Today, experts say undergraduates ask as many questions about Internet resources as they do about curriculum and social life, and the decision to apply might be based on a virtual tour instead of an in-person one. In this week's University of Cincinnati e-briefings, we look at what it means to have a wired campus and how quickly colleges and universities are moving toward the world of wireless campuses.


Table of contents:

I. Connecting Without Wires

A. There's no place like campus
B. A place for the professor

A. Classroom discussions v. online chat sessions
B. Crossing cultural boundaries on the Web
C. The murky waters of responsible use

A. Don't go IT alone
B. The evolution of campus classrooms

Kahn adds that despite the independence online courses provide, students need the discipline to succeed, and says that freedom can be intimidating for some students. "Some of them need the classroom motivation. They need to be pushed, they need a specific time for when something has to be done." Kahn likes the idea of using online learning to take some of the basics out of the classroom. Students can log on to read and review chapters and then Kahn can use the classroom to put it all into perspective. "Part of the fun of college is the classroom. Even though students complain about it, they look forward to it. Computer classrooms have their place, but they're not a substitute." contact: 513-556-0371

B. ALWAYS A PLACE FOR THE PROFESSOR
UC Associate Professor for Teacher Education Janet Bohren says despite the future advances in learning technology, teachers will remain in demand. "There is always going to be a need for face-to-face interaction, discussion and advice." Bohren points to data analyzed in two of her students' recent dissertations, both of which examined collaboration on web-based learning. "Both the research and the data indicate the instructor is key for successful learning in the computer-mediated environment." contact: 513-556-3579

II. ATTITUDES AND POLICIES
A. CLASSROOM DISCUSSIONS V. ONLINE CHAT SESSIONS
A UC study exploring student attitudes toward Web-based instruction suggests online learning may not be for everyone. Gulsun Kurubacak, a graduate student in educational technology, surveyed 23 students taking a course called "Politics of Human Rights." Students attended one-hour class sessions three days a week, but also did course work online, which involved communication through posted announcements, e-mail, bulletin boards and links to other Web sites.

Kurubacak found that many of the students preferred face-to-face discussion to collaboration on the Web. When questioned about concerns over Web discussion, Kurubacak found that students weren't worried about having their ideas stolen. Instead, they were afraid their fellow students might think the ideas were foolish. Her adviser, UC education professor Jeffry Gordon, added that "In the classroom, there's no record of what is said, but when they communicate online it becomes a written record. It's burned in." contact: 513-569-0861

B. CROSSING CULTURAL BOUNDARIES ON THE WEB
UC graduate student Gulsun Kurubacak's dissertation research found that international students might be more comfortable discussing their ideas electronically. A student she interviewed said she liked the idea of typing and checking her responses online, rather than speaking out in class. Kurubacak says online learning will continue to cross cultural borders in the future. This particular class collaborated with students in Turkey through synchronized conversations online, e-mail and bulletin boards. "Online learning is breaking down the artificial walls between the classroom and the real world, generating new ideas and allowing us to exchange information and work on real world problems," says Kurubacak. "It benefits students and experts as they develop fresh ideas." Now that she has earned her doctorate, she will be going back to her homeland to design distance learning programs for Anadolu University, a high-tech university in Turkey. The institution's distance education program has over 600,000 students. contact: 513-569-0861

C. THE MURKY WATERS OF RESPONSIBLE USE
"Universities that don't have an up-to-date responsible use policy are vulnerable," said Fred Siff, Vice President for Information Technology at the University of Cincinnati. For example, Siff noted that cutting off student accounts is a standard punishment for violating responsible use guidelines, but not necessarily a good idea. "Cutting off student accounts cannot be done without safeguards. You're really penalizing them, because they can't do their classwork." Siff does see one positive trend in Responsible Use policies nationwide. Many now include both computer users and system administrators. "Good policies don't just tell the users what they can do. They also tell the people running the machines." contact: 513-556-2228

III. FROM WIRED TO WIRELESS
A. DON'T GO "IT" ALONE
Not every academic IT project needs to be a do-it-yourself project, but using home-grown expertise can help a university develop a system that's customized for its unique needs. UC's new UniverSIS student information system is an example of combining in-house expertise with commercially available products to serve multiple needs across campus. Version I debuts officially this summer, but already UniverSIS provides online registration for courses, class lists to faculty, improved student record keeping from grades to financial aid, and more. Most of the programming and Web "front ends" were developed by UC employees; however, the developers also took advantage of vendor services and proven commercial products.

Fred Siff, Vice President for Information Technology, said the approach has worked for many services at UC. UCit has linked up with many commercial partners to improve and enhance Internet and computer services. That allows campus IT workers to focus on what they do best. "It's like a restaurant that has to pare down its menu and have some real clear items that are absolutely terrific. That's what we've done." contact: 513-556-2228

B. THE EVOLUTION OF CAMPUS CLASSROOMS
Designing classrooms used to be a fairly simple matter, but the advent of electronic technology has made it more difficult than ever. Michael Burrill, a planner in the University Architect's Offce at UC, said it can cost more $25,000 for a fully equipped electronic classroom. With more than 260 classrooms on UC's main campus alone, the costs of "going wired" add up quickly.

So, the architects who do work for UC collaborate closely with instructors in various disciplines and colleges to find out what they need and what works best in their area. The architects designing UC's new and renovated classrooms are asked to develop flexible designs for electronic classrooms and teaching labs to incorporate laptops, high-powered computer workstations, and prepare for wireless technology yet to come.

The UC College of Engineering recently completed a test of wireless technology for classroom use, focusing on issues such as potential interference between nearby rooms. "Smaller rooms, such as those used for informal discussions or seminars, might work well with nothing more than a portable media projector and a screen," said Burrill who will discuss "Classroom Evolution at the University of Cincinnati" in a presentation the International Facilities Management Conference Tuesday, May 9th in Cincinnati. contact: 513-556-3065

IV. WEB LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION
A. Yahoo Internet Life "Most Wired Colleges" site
http://www.wiredcolleges.com/

B. University of Cincinnati Revised Responsible Use Policy
http://helpdesk.uc.edu/Security/ Policies/policy.asp

C.New York Times article on wired elementary schools
http://www.nyti mes.com/library/tech/00/05/biztech/articles/04wyom ing.html



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