NWACC Grant Proposal

1. Project Objective
2. Method
3. Funding Rationale
---Impact
---Innovation
---Feasibility
---Technology Transfer and Outreach
---Leverage
---Collaboration
---Outcome Assessment
4. Project Budget Details
5. Project Schedule

1. Project Objective:

The College of Engineering (COE) at Oregon State University (OSU) has a commitment to using wireless technology in the classroom. The COE is dedicated to promoting advanced technology and using it to create more engaging learning experiences. With the wireless infrastructure at OSU, students can instantly access the internet, engineering curriculum materials, exercises, or assignments in any engineering building, without the need for specialized computer rooms. There are several types of mobile wireless technologies (MWT) currently being used by OSU students. Personal Digital Assistants (PDA’s), laptops, and customized devices, Personal Response System (PRS), are three examples of devices that have been integrated into traditional classroom settings in courses required for engineering students. Examples of how the devices are used in the classroom include class exercises, group-level work, and in-class quizzes.

Like many other higher education institutions, OSU is in the process of requiring wireless-enabled laptops for engineering students. Freshman engineering students beginning in Fall 2004 are being asked to supply their own laptop. One of the many questions surfacing as a result of this plan is the value of this technology in comparison to the investment made. While some research has been completed to evaluate the impact of mobile wireless technology on student learning by the Project Director for the proposed work, there has been no research to explore the cost effectiveness of these technologies. The costs for MWT are rarely reported. Additionally, different MWT configurations (hardware, software, infrastructure, and support) and different organizational and personnel arrangements are also used, making assessment of cost effectiveness even more challenging.

The purpose of the proposed research is to develop a methodology to evaluate and compare the costs and the cost effectiveness of different MWT’s in the higher education classroom. The methodology will be developed in a way such that other institutions may use the process developed to guide them in their decisions to invest in MWT and to assist them in determining which MWT is the most appropriate to invest in given their objectives. The use of MWT in the classroom in institutions of higher education is limited, in part, because administrators are unable to justify the investment. The proposed work will provide a tool for administrators and instructors to use to more fully understand the trade-offs between different MWT’s based on both cost and impact.