University Times

Eight grants have been awarded to faculty members for the development of innovative computer hardware and software for advanced instructional technology at Pitt.

The grants are part of a program administered by the Instructional Technologies Working Group of the Executive Committee on Academic Computing (ECAC).

According to group chair David Beratan, $116,000 was budgeted this year for the hardware program, which was launched in 1995 to promote the development and/or implementation of instructional technologies using computers, video, network communications or other new methods.

The working group also reviewed and approved grant proposals for the development of three software projects that will be implemented with support from the Center for Instructional Development and Distance Education (CIDDE).

Grants are awarded on a competitive basis to individual faculty, groups of faculty or entire academic units. The most important criteria in selecting proposals is innovation in hardware/software and/or instruction, the breadth and depth of potential impact on teaching and learning, and the potential as a model for other programs.

Proposals for simply expanding the use of technologies already in use are not considered for funding.

Hardware "We received 12 pre-proposals for hardware support from which we solicited six final proposals," said Beratan. "Of the six finalists, all were recommended for funding." One finalists dropped out because of the limited level of support the working group recommended for his project. The five projects funded were as follows: * Michael Becich, a member of the pathology department, School of Medicine, was awarded $11,000 for his DEC Alpha project to enhance an existing COMMIT problem-based learning system at Presbyterian University Hospital and connect it with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and World Wide Web (WWW).

According the working group, WWW access and connection with the UPMC clinical database will have an immediate payoff at UPMC and the system can be easily altered for use by other academic disciplines to provide opportunities for problem-based learning and WWW access in education.

* Bopaya Bidanda, industrial engineering, received $30,000 for advanced instruction in robotics manufacturing using a workstation and software for simulation of robots.

Most robotics courses do not satisfy class equipment needs because of the high cost of even modest modern robotics equipment, the working group noted. Bidanda's simulation should solve that problem and lead to the modernization of numerous courses.

* Norm Hummon, sociology, was awarded $25,500 for a social science data delivery system, specifically a client server application for support of instruction.

The system will provide rapid student access to extremely large databases such as the U.S. census, according to the working group. Primary data that was essentially unavailable to students will become more readily available and is expected to change the way sociology, history, political science and urban studies are taught.

* Marlin Mickle, electrical engineering, received $27,000 to support the development of two high-speed switches, interfaces and an optical link for demonstrations and student research.

According to the working group, the project will establish a laboratory to support a new spectrum of network-based courses and student research, with emphasis on network utilization and system integration.

* Peter Wipf, chemistry, was awarded $22,500 for the development of holographic teaching tools in undergraduate organic chemistry.

Stereochemistry is a crucial aspect of sophomore organic chemistry, according to the working group, but the visualization of 3D structures is one of the most challenging tasks for chemistry students. The goal of Wipf's project is to develop the infrastructure needed to prepare holograms for instructional purposes, probably leading to inexpensive printed holograms that could be distributed to students.

Software Of the software programs, five pre-proposals were submitted, one was withdrawn and another did not submit a final proposal. The three remaining projects were all recommended for funding, but no cost amounts were available. Project winners were: * Michael Becich, for software to go with his hardware project.

* Donald McBurney, psychology, for a computerized model of sensory adaptation and its relevance to psychology. WWW access to the software will be provided.

* Wesley Jamison, information science, for an electronic textbook that could be changed to keep pace with a student's progress, provide interactive demonstrations and accept assignments. The project will serve as a prototype in the field.

–Mike Sajna