Research >> Projects

The Future University Student - Anytime, Anywhere

Back to List

Students will soon be able to access class information, do library searches, check their University schedule and grades, check and pay their accounts, view their University email, and access important information for each of their classes --- schedule, grades, quizzes --- all from a device that fits in the palm of their hand. This new paradigm is education anytime and anywhere. Wireless devices can also be used for classroom testing, instant feedback to the instructor, and collaborative learning. This collaboration across Colleges received funding from the Internet Technology, Commerce, and Design Institute to prototype new methods of facilitating instruction and delivering student services using handheld web devices and wireless technologies.

Our goal is to prototype educational and administrative student applications for new and upcoming information technologies. A dominant focus will be wireless networks, wireless web devices, and voice access. Up to this point, most university planning for instructional computing has been framed in terms of fixed physical resources --- wired classrooms, labs, open access computer facilities and centralized information services. The terms of the debate have changed toward a model of distributed computing, since student ownership of computers and web connections are nearly universal. Given pervasive student access, we should now be concentrating on flexible and distributed access to instructional content and to student information and services. Wireless technologies will move us in the direction of being a ``University without walls'' and will facilitate distance education. Students will increasingly expect and demand flexible modes of learning. The benefits to the UA of this project include new and efficient modes of delivering educational services to students. The benefits to the State will accrue from students who are comfortable with these information technologies.

The cross-college collaboration between Astronomy and MIS will allow us to (1) design new applications with a deep understanding of systems analysis and design methodologies as well as the technology, (2) contribute to designing and prototyping appropriate user interfaces to suit wireless devices, (3) design and conduct studies to evaluate the effectiveness of these new applications, and (d) provide an implementation plan along with a cost benefit analysis for a full scale implementation across the university (and beyond to similar institutions). We anticipate a range of subsequent opportunities for external funding, from NSF (the ITR program), DOE (the FIPSE program), and organizations such as the Sloan Foundation.

For more information, please contact us.