|
|
What is the focus of your investigation? This project is about introduction of mobile technology in a novel way in delivering a few selected modules in a new Master's program in Distributed & Mobile Computingfor engineers having graduate degrees in Computer Science & Engineering, Information Technology or Electronics & Tele-Communication Engineering. The course is delivered using Tablet PCs and wireless connectivity. Classrooms and laboratories are co-located in the sense that students access all backend lab facilities from within the class. This arrangement makes it possible for the instructors to intersperse lectures with demonstration of key concepts and let the students try them out simultaneously and compare results. All activities take place through a specially developed Learning Management System - LearnITy - which enables teachers to perform formative assessment. We believe that the combined effect of all these will make the students assimilate new concepts better and make them more industry-ready and/or research-conscious.
|
|
|
What resources / references have you found helpful? We are making use of a Learning Management System (LearnITy) developed according to our requirement by Aunwesha Knowledge Technologies Pvt. Ltd. This SCORM-comliant LMS brings Web-based automation to many of the administrative aspects of teaching. Faculty and students access the LMS via a Web browser. Some of the administrative benefits of these systems include controlled access to materials, dynamic class lists and grade books, and online management of assignments (e.g., Web delivery, grading, follow-up). By using the LMS in organizing the courses, the purpose of class time can be more exclusively devoted to discussion and student activities. Freed from having to repeat routine activities, instructors can become more engaged in the process of sharing ideas. The students can also become more active learners, taking more responsibility for what they learn and becoming more important in the dynamic of the classroom.
|
|
|
|
What results have emerged?
|
|
|
|
What was your approach and/or what evidence have you gathered? Existing courses follow conventional technique of classroom teaching and conducting experiments in laboratory to supplement the lectures. By co-locating the classroom and laboratory our aim was to effectively eliminate the temporal distance between discussion of a concept and the corresponding hands-on exposure on that concept. This results in better assimilation. This also paves the way for the instructors to better tailor their courses according to the level and pace of understanding of the students. Use of Tablet PCs along with the LMS software enables participants to download instructional materials from the server through Access Points. Tablet PCs thus turn into e-Books. Each Tablet PC effectively becomes a single window through which a student can access all course-related materials and make contacts with other students and the instructor.
|
|
|
