Executive Summary

Information technology, including systems software, data, and networks, plays an increasingly important role in education, research, and administration at South Carolina State University (SCSU). The faculty and students of SCSU have increasing needs to engage technology in creative teaching and learning environments that have the potential to accelerate student success. This is the vision for a new multidisciplinary initiative set to pilot in August 2006. This initiative is ASSET – Accelerating Student Success by Engaging Technology.

ASSET will involve the three undergraduate colleges with approximately 400 students and 25 faculties participating in a variety of instructional and research activities. Four hundred twenty five corporate-quality IBM ThinkPad Notebooks have been leased for participants in the two-year pilot program. ASSET will work collaboratively with the Office of Institutional Research to perform educational research and analyses, measuring outcomes and guiding instructional effectiveness. ASSET will support faculty and students engaged in one of four major program activities.

NSF/HBCU-UP/RISC
The Bridge to Teacher Education Program
Bulldogs in Transition
Technology Infused Business Courses

NSF/HBCU-UP/RISC

The objective of this program funded by the National Science Foundation is to build the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and research capacity at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as a means to broaden participation in the Nation's STEM workforce. SCSU is implementing a Research-Infused STEM curriculum (RISC) as its HBCU-UP grant. RISC will have a direct impact on approximately 500 STEM students per year and the changes it brings to the curriculum will eventually benefit all STEM students who enroll at SCSU. University goals indirectly addressed for the CSMET through the RISC proposal. University goals supported by the RISC Project are:

• Utilize program productivity data in monitoring current programs and in determining the need to modify, delete, or develop new programs in accordance with emerging trends in higher education
• Increase Student enrollment and retention
• Collaborate with internal and external agencies to secure funding for academic initiatives and to establish joint appointments, where applicable.
• Provide ongoing opportunities for faculty development in the use of technology for instruction, course and program development, and records management

The Bridge to Teacher Education Program

Many University professors have expressed concern about the reading, writing, and mathematics problems of struggling college students. There is a growing recognition among University faculty that more strategies are needed to provide college students with skills for comprehension, vocabulary development, phonics, writing and language skills, and mathematical problem solving. When these students enter college they are faced with an increased amount of reading and the expectation that they are able to comprehend the content in their texts. Yet, little effort is made to determine either the reading ability of the students or the difficulty of the reading materials. Consequently, some students are doomed to failure from the start because they cannot read the course material, nor do they have the skills needed to pass PRAXIS I in order to be admitted to a teacher education program. They end up frustrated at the professor, the university, and the subject.

Several different approaches are important in order for students to master the complex process of reading, writing and mathematics. The Bridge to Teacher Education Program is one strategy being proposed to help improve students performance on the Praxis I examination in order to increase the number of eligible teacher education candidates at South Carolina State University. The Bridge to Teacher Education Program will work towards the following goals: 1) establish a partnership with student advisors, student tutors, and teacher education candidates participating in the BRIDGE program 2) develop and implement a mentoring program for student tutors and teacher education candidates; 3) implement diagnostic tests and develop individual improvement plans for program participants; 4) implement proven strategies for teaching reading, writing and math using PLATO Learning Systems 5) implement a system for tutoring, monitoring, and providing feedback for participants; 6) equip student tutors and teacher candidates with a laptop computer to provide access to PLATO Learning System; 7) provide training in successful reading, writing and math strategies needed to improve student performance on Praxis I; 8) evaluate the effectiveness of the program utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methodology.

Bulldog Transition

Many high school students do not plan to attend college until late in their high school careers. In fact, many decisions about life after high school are not made until after graduation. This means that sometimes the most appropriate courses and high school experiences are not chosen. While South Carolina State University admits students who have the potential and promise to earn degrees, many students struggle in their university experiences. Coming to college is a huge adjustment for most students because there are many differences between high school and college. These adjustments are compounded when the plans and preparations for college occur late in the high school career. Bulldog Transition is an initiative that seeks to help make these adjustments easier for first year students.

Bulldog Transition will study the use of technology and increased collaboration between participants and their University 101 instructor. Students enrolled in a section of University 101 will be issued laptop computers and engaged in many technology-driven activities. Can technology be successfully integrated into experiences of students that are not fully prepared for college? Can technology accelerate these student successes? How do student use computers to enhance learning and support instruction? These are some of the research questions for this initiative.

Technology Infused Business Courses

Management Information Systems (MIS) is an integral part of the business discipline. Students need to be able to retrieve, assimilate, process and analyze information with an objective of an efficient and effective managerial decision. It is imperative that the students develop a high degree of dexterity in the use of computer technology. While there is a computer laboratory available to business students, they are not able to use it after hours. Having an IBM ThinkPad with them will provide continuous access and they will be able to work any time they think is convenient to them. It is expected that the students can access the internet from anywhere on the campus. Courses selected for this project represent major disciplines within the Business Program and have a high degree of computer applications.