Executive Summary
The goals of the iLevel Project at the University of Detroit Mercy are directed
toward leveling the technological playing field for both students and faculty
by targeting an overall increase in computing self-efficacy. These goals are
built on a model of interactivity: while an increase in faculty competence will
raise their expectations of student performance, students with a high level
of competence will exert pressure on faculty to become more computer-proficient.
The various components of the iLevel Project are designed to engender and foster
this productive dynamic of "interactive expectation."
Major activities of the second half of year 1 and the first half of year 2 include:
1. Piloting the Basic Skills Exam for Undergraduate students;
2. Initiating the Student Tech Mentors Program;
3. Completing the first iGrant program, which awards mini-grants to faculty;
4. Deploying technology to create iSmart Classrooms;
5. Offering faculty technology workshops and other training programs;
6. Implementing web-based course management software.
1. The Basic Skills Exam was developed in cooperation with the iLevel Advisory
Committee. After the group identified the essential IT competencies for an undergraduate
student, a series of hands-on activities were developed to test and measure
these skills. The test was piloted with the assistance of our Student Tech Mentors
(see 2., below) during Freshman Orientation in the summer of 2001. The results
of the summer pilot were surprising, and challenged some of our assumptions.
The pilot group consisted of entering freshmen, many of whom indicated they
had taken basic computer classes in high school. We predicted a high pass rate,
but the results showed a pass rate of less than 40%. We reviewed the results
to determine if this low pass rate was attributable to any predictable factor,
and after considerable evaluation, we determined that it was not the testing
instruments--but our assumptions and expectations--which were flawed.
Based on our assessment of the summer pilot, we have decided to deliver the
Basic Skills Exam in a new context. Rather than deliver the exam as a stand-alone
test only, we will also integrate it into some fundamental undergraduate courses
in the fall of 2002. By integrating the exam into the courses, our hope is to
give it a realistic context, and use course content to enhance students' computing
skills throughout the semester. This change will not only help eliminate test
anxiety, but it will also allow us to reach students who do not attend freshman
orientation in the summer. Faculty will be supported by Student Tech Mentors,
who will provide students with tutoring, workshops, and self-paced training.
2. As indicated, remediation activities for the Basic Skills Exam are supplied
by the Student Tech Mentors. This iLevel-supported group taps into a University
program that has already proven successful for three years: the Tech Team, a
group of student employees responsible for managing student computer labs, the
Help Desk call center, and a Student Web Development Team. Under the direction
of the Tech Team Coordinator, the grant has helped expand this group into a
highly skilled and motivated team dedicated to training and tutoring their student
peers in basic computing skills. The Tech Mentors have been hand selected and
recruited because of their technical expertise, interpersonal skills, and service
mentality. They are exemplars of the Level III credential described in the iLevel
project plan, which is designed for advanced students who have an inclination
towards teaching and training.
3. The iGrant program awards mini-grants in the range of $500-$2000 to faculty.
It is tied to the Local Heroes program, which recognizes and rewards faculty
who play a leadership role in the use of instructional technologies. iGrants
can be used to fund software, hardware, or training. We began awarding iGrants
at the onset of the grant's second year, and by March of 2002, all $25,000 in
mini-grant funds had been awarded. This program has supported a range of proposals,
from laptops for faculty in Computer Science to advanced multimedia training
for Liberal Arts faculty. The iGrant initiative has also been successful in
promoting the iLevel project. All iGrant proposals were submitted using an application
on the iLevel website (https://ilevel.udmercy.edu), dramatically increasing the
number of site visits. The iLevel site is constantly being enriched by the project's
IT Program Designer, and will play a key role in the grant's success.
4. The year 2 budget included funds for iSmart classrooms dedicated to the College
of Health Professions and the College of Liberal Arts. As in year 1, prior to
any implementation, the iLevel Advisory Committee consulted with the colleges
and departments involved. Faculty and staff in Health Services expressed a desire
for wireless computing. This resulted in the installation of a wireless network
in the main building for the College of Health Professions. The College of Liberal
Arts responded rather creatively; rather than build two separate classrooms
as designated in the grant, three Departments collaborated to assemble a state
of the art multimedia production lab to support courses in English, Electronic
Critique, and Communication Studies. This represents a great stride in interdepartmental
collaboration and cooperation for the College of Liberal Arts.
5. Once again, the Instructional Design Studio (IDS) has been instrumental in the delivery of faculty training at the University. The second half of year one and the first half of year two included workshops designed to enhance the teaching and learning dynamic. In addition to workshops, IDS has also conducted several one-on-one sessions, phone and email consultations, and a series of roundtable panels called Faculty Exchange, which give faculty a chance to share informative teaching experiences with their colleagues. These sessions cover everything from pedagogical theory to practical teaching tips. Judging by the steady increase in the number of courses on the BlackBoard course management server (see 6., below), these workshops, seminars, and consultations are having a positive impact on the use of technology for teaching and learning. By March 2002, IDS tracked 510 BlackBoard enhanced courses at the University.
6. A key component in the success of IDS has been the deployment of BlackBoard online course development software. By March 2002, the course management server logged 3,985 BlackBoard users. In addition, the BlackBoard server (https://knowledge.udmercy.edu)
has registered an average of nearly 40,000 hits per month.
While only halfway through its second year at UDM, the Title III-A grant has had a tremendous impact on our institution. In a very direct way the grant has enabled us to provide much-needed IT resources to faculty and students. But the indirect impact has been even more impressive. From the beginning of the iLevel project we have sought to integrate our activities directly into the practices of the University. Rather than setting up a separate grant office
to keep the grant activities isolated, we have made deliberate attempts to weave them into the fabric of the University. For example, the grant has spurred the creation of two new Multimedia courses, strengthened the University's Writing
Program, and has served as a model for the University's Future of Computing Committee. In the future, the iLevel Project will play a key role in shaping the University's Core Curriculum, and in easing the transition as the University consolidates the majority of its academic programs to a single campus. The fruitful, integrative approach that the Title III-A grant has fostered will have a lasting impact that will persist well beyond the grant's full implementation.
Part III.6: Title III-A Questionnaire
6.) Are you meeting your activity(s) objectives as outlined in your Implementation
Strategy and Timetable Form?
Major activities for the period covered in the report include the following
6 items, the progress of which is described in detail below:
1. Implementation of iSmart Classrooms;
2. Piloting the Basic Skills Exam;
3. Increasing Activities of Student Tech Mentors;
4. Advertising and Disbursing iGrants to faculty;
5. Enhancing Faculty Training in Instructional Technology;
6. Assessment and Evaluation.
1. iSmart Classrooms
As Indicated in the Timetable, Year 2 of the grant involves the installation of iSmart classrooms for the College of Health Professions and the College of Liberal Arts. The College of Health Professions has drawn on the funds to provide a wireless network that renders an entire building "smart" to a certain extent. This strategy complements the heavy use of handhelds and laptop computers in the designated building. The College of Liberal Arts benefited from the funds by installing a cutting-edge multimedia lab that will support innovative curriculum for students at various levels of computing proficiency.
2. Basic Skills Exam The Basic Skills Exam proposed in the Implementation Strategy has been through a successful pilot phase during last summer's Freshman Orientation. The exam has been evaluated by the University's Academic Leadership Team and tested by members of the iLevel Advisory Committee, who have taken the exam themselves to experience it firsthand. This has provided us with some extremely valuable feedback. We have determined that the exam might be most successful if implemented within the context of a real class. In the Fall Term of 2002, faculty in the Departments of English and Electronic Critique will include the exam on their syllabus. The exam will also be implemented once again during summer orientation.
Under the direction of the Tech Team Coordinator, and with the assistance of the iLevel Student Tech Mentors, the Basic Skills Exam will continue to play a key role in the computing strategy of the University. The Exam is not yet mandatory for incoming freshman, but this should change as the University reviews its core curriculum requirements in the coming academic year.
3. Student Tech Mentors Between October 2001 and March 2002, the Student Tech Mentors have achieved a considerable degree of success in their initiatives. They have gone beyond their mandate of offering basic computing support to students and faculty to accomplish the following tasks:
· Administered iLevel exam to all incoming freshman who participated in the SOAR Orientation Program;
· Tutored and mentored the above-mentioned students on portions of the exam they may have not passed;
· Fine-tuned the iLevel Basic Skills Exam;
· Adapted UDM Help Docs ( FTP, PowerPoint, e-mail, Word & Excel) to meet the needs of the student population;
· Developed and implemented a business plan for the Student Tech Mentor program;
· Designed and implemented classroom training in both PowerPoint and FTP;
· Engaged in one-on-one tutoring and mentoring of students from the general UDM student population;
· Trained the Student Tech Team in both the fall and summer training sessions;
· Designed and implemented the Student HelpDesk web page;
· Planned and implemented the Student HelpDesk for both on-campus and online students;
· Initiated discussions with Detroit Urban League regarding community IT training sessions.
4. iGrants All $25,000 allocated for iGrants in Year 2 have been disbursed. The iGrant program has been extremely successful in rewarding faculty who are committed to the effective implementation of IT in the learning process. The mini-grants supported a variety of purchases, from laptop computers to wireless hand-held devices, and also permitted faculty to attend conferences and advanced
training workshops in instructional technology.
The grant submission process was streamlined with an online form on the iLevel website. The iLevel Advisory Committee has noted that the majority of applications were for laptop computers--our faculty is increasingly interested in capitalizing on the new wireless network being installed on campus. This has led us to consider a change in the iGrant program for the coming year. We would like to see a portion of the allocated funds dedicated toward a summer faculty laptop institute that would provide 5-10 faculty members with laptop computers and the training necessary to make the best of them in the classroom environment.
5. Faculty Training
The Instructional Design Studio (IDS) has been able to implement an effective faculty-training program to support the iLevel initiative. Their efforts include a combination of hands-on group training sessions, one-on-one tutorials, telephone
and e-mail consultation and roundtable discussions. A great deal of their energy has gone into the setup and implementation of a BlackBoard course management server (https://knowledge.udmercy.edu). This product has helped create a massive increase in the number of courses enhanced by an online component. In the coming years, their efforts will expand to support new distance education initiatives.
6. Assessment and Evaluation To date, the iLevel Advisory Committee has yet to implement a far-reaching IT
survey of faculty and students as mentioned in the strategic plan. This is due to a combination of factors. First, a number of departments have implemented their own surveys in the past 2 years, and we are evaluating this data to see if it is useful in our own assessment initiative. Second, the University implemented an institution-wide prioritization initiative in the summer of 2001. This required several program directors and faculty members to take stock of their own IT
strategies, and hopefully this too will shed light on our own assessment plan. Currently, the iLevel Director of Assessment and Evaluation is working with the IT Program Designer to develop a print and online survey that will assess the IT proficiency and resource needs of faculty and staff. This survey will be implemented in Year 3 of the grant. In addition, the Director of the Tech Mentors is developing a survey to track the progress of students who have taken the basic skills exam. This too will be implemented in Year 3 of the grant.
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