News 11-22-2002
Sponsor: Syllabus Now Has a Voice: Syllabus Radio
Announcing Syllabus Radio! Click on www.syllabus.com
and hear audio interviews with established leaders and creative thinkers in
higher education as they discuss the good, the better and the best uses of IT
on campus. Join host Judith B'ettcher each week as she explores issues in education
technology. This week, James Kulich, Special Assistant to the President of Elmhurst
College, discusses "Smart Use of Smart Classrooms," addressing issues that must
be considered when planning to invest in smart classrooms on campus.
Med School Integrates Handhelds into Curriculum
The University of Louisville School of Medicine and School of Dentistry purchased
and distributed 1,100 Palm Inc. m500 handhelds to students as part of a strategy
to connect students to patient care throughout its curriculum—from studies
traditionally dominated by lecture-style presentations to hands-on clinical
training. "Most national medical … educators agree that active, self-directed
learning facilitates retention," said Ruth Greenberg, Ph.D., director of academic
programs at the school's Health Sciences Center. "With handheld technology,
we can create opportunities for students to become more actively engaged in
their learning even in basic science classes. We can introduce them to clinical
concepts from the first day they enter medical school rather than waiting until
the third and fourth years of clinical work where handhelds are more commonly
used."
R&D Firm Wins Grant for Optical Communication
MCNC, a Research Triangle Park, N.C.-based organization that supports the commercialization
of research and development projects, received a $1.35 million Defense Department
grant to support its work in optical communications. The award will help MCNC's
Advanced Networking Research division define new routing and network management
architectures for Optical Burst Switching (OBS). The work will support ways
to minimize latency, support high data rates and provide deterministic network
behavior. George Rouskas and Harry Perros at N.C. State University will partner
with MCNC on the award, participate in the protocol definition stage of the
effort, and undertake related network modeling tasks.
For more information, visit: www.mcnc.org/anr/
Training Company Focuses on eLearning Learner
A northern Virginia-based training firm is capitalizing on the growth of distance
education by offering a training course on "How to Be a Successful Distance
Learner." Linda Kidder, vice president of program development at Educational
Resources Inc., said, "With all the attractive benefits of eLearning, a critical
component often overlooked is empowering the distance learner with the skills
and tools to ensure success. With the emergence of eLearning, remote, or distance
learning, I have noticed a gradual decline in completion ratios within our core
clientele. Even if a client has meticulously designed their strategy, assiduously
worked with their IT department to configure the technology platform, and anticipated
the most common stumbling blocks, each [client], including myself, overlooked
the organizational backlash component which never addressed preparedness of
the distance learner."
For more information, visit: www.educationalres.com
BU Photonics Center to Open Optical Testing Lab
The Photonics Center at Boston University, a five-year-old research and development
incubator, has partnered with optical testing firm Agilent Technologies Inc.
to open a lab at the Center to enable early-stage optics companies to create
new technologies. The Center, which has created and launched nine new photonics
companies since opening in 1997, made a large investment in Agilent test equipment
for the new lab, including the latest suite of the company's 10 Ghz optical
test equipment. Future plans include joint marketing and training at the Boston
site, with co-sponsored symposiums on technology and test techniques, and working
closely with the BU incubator companies during their early venture capital days
to help them reach maturity.
Awards, Deals, Contracts in Higher Education
DISTANCE ED—The Florida Community College Distance Learning Consortium,
representing 28 community colleges and more than 800,000 students in Florida,
signed a three-year contract with eLearning company Element K covering IT training
for faculty and staff, as well as students and continuing education clients.
Colleges in the consortium system can provide students with access to self-study
courses which, used in conjunction with traditional classes, can create a blended
learning solution for students.
TRAINING SERVICES—Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts has
contracted with flight school Comair Aviation Academy to offer the school's
Aviation Program students a highly specialized airline training curriculum and
a guaranteed job interview with Delta Connection carrier Comair upon graduation.
The partners said the deal would provide students access to the most direct
college-to-airline path in the industry.
New Technology, Products for Higher Education
ACT! CONTACT MANAGER—Best Software Inc. last week released a contact
management application designed for Palm OS handhelds. The new software will
enable mobile campus users to have full remote access to their contact database.
The program provides users access to their complete contact database, including
calendar and to-do items, notes, histories, and group assignments, which are
integrated at the contact level. Other features include: look-up capabilities,
contact name, phone, ID/status searches; one-tap access to contact record or
associated notes; view and enter time-stamped notes and histories; and work
with data at the group level.
DELL SMALL COMPUTER—Dell Computer Inc. introduced the smallest
computer in its history. The OptiPlexTM SX260 weighs under 8 pounds and is 50
percent smaller by volume than the existing OptiPlex small form factor computer.
It can be mounted horizontally or vertically underneath a desk, to a wall or
behind the optional SX260 flat panel monitor. The system's hot-swappable media
bay accommodates any module from any Dell Latitude notebook. The SX260 system
has no PCI or AGP slots, meaning greater image stability and standardization.
Prices start at $699.
EXTREME AUDIO—Anchor Audio Inc. unveiled a portable sound system
that can support up to six UHF wireless microphones. The company said the Xtreme
6000 delivers full-range audio from one, self-contained portable system and
is designed for giving speeches in auditoriums, making sports announcements
in gyms, giving instructions to a marching band on the athletic field, or putting
on a play in a small theater. The company is offering 16-channel UHF wireless
at the same price as single-channel VHF. Because the UHF is selectable, a flip
of a dial on the microphone and receiver eliminates any interference from local
broadcasting sources.