Summertime generally is a time to do some catch up reading and think about new directions and approaches for the FIC. One book I found thought provoking is, Declining by Degrees: Higher Education at Risk. This book, accompanied by a PBS documentary, provides sixteen essays written by academics, writers, and others who offer a unique perspective on the quality of American higher education. While a variety of insights are offered on what is actually happening on college campuses, one article in particular seems germane to the FIC’s mission to “enable exceptional engineering education.”

A chapter entitled “Six Challenges to the American University” by Vartan Gregorian (former president of Brown University and the New York Public Library, and current president of Carnegie Corporation of New York) identifies these six major challenges:

• the information-glut and the fragmentation of knowledge;
• the curriculum crisis, including the liberal arts;
• the evolution of a two-tier system of faculty, with full-time and part-time members;
• concerns about quality, especially in schools of education; and
• the changes that distance learning and e-learning may bring.

While each of these concerns is discussed in-depth in the chapter, let us highlight one of particular relevance to instructional practice – the challenge of technology. Many issues surface when we integrate high tech delivery methods into our classes and as we struggle to create, synthesize and integrate massive amounts of undigested data and information. As new generations of technologies enter our classrooms, the FIC is here to help you critically analyze and question what tools are best suited to support student learning.

One current tool that is generating interest here in the College is the Tablet PC. Although Tablet PCs hold a relatively small market niche, we already have a cadre of roughly 35 engineering professors with Tablets. At this point, what is working in the classroom is mostly anecdotal, but across the country there is research underway to determine the efficacy and impact of pen-based technologies in teaching and learning. We intend to keep abreast of these findings and to work with you all to assess learning impact. For an introductory discussion on Tablets (their basics and ways to use them in your classroom) take a look here to see an early Tablet adopter, ME assistant professor, Steven Biegalski share some basic insights and suggestions.

Another technology generating interest is podcasting. Podcasting is an exciting new way to distribute information to audiences all over the globe. Podcasting, which simply combines the word “iPod” and “Broadcasting”, utilizes a new form of compression technology (called RSS feeds) to create crisper and clearer media files that can be easily downloaded and played back anywhere, anytime.

Unlike traditional web streaming, there’s no need to be connected to an Internet source for file playback. Once you have downloaded the file, the file becomes a part of your media collection. This file can then be screened on any computer, laptop, or portable media player without the threat of signal loss, or degradation in quality.

The benefits of podcasting are numerous, but some of the key incentives are:

• The unique archival feature of media files (files are stored according to date and update chronologically)
• The convenience of “subscribing” to podcasts allows users to have files automatically download whenever a new “episode” is ready (think of it like having your favorite magazine subscription delivered to you without having to go and buy it),
• And the foremost overall benefit of podcasting is the portability (Again, files can be played back anywhere, anytime)

Contrary to what you may think, subscribing to podcasts doesn’t require an iPod. Instead, files can be screened using Apple Computer’s iTunes software application, which is available for PCs and Macs, free of charge.

Another misconception is that podcasting is only for audio files. Today, podcasting runs the gambit and allows us to share audio files, video files, and what are known as “enhanced” files, which are simply podcast files that offer chapter-ized menus with embedded graphic images.

To view a demo of how easy it is to search, subscribe, and playback a podcast, please watch our demo which features the new Engineering Career Assistance Center Enhanced Podcast, produced by the FIC.

*To download Apple’s iTunes player click here.
*More about podcasting (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting) and RSS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_%28file_format%29).

We hope to see you in the FIC this fall or at one of our upcoming seminars (mark you calendar for September 19th) and a conversation with aerospace distinguished teaching professor, Philip Varghese. While we don’t suggest having answers for the many challenges facing higher education, we do have expertise, resources, and interests to help you better meet your instructional needs.