Faculty
Development at a Distance: The Ways of Knowing and Ways
of
Practice Experience
by
Tammy Kempfert, TTT Editor
UW-Madison is hosting a unique professional development
experience
in Spring 2003, an online exchange called "Ways of
Knowing and
Ways of Practice." Sponsored by the Foundation Coalition,
a National
Science Foundation group that promotes systemic reforms
in
engineering education, the project called for participation
of campus
teams. The group initiated the experience with a face-to-face
meeting
in Madison. (Jan. 2003)
UW-Madison
Engineering Class Studies Functionality of Palm Pilot for
Student Users
by
Jennifer Smith, TTT Editor
As
part of an arrangement between Palm, Inc., and the UW
System, several UW faculty members around the state incorporated
Palm Pilots into their spring classes to gauge their educational
usefulness. One such project involved Dr. Leah Newman's
industrial engineering seminar at UW-Madison, "New
Technology and Human Factors." Newman's students
gathered reponses from a focus group of fellow students
about their use of the Palm IIIx and thoughts about its
design and functionality. Read a summary of their findings
here, and don't miss the related story below on the use
of the Palm in a chemistry laboratory. (May 2001)
Master
of Engineering in Professional Practice Reaches Working
Engineers at a Distance
by Jennifer Smith, TTT Editor
Working
engineers who are seeking a graduate degree to benefit
their professional development have a new option to choose
from. The Master of Engineering in Professional Practice
(MEPP) program at UW-Madison gives students a chance to
earn a master's in two years of focused coursework. Strong
student support is one of MEPP's hallmarks. Students progress
through the program as a cohort, and a full-time counselor
is available to assist students with a range of issues.
Faculty seasoned in distance ed and professionally accomplished
students round out the program. (Jan. 2001)
Support
for Distance Learning Programs: Is Technology Really Enough?
by
Karen Al-Ashkar, M.A., Counselor,
Master of Engineering in Professional Practice Program,
UW-Madison
Learn
more about the student-support aspect of the MEPP program
featured above. TTT directs readers to the American Society
of Engineering Education's site to read MEPP counselor
Al-Ashkar's paper. Related to her current dissertation
research, Al-Ashkar's paper won an award at the ASEE's
2000 annual conference. (After following the link above,
scroll down to "Best PIC-V Paper.") (Jan. 2001)