It is with great pleasure that I announce the recipients of the 2007 HP Technology for Teaching U.S. Higher Education Leadership grant...

This grant opportunity was extended to recipients of 2005 and 2006 U.S. HP Technology for Teaching higher education awards. Each of the 10 U.S. selected campuses reported exemplary project results to date and will receive cash and equipment award valued at more than $120,000 in support of exciting plans to expand the impact on their campus. These 10 campuses are listed below with a brief description and links to project webpages. Congratulations!

Needless to say, it was very difficult to finalize the list, as we received many excellent reinvestment proposals that we could not fund. We are very proud of our entire HP Technology for Teaching community and the commitment faculty have made to enhancing teaching and learning on their campus. The hard work and investment in students appears to be worthwhile: Of the 71 project updates we received from HP Technology for Teaching projects around the world, nearly 90% report a positive or extremely positive impact on both student learning and on teaching. Fantastic!

I wish to extend my sincerest thanks and appreciation to all of you…

Jim Vanides, B.S.M.E, M.Ed.
Program Manager - Worldwide Higher Education Philanthropy
Hewlett-Packard

For information about the HP Technology for Teaching philanthropy initiative in higher education, visit www.hp.com/go/hpteach-hied

Clemson University
Clemson, SC

Current Project: http://www.cfkeep.org/html/snapshot.php?id=6083563832644; also http://www.clemson.edu/~mreba/HPGrant

Extension Project: Mobile Instructional Technology for Integrating Classroom and Laboratory Activities for STEM Students (MITICLASS) (pronounced “Mighty Class”)

Mathematics; Engineering; Chemistry; Computer Science

"Introverted students and students afraid of making mistakes in front of their peers are more willing to contribute to class activities since submissions are anonymous…The degree to which Tablet technology ignites student interest and the spirit of openness and collaboration in the classroom was totally unexpected. Students are motivated to come and participate and as a result are more successful in learning the subject matter…time and over again, students state how ‘this is the first time any math class was relevant and exciting for them’. Students from past classes taught with technology always seek me out and fondly recount our time together learning with the Tablets."

DePauw University
Greencastle, IN

Current Project: http://www.cfkeep.org/html/snapshot.php?id=82870413533291

Extension Project: Broad and Deep: Building a Critical Mass of Tablet Teachers Led by Tablet Deployments in Cognitive Psychology and Foundations of Education Courses

Cognitive Psychology; Education

“…It is encouraging to note that out of the 44 initial enrollments in the redesigned offering of Computer Science One and Computer Science Two, only one student failed to complete the course with credit [compared to the expected 5-6]… By collecting student work and looking at the process by which they have solved a problem, using the playback feature [of DyKnow], I have been able to provide a different kind of feedback to [the students] about how to logically approach problems.”

Diablo Valley College
Pleasant Hill, CA

Current Project: http://www.cfkeep.org/html/snapshot.php?id=78702393992527

Extension Project: Calculus with Tablets- An experiential approach

Mathematics

The success and retention rates in the classes taught with the redesign were compared against the historical data from all 120 sections of Calculus II that were offered at DVC since the summer of 1999 (the earliest time success and retention data are available). The retention rate of the redesigned courses was 87.0%, up from an average of 76.7%. The success rate was 78.3% up from an average of 68.7%. It is worth noting the record high 95% - 100% consistent attendance rate in the redesigned classes, unprecedented in the PI’s past experience in the college. The effect on student performance was also studied by comparing student overall grades in the first 3 weeks of each term, before the redesign kicked in, with their overall grades in the next 3 weeks, when the redesign was active. It was found on average 20% of the students improved their performance by 1-2 letter grades after the deployment of the redesign.

Student Testimonial Video: http://voyager2.dvc.edu/faculty/dprapavessi/HP%20thank%20you%20.mov

Eastfield College
Mesquite, TX

Current Project: http://www.eastfieldcollege.com/smpe/chemistry/HPGrant/index.html

Extension Project: Using Networked Tablets to Enhance Interactive Student Learning

Chemistry

“The treatment group for this study was taught using POGIL pedagogy and the networked Tablet technology. The control group was taught by a different full time instructor in pure lecture format using no technology of any kind. The class that used the tablets with POGIL pedagogy experienced a 86 percent success rate (ABC vs DWF). The control class -- lecture and no technology experienced a 29 percent success rate... This system can be used to poll students in free response, share electronic files on the fly, project student work and chat for group collaboration. This project also clearly demonstrated for me the impact of the networked tablets on student engagement in class, and the relationship of student engagement in the classroom with increased success, while at the same time increasing student enjoyment of the learning process.”

Montgomery County Community College
Blue Bell, PA

Current Project: http://faculty.mc3.edu/prahmlow/HPGrant/index.html

Extension Project: Collaborative Problem Solving using Mobile Teams, Visualization and Digital Ink

Computer Science; Communications

“The drone of a lecture, sleeping students, and deafening silence too often characterized the computer science classroom of the past.The computer science major of the past could best be described as a loner - hovering over the keyboard coding the latest assignment with no one other than the mouse to keep them company! The computer science major of the future will readily work with classmates designing, coding and testing systems. Sharing of files and ideas is easy with the use of mobile technology. Flowcharting and brainstorming can be fast and furious with digital ink and tablet PCs.”

Student Testimonial Videos: http://faculty.mc3.edu/prahmlow/HPGrant/videos/Student%20Experiences/studentVideos.htm & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLif-ktZAl8

Parkland College
Champaign, IL

Current Project: http://grade.csit.parkland.edu/ & http://natsci.parkland.edu/che/hp/TFT2006/Progress.htm

Extension Project: Parkland College/HP Chemistry-Physics-Computer Science Collaboration

Computer Science; Chemistry

“Students earning an A in tablet sections of first semester course is about 12 percentage points higher than A's in non-tablet sections (10% compared to 22% in tablet sections)…Students in tablet sections performed remarkably better on a final exam question specifically designed to test for molecular understanding as learned through a tablet based activity…”

Seattle University
Seattle, WA

Current Project: http://www.seattleu.edu/scieng/me/hp

Extension Project: Tablet PC’s for integration of cooperative learning groups with a dynamic visual context: animations, simulations, and information mining

Chemistry

“By being able to manipulate the data in the lab, students gain a better understanding of the physical phenomena… Immediately after the test, the student can analyze the curve to determine engineering material properties. This bridges the gap between theory and experiment... When compared with past classes in which the TabletPC’s were not used, faculty reported a substantial increase in student interaction and engagement...Once other faculty learned what we were doing, they began borrowing our equipment for other classes. The original project served only the Sophmore/Junior level strength of materials lab. We now are using the Tablets in several Chemistry courses and Sophomore level engineering Statics and Dynamics courses.”

University of California, Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA

Current Project: http://www.soe.ucsc.edu/tablets/

Extension Project: Tablet Computing, Enabling The Interactive Classroom

Computer Science; Biomolecular Engineering

“During 2006-7, this best practice using Camtasia and Presenter has continued to have overwhelming student enthusiasm. By breaking the temporal/geographic requirement to attend lectures, students are better able to manage their class attendance. While other such efforts have reported a drop in student attendance, our experience has been exactly the opposite. Students choose to pay attention, knowing they can take notes later, increasing comprehension and fact retention. They review the lectures several times before exams or homework, and repeated exposure has demonstrated significant increases in student learning.”

Valdosta State University
Valdosta, GA

Current Project: http://valdosta.edu/~bhojjati/snapshot_valdosta.html

Extension Project: Using Mobile Technology to Improve Visualization, Technical Communication, and Analytical Skills of Engineering and Science Students and to Facilitate Student Learning

Engineering; Biology; Geoscience; Dental Biomaterials

“It is evident that the number of students receiving a grade of "A" or "B" was increased significantly and in general, the number of "C"s and "D"s decreased when Tablet PCs were used in the classroom…”

Student Testimonial Videos: http://valdosta.edu/~bhojjati/snapshot_valdosta.html

Washington University
Saint Louis, MO

Current Project: http://www.cfkeep.org/html/snapshot.php?id=14952022316821

Extension Project: Enhancing Student Learning using Spatial Technologies, Computer-supported Collaborative Learning, and Group Work

International Development; Education

“The wireless tablet PCs allowed us to introduce in-class active-learning exercises for chemical modeling and resulted in an increase in class participation and improved homework scores in the solid-state course. The introduction of the electronic laboratory notebook has improved the teaching and learning of efficient organization and management of experimental data and observations, and has encouraged students to modify experimental procedures to obtain better results, which mimics research experience but in a class situation…the instructor added more in-class exercises this past spring and can not envision teaching this class without the use of the tablet PCs…”