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Des Moines Area Community College: Tying Learning to the Gaming Generation
11/26/2002
Administrators at the Des Moines Area Community College had a rare opportunity for higher-ed professionals interested in technology and learning: The chance to put the latest educational-technology tools in place by building a new campus from the ground up.
The newest of the college's six campuses, the West Campus, was built in October 2001 as a beta-test site for a number of technology companies. Cutting-edge hardware and software were used in the classroom and other campus environments to enhance learning.
"We designed this campus from scratch with a whole different paradigm in mind," said Anthony Paustian, executive dean for the West Campus. "We did it in such a way that we not only focused on technology from a training and education standpoint, but also on technology from a usability standpoint. We deliver everything on this campus through all forms of technology, and that's the root of this whole campus structure."
The campus has its own wireless infrastructure. It uses eBooks in many of its programs. Class syllabi, assignments, quizzes, handouts, and other materials are available to download in electronic form. Each student uses a Compaq iPaq handheld to access e-textbooks, syllabi and class materials, and to take notes and exams. In the classroom, faculty use smartboards that work like giant touch screens.
"With a smartboard, faculty can pull up content on a giant projection-based touch panel. They can make notes on it, give examples, then save it all. Then they can put the content of the entire lecture on the server for students to download later," said Paustian. "So students in class can focus on the faculty member and what they're saying, and go to their notes later."
Similarly, students can do their work and then upload it back to the server for faculty to evaluate. For example, students can take a quiz in real time on their iPaqs. A professor can immediately see how everyone scored and where the group needs additional learning. Then the faculty member can focus the next day's teaching based on those results, rather than revisiting the materials days later after the quizzes have been graded manually.
In the future, technology for in-classroom learning will be even more interactive, according to Paustian. "We'll be taking e-content to the next level, trying to incorporate more video and audio. Instead of reading about the signing of the Declaration of Independence, students will be able to see it on screen. With virtual reality, they can actually be there. It will be a much more dynamic learning experience."
Paustian believes that high-end graphics and audio are essential to appeal to the learners of today and tomorrow who were raised on software games. "The gaming impact is huge. If you put a text-based program in front of these learners, you'll bore them to tears. The higher-education process typically isn't very fun, and the process d'esn't help. But the more fun we can make it, the better students will do in the process. They'll work harder."
Interactive technology also makes the teaching process more effective for faculty, says Galen Briggs, telecommunications instructor at the West Campus. "Mobility has made it easier for me as an instructor to deliver content, to excite the student about the content, and to drive key points home. Mobile and wireless activity allows students to experience content as opposed to just reading it in [a] book. It better suits different learning modalities."
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