Bryan School NewsRelease

 HANDHELD COMPUTERS USED IN EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY PILOT AT UNCG BRYAN SCHOOL

GREENSBORO — Handheld computers are revolutionizing the way business professionals manage their days. These same wireless, electronic alternatives to spiral-bound calendars and day timers are now being used to enhance the learning experience for students in the Bryan School of Business and Economics at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG).

The Bryan School began a partnership with eLearning Dynamics, LLC, this fall to bring technology known as LearnTrac, a patented software application, to campus. Palm, Inc. provided the handheld computers for the pilot class.  LearnTrac enables students using the handheld devices to respond to their professor without even saying a word. Their electronic responses are immediately sent to the instructor’s personal computer or console, which reveals and tracks students’ progress in real-time as well as throughout the length of the course. Within seconds, instructors know how each student responded and what percentage of the class answered correctly. The system shows the instructor which students need additional help. An overhead projector displays the results to students.
 

Senior Cory Barton inputs answers in Palm during Don Sowers Business Finance Class. UNCG is the first university to use LearnTrac.  Photo by Bert Vanderveen.

“This is a breakthrough technology that is bound to generate interest among educators,” said Mike Lorion, vice president of education at Palm. “This pilot program is a valuable way to show educators and students first hand what is possible with Palm handhelds and an innovative classroom solution such as LearnTrac.”

“LearnTrac will replace many of things we do and help us to do some things differently,” said Don Sowers, a UNCG business administration professor and the first instructor nationwide to test the program at the university level. “It is great for polling and short answers. Most importantly, it engages students and they like it. It’s an interesting and exciting new method for teaching.”

Senior Cory Barton agrees.

“It’s interesting because it’s new technology and we’re on the forefront of it,” Barton said. “It makes class more interesting and more efficient. You get answers to questions back immediately. Our professor can immediately identify when we have problems and what those problems are.”

When Chase Weir, chairman and co-founder of eLearning Dynamics, identified his alma mater as one of the sites for the LearnTrac pilot, Sowers and Jim Weeks, dean of the Bryan School, jumped at the opportunity. Weeks especially likes the idea of exposing students to new technology and providing them with an alternative learning experience. LearnTrac reflects the university’s commitment to prepare students for the high-tech, multi-generational, culturally diverse world to which they will be exposed upon entering the workforce.

“This advancement is a homegrown startup that combines our educational assets with technology,” Weeks said. “This really builds on our strengths and our mission to prepare students to perform successfully as business professionals and to enhance their education through high quality teaching and the use of technology.”
Sowers said he likes the immediate feedback LearnTrac? provides.

“As educators, we are really trying to teach and engage our students in the learning process, and this is a tool to help us do our jobs better,” Sowers said. “With LearnTrac, I know instantly how well students are learning the material. Otherwise, it would be weeks into class, after the first test, before I knew how they are doing.”
Students also appreciate the quick response of the system.

“I know whether I got a question right or wrong on the spot,” said junior Cindy Swaim, an information systems and operations management major. “I can see instantly where I am versus others in my class based on my response.  Even if I don’t raise my hand, our professor knows if I’m having trouble. And the Palm handhelds are very cool.”
eLearning Dynamics selected the Bryan School to receive 40 handheld computers contributed by Palm along with its own grant of 40 wireless attachments to support the LearnTrac. pilot at UNCG.

Weir said he knew from his student experience that UNCG would be a good university location to test LearnTrac.

 “Dean Weeks has a vision for the use of technology in the classroom, one that focuses on the purposeful application of software and hardware to truly enhance content and curriculum,” Weir said. “He understands the power of LearnTrac and how it can transform the traditional learning environment, where technology is used to improve outcomes like student performance and teacher productivity. It ultimately becomes an integral and enabling part of the entire learning process.”

The founders of eLearning Dynamics developed an alliance with Palm to test the capabilities of LearnTrac. The LearnTrac model is based on ViewTrac, a technology used at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles, and by many cable and television networks to make programming decisions based on data provided by viewers. This system is also used by government leaders to assess voter opinions.

    About the Bryan School of Business and Economics
    The Bryan School is the professional school of business at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, a public, doctoral granting university of The University of North Carolina system of higher education. The Bryan School offers undergraduate and master’s level programs, and its fundamental purpose is to serve the people of North Carolina, particularly those in the Triad region, by providing high quality business education. The school’s primary responsibility in fulfilling this purpose is teaching.
    About eLearning Dynamics, LLC
    eLearning Dynamics was formed in April, 2001, to develop, market and distribute innovative, outcomes-based classroom technology solutions to the K-12, higher education and corporate training markets.  Currently based in Washington, DC, eLD is scheduled to begin selling LearnTrac v 1.0 in 2002. For more information, contact Stuart Egan at 678-427-1026.

Palm is a trademark of Palm, Inc.
LearnTrac is a trademark of eLearning Dynamics, LLC

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