2/4/98

CONTACT: Elaine C. Ray, News Service (650) 723-7162;
e-mail elaineray@stanford.edu

CTTL seeks proposals for using technology in teaching

Faculty members with intriguing ideas for using technology in the classroom are invited to submit proposals to the Commission on Technology in Teaching and Learning. For the second year, the CTTL is offering seed grants to help professors put their ideas into action.

The commission expects to fund between two and 10 proposals in amounts ranging from $25,000 to $100,000.

Projects eligible for funding might include those that develop information resources to increase faculty productivity in teaching or use technology to help attract, retain and engage students. Projects that devise methods for enriching students' learning experiences and faculty teaching methods or those that create strategies for reaching out to new types of students through continuing education also are welcome.

"We think this is a good way to stimulate creative thinking about the use of technology in teaching and learning," said Geoffrey Cox, vice provost for institutional planning and chair of the commission. "We were very pleased with the ideas that were generated last year."

The six projects that were awarded grants last year included a project sponsored by anthropology Professor John Rick that allows students to view and test archeological sites in three dimensions and under various simulated conditions right from their desktops. John Taylor, the Mary and Robert Raymond Professor of Economics, designed software to help students look at economic data in different ways. Another project, sponsored by Jan Thomson, director of communication services, tested out digital video on the desktop.

The deadline for applications for this year's round of awards is March 16. Winners will be announced May 1. Any member of the Academic Council is eligible to apply.

For more information about proposal form and length requirements, applicants can view the website at http://www.stanford.edu/group/CTTL/rfp.html or contact Chris Thomsen, the commission's managing director, at Building 1, MC 2070, or 723-2062.

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By Elaine Ray