of General Psychology, contact Sonia Blackman at slblackman@csupomona.edu.

* Carnegie Mellon University: Introduction to Statistical Reasoning

During the summer 2000, CMU completed three pilot tests, each leading to new refinements. The first pilot test was conducted with a group of students enrolled in a summer session of the target course, Introduction to Statistical Reasoning. These students used CMU's system to work through their lab assignments on the computer with the planning tool and a statistics package, instead of a paper handout and statistics package. Besides the initial evaluation that students generally worked well with the system and liked it, students' input on how the system could be easier or better to use was solicited. Suggestions dealing with the user interface were implemented. The second pilot test was conducted with graduate teaching assistants who had taught the course. The TAs suggested ways the system could help them do their jobs better and more efficiently (e.g., grading and general course administration). These suggestions were documented, and some are currently being implemented. The third pilot test was conducted with volunteer students, using the system after refinements were made. These students gave a very positive response to the system, often rating it as very helpful in making the problem solving clearer and in emphasizing important steps. Additional suggestions from students were documented for future refinements.

Plans for the fall include (1) developing assessments for testing students' learning outcomes after using the system, (2) incorporating the system into several labs for the fall semester students, (3) upgrading the system's feedback, and (4) planning for full integration into the course for spring 2001. For more information on Carnegie Mellon University's redesign of Introduction to Statistical Reasoning, contact Joel Smith at joel.smith@andrew.cmu.edu.

* Fairfield University: General Biology

Fairfield University is redesigning a two-semester introductory biology course, one of its highest enrolled courses. Redesign includes the consolidation of multiple lecture sections into a single large classroom format and the introduction of wireless technology into both the lecture and laboratory components of the course. The redesigned course will be piloted in the spring 2001 and fully implemented in the following fall. In preparation for this redesign, several activities are underway: (1) The university is renovating the existing auditorium. The classroom has been equipped with fiber-drops and will soon have custom-made desks specifically designed for the shape and function of the room and to accommodate the use of wireless laptops by the students. (2) The biology department has acquired a new Web server, allowing more control and flexibility for the increased usage expected from the redesign. (3) The necessary computer hardware has been identified (Macintosh iBooks and G4 computers) and will be ordered as soon as the new models are announced. (4) A multimedia projector to be used this fall will be installed this month. (5) Evaluation of candidates for the new Web designer position has begun. This person will create four dynamic new general biology Web sites, one for the lecture and laboratory of each semester. The construction of these Web sites will begin this fall. (6) The biology software BioQuest has been purchased. BioQuest includes a variety of biology modules designed to enhance understanding and engage students in interactive exercises and tools for instructors. General Biology instructors are revising the course syllabus. For more information on Fairfield University's redesign of General Biology, contact Noel Appel at nappel@mail.fairfield.edu.

* Riverside Community College: Elementary Algebra

Riverside Community College is redesigning Elementary Algebra, a four- credit course enrolling 3,600 students annually. The redesign will be implemented in half of the course sections in spring 2000 and in the remaining sections in fall 2001. During this fall semester, a math discipline committee developed a common syllabus and final examination, changes critical to the redesign effort. Second, the Math Department developed a faculty-training plan, ensuring all faculty in the redesign will be approaching the content in a pedagogically consistent manner. This training will start during the winter intersession in preparation for the spring courses. "Collaboratory Coordinators," with specific job descriptions, have been identified for each campus. This, too, will lend to consistency of the redesign. Finally, as available facility space is such an issue in the District, the administration has committed to building a new 2,400 square foot building on the Riverside campus. The college will break ground on this new structure in summer 2001 with completion of the building in time for the fall 2001 semester. For more information on Riverside Community College's redesign of Elementary Algebra, contact Anthony Beebe at abeebe@rccd.cc.ca.us.

* University of Dayton: Introductory Psychology

A development team with faculty from UD's Department of Psychology and Information Technologies is redesigning its Introductory Psychology course for online delivery. The new course will be implemented in all sections during the 2001-2002 academic year. On January 2, 2001, a pilot test of the course will be launched in two course sections with students randomly assigned to either the traditional or redesigned section. A thorough assessment of the two sections will be conducted. Much of the course content has been placed online, using the CD-ROM material that accompanies the text, Psychology: Mind, Brain, and Culture (2nd Edition; Westen, John Wiley & Sons, 1999). The PowerPoint slides for each chapter were converted to HTML pages and organized online using Lotus LearningSpace 4.0. The team imported the test bank questions into the LearningSpace course and will create the four online exams in December. The team found Wiley to be very accommodating, and using existing content has saved time and effort. The team is currently digitizing brief audio narrations for content pages that will be streamed to the students and developing collaborative activities for each chapter of the online course. One challenge involves finding ways to support collaboration without dramatically increasing instructor workload - e.g., monitoring threaded discussions is labor intensive. The team is developing ways in which Lotus LearningSpace 4.0 can be combined with Lotus QuickPlace to manage collaboration in a cost effective manner and a series of "test your knowledge" self assessments. Finally, the team is focusing on its assessment strategy, reviewing variables that will be measured during the pilot, including measures of how and when students use the online materials and activities, student attitudes, learning styles, and personality traits thought to influence student responses to online learning. For more information on the University of Dayton's redesign of Introductory Psychology, contact Ken Graetz at Ken.Graetz@notes.udayton.edu.

* University of Idaho: Pre-Calculus

The University of Idaho has leveraged its Pew Course Redesign grant with a $100,000 grant from the Idaho State Board of Education for streaming media creation, Web site preparation, information technology and software services, and assistance with course development and faculty training. The project also has commitments from the UI student computer fund for about $75,000 toward computer purchases and about $200,000 in university funds for site development. A Sun E450 server has been purchased that will deliver streaming media with a 100 megabyte connection across the campus 4gig backbone and into the Polya Math Center. In the late summer, the project videotaped lectures of Math 107, the lowest level pre-calculus course. The tapes are being digitized into MPEG format for high quality delivery on campus. Other pre-calculus courses will be taped soon and should be ready for computer delivery by the end of spring semester 2001.

UI is now teaching a trial section of Math 107 to a small class of 20 students in as near a simulation of the Polya atmosphere as can be accomplished in a computer classroom. The trial is a test of the computer-mediated exercises and their reception by the students. Trial sections of Math 107 and a higher-level pre-calculus course, Math 143, will continue in the spring. Polya Center construction delays have postponed full-scale trials of the redesigned version of Math 107. UI does not consider this delay a serious setback and projects implementation of the complete project in fall 2001, as originally scheduled.

UI has begun a public information project to inform students and citizens of Idaho about the Polya project, including an informational Web site at www.its.uidaho.edu/polya. A presentation to the annual meeting of the Idaho Council of Teachers of Mathematics on October 5 was the first of several public forums. For more information on the University of Idaho's redesign of pre-calculus courses, contact Dene Kay Thomas at dthomas@uidaho.edu.

* University of Massachusetts: Introductory Biology

This fall semester, the University of Massachusetts is teaching Introductory Biology in three large lecture sections (greater than 200 students per section). Each section employs a different approach to delivering the course material: a traditional lecture section, a section using an in-class communication system -- ClassTalk -- to promote problem-solving exercises during class, and a Pew-sponsored redesigned section using ClassTalk and a Web-based student preparation and quizzing system to enhance the classroom learning environment. This summer, the project team assembled the on-line resources, including the quizzes and student preparation pages. These resources can be previewed at http://bcrc.bio.umass.edu/courses/fall2000/biol/biol100section2/ . The software to provide these resources will be made freely available beginning in January. The redesign process also provided an opportunity for critical evaluation of the curriculum and content of the course. The project team has arranged for and developed assessment tools, including student surveys, interviews, shared exam questions, and in-class problems, and it has begun to chronicle the expectations and experiences of course instructors as the redesign process gets underway. For more information on the University of Massachusetts' redesign of Introductory Biology, contact Elizabeth Connor at econnor@bio.umass.edu.

* University of Tennessee, Knoxville: Intermediate Spanish Transition

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is redesigning Intermediate Spanish Transition (Spanish 150), an introductory language course for which over 60% of entering students register as a result of language placement scores. During the 1999 academic year, the course enrolled 1,539 students in 57 sections with 27 students per class. Each section meets a total of 45 hours in-class (three hours per week) for the semester. The redesigned course will eliminate one in-class period per week and substitute online diagnostic homework exercises (grammar, vocabulary, and graded workbook assignments). Immediate feedback on all graded assignments will be given via online assessments. The redesign will also enhance quality by providing more active learning in the classroom. To date, Tennessee has created a team consisting of two instructional designers, a Web developer, a graphical interface designer, and subject matter experts. The team established a course site using Blackboard's CourseInfo and organized paper-based and electronic materials into specific learning modules enhanced with streaming audio and video. They also created the interactive assessments for the online portion of the course and identified the instruments (SILL Cognitive Style Questionnaire, SOPI Standardize Oral Interview, UT Spanish Placement Test, Minnesota Language Proficient Assessments) to be used for the research portion of the project. The team is currently reviewing the course for quality assurance and developing the student background and online experience questionnaires, focus group goals, and in-class interactive activities. For more information on the University of Tennessee's redesign of Intermediate Spanish Transition, contact Susan Metros at smetros@utk.edu.

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4. Common Ground

Reporting on initiatives that share the goals and objectives of the Pew Learning and Technology Program.

In this issue of the PLTP Newsletter, Common Ground features some new models for developing, encouraging and administering online education.

* Distance Learning 101

Next year, all undergraduates at Fairleigh Dickinson University (http://www.fdu.edu) will be required to complete at least one online course per year, even if they are not distance students. According to FDU's president, J. Michael Adams, the intent is to allow the students to become "global scholars," capable of using the Internet for a variety of purposes, including learning, research and communications.

* Intellectual Property: Who Owns the Course?

Faculty and administration at Stevens Institute of Technology have approved an intellectual property policy for online education that gives faculty control of content and the institution ownership of copyrights. Faculty will be paid to develop online courses, and they will own the course materials they develop and control how and when the material may be used. Stevens will control the copyrights of online courses and manage their distribution. Faculty whose courses are purchased by other institutions or businesses will receive one-third of the revenue. If a professor leaves Stevens, s/he may take the course to the new institution, provided the latter pays the licensing fee; the professor would get a third of the fee. See http://attila.stevens-tech.edu/dof/intellectualprop.htm.

* We Like Your SATs, but You Live too Close to Campus

The University of North Texas has adopted a two-tiered compensation policy to encourage the development and teaching of distance education courses. Eighty-three percent of the tuition from a student who lives more than 50 miles from campus is returned to the department offering the course. While students commuting 50 miles to sit in class may qualify, distance-learning students 45 miles from campus do not. The university acknowledges that its goal is to increase the number of North Texas' distance courses. And the policy seems to be working, since more than 40 distance courses have been developed since it was adopted. The funds may be used for a variety of departmentally approved purposes, including professional development, release time, teaching assistants, reduced loads through hiring adjuncts, and even personal use. For more information, see http://www.unt.edu/cdl/funding_opps/fund_mod.htm.

* Colleges on the Web: First Courses, Now Self-Studies

In an effort to make accreditation reports more accessible, The Pew Charitable Trusts is funding a three-year project to help institutions develop electronic portfolios. Based at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI), the Urban Universities Portfolio Project is applying the idea of electronic teaching and student portfolios to institutional portfolios: www.imir.iupui.edu/iupuifolio. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges likes the concept and now asks institutions for Web-based portfolios, rather than the traditional self-study report. Winston Salem State University, a campus of the University of North Carolina System, recently secured reaccreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools with an online self-study report: http://www.wssu.edu/sacs/.

* Army and Navy: the Rivalry Continues

Both the U.S. Army and Navy have decided to spend significant dollars on distance education programs. But the two services are taking decidedly different approaches. The Army issued an RFP in September for corporate "integrators" to develop and deliver distance programs with associated colleges. An integrator manages the program, including the technology and recruitment of courses; institutions affiliated with an integrator offer their courses through a portal maintained by the integrator. Colleges that want to participate must sign on with a successful integrator. Proposals were submitted by some big names in technology, publishing and consulting, including IBM, NCS Pearson, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and Arthur Andersen. The contract was recently awarded to PriceWaterhouse Coopers who formed a team of 10 companies and 29 colleges. Army University Online will offer its first courses at three Army bases beginning in January 2001. The Army estimates enrollment will be 15,000 students next year.

The Navy, on the other hand, has contracted directly with 16 institutions to begin offering distance courses this January: City University, Coastline Community College, Dallas County Community College, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Empire State College, Florida Community College at Jacksonville, Florida State University, Fort Hays State University, George Washington University, Old Dominion University, Pikes Peak Community College, Rogers State University, Thomas Edison State College, Troy State University, University of Maryland University College, and Vincennes University. All participating institutions must offer full degree programs approved by the Navy, and, given deployments on submarines and ships-at-sea, their curricula cannot be exclusively online. The Navy plans to add more colleges to its program in spring 2001.

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5. PLTP Calendar

A comprehensive calendar of meetings, symposia, publishing dates, and relevant deadlines for the Pew Learning and Technology Program community.

*** JANUARY 2001 ***

January 11-12
Orientation to Redesign Workshop
Overview of redesign process for Pew Grant Program Round III participants.
New Orleans, LA
Workshop Information

*** FEBRUARY ***

February 15
Deadline for Course Readiness Criteria submission
(Second step in Pew Grant Program application process for Round III.)
Grant Guide

February 26
Public Seminar State-of-the-Art Learning Environments: The Pew Grant Program in Course Redesign Round I Results
DFW Airport Marriott South, Dallas, TX
(Faculty project leaders describe how to redesign large-enrollment course to improve quality and reduce costs.)
Workshop Information.

*** MARCH ***

Pew Learning and Technology Program Newsletter Vol. 3, No. 1

March 14-15
Mid-Course Sharing Workshop
(A workshop for Round II grant recipients to exchange ideas and share experiences.)
San Antonio, TX
Workshop Information

March 15-16
Developing the Proposal Workshop
(Third step in Pew Grant Program application process for Round III.)
San Antonio, TX
Workshop Information

*** JUNE ***

June 1
Deadline for Final Pew Grant Program proposal submission
(Last step in Pew Grant Program application process for Round 3.)
Grant Guide

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6. Archives and Reposting

The Pew Learning and Technology Program is an $8.8 million, four-year effort to place the national discussion about the impact that new technologies are having on the nation's campuses in the context of student learning and ways to achieve this learning cost effectively. The program has three areas of work: The Pew Grant Program in Course Redesign, the Pew Symposia in Learning and Technology, and the Pew Learning and Technology Newsletter. For more information, click here.

* Archives of The Pew Learning and Technology Program Newsletter are available here.

* You are welcome to repost The Pew Learning and Technology Program Newsletter on your intranet without charge. Material contained in The Pew Learning and Technology Newsletters may be reprinted with attribution for noncommercial purposes only. Copyright 2000, The Pew Learning and Technology Program

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Pew Learning and Technology Newsletter ~ December 2000 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~