Connecticut College Geceives HP Grant to Infuse Mobile Technology into Biology Curriculum

NEW LONDON, Conn. — Connecticut College has received a $74,000 HP Technology for Teaching grant to install HP mobile technology — including 21 wireless Tablet PCs, wireless Internet access and a digital projector — in classrooms and laboratories to enhance genetics and molecular biology courses in the biology department. Existing classrooms and laboratories will be converted into technology and learning environments that will enhance students’ learning experiences. The grant will also support the biology department’s new peer-mentoring program, allowing technology to assist mentors in reviewing class material and revising students’ papers and lab reports. The wireless Internet access and HP tablet PCs will allow students to integrate research data and public databases; will provide a platform for students to work on lab reports and papers – replacing traditional lab notebooks; and will allow faculty to manipulate images and animations as they are presented in the classroom. The grant also includes support for the projects’ co-principal investigators, Deborah Eastman and Martha Grossel, assistant professors of biology, to work on the project and infuse the technology into the biology curriculum. “This grant will allow us to build onto the current computer-based applications already established in the genetics and molecular biology courses. The addition of wireless and HP tablet PC technology will improve students’ information fluency, enhance the ability to critique and write papers and reports, and will help students better understand the complex concepts and mechanisms that are fundamental to genetics and molecular biology,” Eastman said. The project will be implemented for the 2005-06 academic year. Connecticut College Dean of Faculty Fran Hoffmann said the grant helps further the college in its ongoing goal of enhancing traditional research and learning through state-of-the-art technology. “These improved classrooms will serve as a model for the entire campus as we further develop and implement technology throughout the curriculum,” Hoffmann said. Connecticut College has a strong history of integrating technology throughout the curriculum, and its 2005 Strategic Plan calls for the college to have a robust technical infrastructure. The college has also seen an upsurge in science majors since 1999 – now numbering approximately 20 percent of students. Connecticut College was selected as one of 31 two- and four-year colleges and universities nationwide to receive the 2005 HP Technology for Teaching grant, which is designed to transform and improve learning in the classroom through innovative uses of technology. The 2005 HP Technology for Teaching grant program is awarding grants totaling $8.5 million to 174 kindergarten through 12th grade public schools and 31 two- and four-year colleges and universities in the United States and Puerto Rico. HP has committed $25 million to the three-year program, which supports HP’s broader education goal of transforming teaching and learning through the integration of technology. More than 400 schools worldwide have received grants since the program’s inception last year. “Technology has the power to positively transform the learning process for both educators and students,” said Bess Stephens, vice president of philanthropy and education at HP. “By integrating technology into their teaching, educators can engage students in new and innovative ways to increase achievement, and ultimately to prepare them for greater success in the classroom and beyond.” More information about 2005 HP Technology for Teaching program and grant recipients is available at www.hp.com/go/hpteach. Ranked among the most selective private liberal arts colleges in the nation, Connecticut College enrolls 1,900 men and women from 46 states and 40 countries. The college is known for putting the liberal arts into action through interdisciplinary studies, international programs, funded internships, student-faculty research and service learning. Founded in 1911, the college operates under an 83-year-old honor code. The college is located at 270 Mohegan Ave, New London, about two hours by car from Boston and New York. The 750-acre campus is an arboretum overlooking Long Island Sound. For more information, visit www.connecticutcollege.edu.

Contact Information:		Eric Cárdenas (860) 439-2508; eric.cardenas@conncoll.edu eric.cardenas@conncoll.edu
Sending Institution:		Connecticut College
Story Date:		May 2, 2005
Published By:		Press Release
Publication Date:		May 2, 2005
Byline:		Eric Cárdenas, Director of Media Relations, Connecticut College
Keywords:		mobile technology, grant, biology