Classroom of the future

Classroom of the future UMR's new IBM Advanced Technology Classroom

(UMR' s Advanced Technology Classroom was unveiled al a Ribbon CUllin g Ceremony held in December. Among lhose in allendance at the ceremony were Missouri Gov. John Ashcrofl ; Charles Bruce, Educalion Services Director, U.S. Educalion, IBM ; and Richard Smilh , Program Direclor, Syslems Trainin g and Signal Processor Program , IBM. UMR Chancellor Marlin C. Jischke presided over the cermony.)

By Ernie Gutierrez

When UMR faculty members want to tes t their students' knowledge of a given subj ect, they now can ask a question and get immediate responses from everyone in the class at the touch of a button thanks to the cam pus's new IBM Advanced Technology Classroom (ATC).

The ATC, a computerized electronic classroom of the future, enables an instructor to display a

2 February 1990 question on an electronic blackboard at any time during a class . Each student in the class can then answer the question by means of an indi vid ual keypad response system. "Each keypad contains 10 numbered buttons - 0 through 9 plus additional buttons that will allow students to answer true/fal se, yes/no, and multiple choice questions; clear or change an answer, recall or review a previous answer; and ask for assistance," said Dr. Madison Dail y, U MR assistant professor of engineering management. " Students punch in their an wers, which are di splayed on a liquid crystal display system on the keypad, to either open-ended or close-ended questions and send them to the instructor," he added . " U sing data generated by student responses, the computer system tabulates and offers immediate graphic di splay of responses in th e form of graphs or pi e charts," he continued . " The system also enables the instructor to compare responses

from previous classes and shows him or her which answers came from which students."

In addition to the keypad response system, the ATC permits an in structor to integrate graphics and tex t, videotape, videod isc, audiotape, and lighting inlO a presentation either through a handheld remote control dev ice or from a "sman lectern " eq uipped with a touch- ensiti ve plasma panel. The entire sys tem is controlled by a persona l computer.

According to Dail y, the ATC is an example of state-o f-the-an technology being used to enhance th e educational process. "UMR's ATC is the most sophistica ted in use in an academic setting anywhere in th e world," he sa id. " It's fitting that thi s facility be avai lable at UMR, one of the country' s lead ing technolog ica l insti tut ions. " [t 's been said that in thi s country we do a good job teachi ng tec hnology, but that we don' t do as

good a job using technology to help us teach," he added. "In this instance, however, we will be using technology to be tter help us teach technology . "

Studies done to date with ATC's in corporate settings seem to show that the facilities do improve learning. "With this equipment an instructor can cover 25 percent more material," Daily said. " Similar equipment has been used by IBM for its training needs, and data it has gathered indicate that students had short-term retention rates of up to 40 percent higher in an ATC environment than with conventional-classroom methods."

These findings were echoed by UMR students who took part in a demonstration of the ATe.

At the demonstration , Daily showed a number of UMR engineering management students the possibilities of the ATe. Students were given multiple-c hoice tests, viewed the lift-off of the Apollo 11 spacecraft and the landing on the moon of U.S . astronauts and com pared their knowledge of world geography to previous classes. " You can remember visual images a lot longer than lectures, " James John son, a senior in engineering management, said. "You use both sides of your brain and that's bound to help you reta in more in Formation ."

Lisa Burwell, a senior e ngineering management student, agreed that the A TC presented info rmation in a more interesting manner. " It's like having a memory device," Burwell said. "The visual s provide a triggering mechanism to your me mory. It also helps to keep your concentration during class because you never know when the instructor is going to ask you to respond to a question via the keypads."

Daily spent the past year at IBM headquarters in New York acquiring the skills to adapt courses for use with this new technology. During this semester at UMR, Daily will be developing curricula and training other faculty members to take advantage of this revolutionary technology.

Daily said that in the future, UMR plans to use the A TC to originate courses and, using satellite technol-

ogy, make the m available to other higher education institutions through the National Technological Un iversity. " It is not inconceivable that we wi II be using the A TC for statewide satellite classes in technology and for use in other c urric ula in grades K - 12," Da il y sa id .

The A TC is a joint study proj ec t by IBM and UMR.

Dr. Madison Daily (left) and Chancel/or Martin C. Jischke cut the ribbon at the December ceremony that marked the unveiling of UMR's new Advanced Technology Classroom (A TC). ThE}:t\ TC, which is located in the Engineering Management Building, is a joint study project by IBM and UMR.

MSM Alumnus 3