Forward Thinking: Education for the 21st Century
By Michael McGinley ('08) and Lisa Jefferson ('08)

Imagine a student sitting in his dorm working with another student on a group project. It's easy to picture them brainstorming, designing, laughing and joking as college students do—until you consider this: the students are miles apart. A new phone and video conferencing system will allow students to work together on the same application at the same time, even though they are not in the same room. This, along with other technology, is what is helping King's to be a leader in education for the 21 st century.

Showcase Technology

In the Fall of 2006, the King's community will begin using a comprehensive new phone, voicemail, and Internet system, which promises to make teaching and learning more efficient and convenient.

The technology will also enhance interpersonal communication, since students will be able to instant message one another while involved in group work conferences. Ad hoc conferencing will allow one person to dial the phone numbers of several people and therefore provide group communication. The bridged conferencing component will allow students to dial in to a conference and access their group by using a PIN.

The school may also offer a client license to parents so they will be able to see their children and talk to them on the computer while they are away at school. Parents who do not get to visit with their children during the long school year will soon have an opportunity to catch up—and feel as though they are sitting right next to them.

King's is also seeking a grant from the Verizon Foundation to help equip elementary schools in Wilkes-Barre so student teachers can provide students in their charge with extra, after-school instruction and tutoring.

This fall, the system is expected to introduced as part of the freshman orientation, and upperclassmen will also be trained in its use. Moran plans to meet with a formal student users group to determine the best strategy to release the technology to the college community.

Moran says King's will serve as a model for other educational institutions. “In return we will work with Nortel and Commonwealth to find new ways to use this technology so they show other schools and point to us and say ‘Hey, this is how this can be done,'” Moran says.

WebCT

WebCT is another way teachers and students can use the Web to enhance education, says Melody Priebe, Instructional Designer and Director of Informational and Instructional Technology. “WebCT opens up class time to lecture and discussion.”

WebCT is a Web-based program that allows students to access their courses online. Students sitting at a computer in their dorm rooms late at night can log on to the site through the King's Web page and check on their assignments or see if their teachers have posted any new material. They can receive messages from teachers, view new calendar postings, and keep up with assignment schedules.

“It's the best thing for me because I can access it at any time and see just what assignments are due when. It's a good way for students and teachers to communicate too,” says sophomore Ashley Kish.

Professors can assign quizzes that students can take on the site, and this ensures students are reading assigned material. It also allows professors to spend more time in the classroom on other important activities and teaching strategies.

The Physician's Assistant Program was the first program to began using WebCT in the late 1990s.Because of the need for tight communication between faculty members and students.

Priebe, who is also a '97 graduate, is proud that King's is keeping pace with technological advances. “it's amazing to come back years later and see all the things [students] have on campus now.”

Sample of a WebCT course interface taken from Dr. Moore's class

Students Discover the Future

Every day, high school students sit in classrooms wondering where their future choices will lead them in life. Through the King's College Discovery Learning program, many of them get a head start on discovering their futures through an early college experience.

 The Discovery Learning program was established in 1997 to bring educational advances into the College's curriculum. This opportunity quickly grew to bringing eager young minds from local school districts to the King's campus. 

Students from 30 different school districts now participate in the program. They attend morning classes and receive instruction via distance learning and WebCT methods.

Distance learning includes video conferencing between professors and students. Between five and seven classes are offered to students each semester, and they enable high school students to learn “outside the box” of the traditional classroom and interact with college students and their professor. In short, it provides the experience of a real college classroom.

 “We get the cream of the crop with the College Discovery program and they're motivated and they fit right in because they're willing to learn,” says Bill Keating, director of Academic and Instructional Services. Keating is a graduate of King's 1985 class.

These new technologies and advances are helping to enhance the classroom experience, foster growth in teaching and learning, and ensure that King's remains a leader in education for the 21st century.