Syllabus News Update for Tuesday, June 8, 2004

• 06/08/04

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SMART Technologies Inc.
http://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=7280

Collaboration Technologies Meet Campus Challenges
http://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=7621

Open Source Portfolio Initiative (OSPI) User Conference
http://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=7642

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News for Tuesday, June 8, 2004

* ALEKS Takes Codie Award for Best Higher Ed Software Tool
* UC Irvine Computer Science School Gets Extreme Make-Over
* Clemson Winds Up Faculty Face-Off for e-Learning Platform
* New Tech: Oracle Unveils Major Revision of Student System
* Deals: Cal State Awards Wireless Broadband Mega-Contract

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See the Sympodium™ interactive pen display in action.

Order your free video CD-ROM before June 30, 2004 and receive a COMPLIMENTARY
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Available for under $2,000, the stylish Sympodium ID250 is an
easy-to-use and eye-catching presentation solution. But it’s more than
just a pretty interface. Capitvate audiences with dynamic presentations.
Present confidently using familiar, intuitive tools. Write notes,
highlight information and save.

Working with your computer and projector, the ID250 displays your
desktop on its interactive LCD screen. The image can be projected
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face your audience.

To receive an information package that includes grant information, the
video CD-ROM and your COMPLIMENTARY glow pen, visit:

http://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=7280

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ALEKS Takes Codie Award for Best Higher Ed Software Tool

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) awarded
the ALEKS Corp. a “Codie” award for having the best
“postsecondary instructional solution” for 2004. The firm won
for its Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS)
toolset, a Web-based learning assistant that interacts with
each student as a mathematics and business tutor. ALEKS uses
recent advances in mathematical cognitive science to power an
artificial intelligence engine. The solution includes course
management for instructors, generates progress reports for
individual students and measures overall class performance.
The company said ALEKS, distributed by McGraw-Hill Higher
Education, has been used by about 250,000 postsecondary
students nationwide.

ALEKS was originally developed at the University of California
with funding from the National Science Foundation.

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Collaboration Technologies Meet Campus Challenges

Collaboration technologies can extend the classroom and change
the ways students and faculty work together. How can they
help you meet the challenges of a growing and diverse campus
community? What are the best collaboration tools for your campus?
A special Syllabus micro site sponsored by Oracle provides
a resource to make sense of it all. Read about innovative
programs, research new products, review case studies, and
participate in discussion forums with your peers.

Bookmark this special section at
http://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=7621.

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UC Irvine Computer Science School Gets Extreme Make-Over

The University of California, Irvine, said its School of
Information and Computer Science will be renamed the Donald
Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, honoring the
Orange County businessman and philanthropist who made a $20
million gift to ICS last December that equaled the largest
gift ever to UCI.

The school will celebrate its new name and the promise of a
new dedicated computer science building, today at a June 9
campus ceremony.

At the ceremony, ground will be broken for the school's new,
six-story, 138,000-square-foot research and classroom facility.
The building is being financed by the recent passage of the
state’s Proposition 55 and Proposition 47 initiatives, which
authorized funds to build, repair and improve the state's
public education facilities. It is scheduled for completion
in 2006 and will be named Bren Hall.

The $20 million gift, from Bren, who is chairman of the Irvine
Co., provides more than $18 million to create 10 endowed chairs
for distinguished faculty, and enables ICS to compete for the
world's top computer scientists. The balance of the gift
creates an endowed fund for excellence, enabling ICS to
develop and advance interdisciplinary and university-industry
collaborations emphasizing new research and enhanced technology
transfer efforts.

A live Webcast of the groundbreaking ceremony will be available
on the ICS Web site at 11:30 a.m. Pacific. Please visit
http://www.ics.uci.edu to attend.

Clemson Winds Up Faculty Face-Off for eLearning Platform

Clemson University picked Blackboard as its electronic services
platform following a year-long pilot that included faculty
use and evaluation of three different course management systems.
Clemson will launch the Blackboard Academic Suite, which
includes the Blackboard Learning System, Blackboard Portal
System, and the Blackboard Content System, beginning the 2004
Fall Semester.

Clemson Provost Dori Helms led the evaluation task force,
which focused on three critical factors: usability; support
and technical architecture; and cost and growth in terms of
collaboration with peer institutions.

Based on the overall pilot criteria, Blackboard proved to be
the solution that could best meets the long-term needs of
Clemson University. "Clemson has always been a proponent of
online learning and collaboration," said Carla Rathbone,
director of educational technology services at Clemson. "More
than five years ago, we created our own solution for
eEducation. With the growth of online learning and content
management, it became apparent that an external vendor could
provide a better solution more cost effectively. After putting
it to the test in a live academic setting, Blackboard was
determined to be the best solution for expansion and support."

New Tech: Oracle Unveils Major Revision of Student System

Oracle Corp. has expanded the functionality of its Oracle
Student System, designed to manage the life cycle of the
higher education environment. The latest release contains
more than 70 new features, the company said, involving
streamlined student, faculty and staff access to information;
instant transactional capabilities; and communication with
existing and prospective students.

The company says the software helps the higher education
experience more student friendly. For instance, an electronic
wait listing and reserved seating function help to ensure that
students most in need of a course are admitted first. Another
feature touted by the company: an organization-level security
framework, which allows schools to apply security controls
based on organizational structure rather than strict role-based
access. The feature is useful in decentralized institutions,
such as a satellite campus, where users may require access
only to their specific location or community.

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Open Source Portfolio Initiative (OSPI) User Conference

Join us for the first annual 2004 Open Source Portfolio Initiative
(OSPI) User Conference at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco,
July 16-17 (Friday and Saturday) on the eve of the Syllabus Conference
also in San Francisco, July 18-22. Designed for open source developers,
IT and academic decision-makers, implementers, and educators, the
conference will be ideal for individuals and campus teams of academic
leaders and technologists to learn about and engage in lively
discussions on leading successful Portfolio initiatives.

http://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=7642

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Deals: Cal State Awards Wireless Broadband Mega-Contract

California State University, Long Beach, has purchased
equipment and services from 5G Wireless to build a campus-wide
wireless network. The broadband network will be available to
about 34,000 students and 2,000 faculty over the CSULB campus,
which encompasses 323 acres with 84 permanent buildings. The
network will go live by September, 2004 to coincide with the
start of the new academic year. Access points will form the
backbone of the campus-wide wireless network, and will be
provided both inside and outside all university buildings to
connect computer users equipped with a standard 802.11b Wi-Fi
PC cards.

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Syllabus2004 July 18-22, San Francisco: Technologies to Connect the Campus
http://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=6453
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