Six win instructional technology grants for teaching

The Division of Information Technology has announced the recipients of Instructional Technology Grants. Six recipients were chosen from 18 proposals submitted by campus units.

The grants represent exemplary plans to implement instructional technology into classroom teaching and learning. Projects up to $30,000 are funded through the Chancellor’s Office by the Hilldale Foundation to help improve undergraduate education through use of instructional technology.

Projects include:

• “Interactive 3-D Visualization of Molecules and Minerals in Soil Science Instruction,” Phillip Barak, soil science, to enhance students’ understanding of 3-D spatial structural concepts in soil science education by developing Web- based 3-D visualizations of molecules and minerals.
• “DIAGNOSIS: An Interactive, Multimedia Experience for Students in Plant Health Protection,” Glen Stanosz, plant pathology, to develop exercises using an existing multimedia computer program that allows students to diagnose plant diseases and disorders and formulate and test plant health recommendations.
• “Making ‘More Better’ Visual and Literary Sense: CL203 and the Cultivation of Cultural Reading Fluency,” Mary Layoun, comparative literature, to train faculty to compose and use Web-based multimedia classroom presentations that present the interrelationships between visual and verbal texts.
• “Using Technology to Enhance Instruction in Less Commonly Taught Languages,” Antonia Schleicher, African languages and literature, to develop a multimedia CD-ROM and Web-based activities for teaching intermediate level Yoruba.
• “Computer-Based Curricula for Undergraduate Writing Courses,” Deborah Brandt, English, to explore using a computer classroom to facilitate the writing process by promoting understanding of technology’s relationship to reading and writing.
• “The Use of Computer Technology to Teach Interior Design Visualization – Three-Dimensional Form and Spaces,” Wei Dong, environment, textiles and design, to enhance understanding of dynamic interior design concepts using interactive multimedia technology and computer-aided design to develop Web-based instructional modules.