Technology Showcased as Leaders from 18 Colleges & Universities Gather at DePauw for Workshop

October 24, 2003, Greencastle, Ind. - Technology leaders from 18 of the nation's leading liberal arts colleges will gather on the campus of DePauw University this weekend for a workshop on planning technology-rich spaces for learning. Sponsored by Project Kaleidoscope and the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education, the workshop is a joint effort involving many who share a common vision of the power of emerging technologies to serve student learning. Participants will examine the potential of establishing benchmarks for the broader undergraduate community. The programs begin today, October 24, and continue through Sunday, October 26.

"DePauw is pleased to host this conference and to showcase its award-winning programs for teaching and learning as well as new facilities as features case study for the conference," said Neal Abraham, vice president for academic affairs. "The technologies of the present -- wireless phones for voice and images, instant messaging, wireless computers, digital photography, video and television, and virtual reality -- affect how, when, where, and with whom students do homework and research, how and whether students use traditional libraries, and how faculty members plan for the most effective teaching and learning environments. The leaders at this conference will share both current practice and visions of how technology rich campus communities will evolve to guide their planning of new facilities and campus master plans."

The workshop will take place as DePauw prepares to rededicate the Percy L. Julian Science and Mathematics Center, which serves as the hub for the University's technology initiatives, 361°. A series of lectures, poster presentations and other events will begin Monday, October 27, with the rededication of the University's flagship sciences building on Saturday November 1 at 10:30 a.m. as part of DePauw's Old Gold Weekend (read more here).

361° will be recognized next month with the 2003 EDUCAUSE Award for Systemic Progress in Teaching and Learning for its 361° Initiatives. One of six EDUCAUSE Awards for leadership and innovative use of technology in higher education, the EDUCAUSE Award for Systemic Progress in Teaching and Learning has never before been presented to a university or college that is not a doctoral/research institution. This prestigious honor recognizes campus-wide programs and practices that use information technologies to support student-centered teaching and learning in ways that are transformative, sustainable, and replicable (read more here).

In late April, the New Media Consortium (NMC) notified DePauw that it has been named a New Media Center for its 361° initiatives (read more here), one of only about 125 institutions worldwide to receive the designation. In May, DePauw was among three Indiana colleges and universities to receive Mira Awards for 361°'s “excellence in the delivery or use of technology to further learning and educational achievement” (read more here). The award was presented by TechPoint, the leading agent for change for Indiana's technology industry. DePauw is also among a new listing of "America's most connected campuses" (read more here).

"The workshop this weekend will feature DePauw's new facilities which include integrated class-lab spaces for teaching geology and physics, a collaboratory featuring the DyKnow software -- a computer classroom for interactive engagement of students and faculty members through their computer workstations and an electronic whiteboard, a global information systems collaboratory for Mediterranean archaeology, library electronic resources, and a digital image management system," said Abraham. "We are pleased to share the successes of our new programmatic features such as a Faculty Instructional Technology Support program, our new Information Technology Associates Program for student apprentices and interns, and information technology workshops for all employees and students."

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