North Dakota State University

Five projects were awarded student technology fee funds in spring 2012 by Interim Vice President for Information Technology Marc Wallman, acting at the recommendation of the Technology Fee Advisory Committee. 

NDSU's student technology fee funds a broad range of projects designed to improve information technology capabilities and services available for students, faculty and staff. The Technology Fee Advisory Committee particularly aims to fund innovative projects directed at improving instruction and student learning.

Technology projects awarded funds in spring 2012 include:

• Broadcasting Technology Maintenance (Project Director: Brad Jones). ThunderRadio strives to provide an accurate model of the professional radio industry for NDSU students. Operating since 2004, some of ThunderRadio’s essential equipment has become outdated and obsolete. This project will provide funds to replace the telephone system, software used to broadcast live calls on the air and studio speakers used at ThunderRadio. In addition, the project will enable the radio station to meet FCC requirements regarding a digital emergency alert system used to broadcast and record emergency notifications. Expected outcomes of this project include improved student learning experiences in a realistic radio broadcasting environment, FCC regulation compliance, and improved listening experiences for ThunderRadio’s faculty, staff and student audiences.
• Center for Writers Session Video Recordings: Enhancing Training, Expanding Service (Project Director: Enrico Sassi). The Center for Writers provides one-on-one writing consulting services for NDSU students. These individualized and interactive consultations are an invaluable tool for writing instruction. Since 2004, the CFW has more than doubled its number of consultants and consulting sessions, resulting in the need to improve consultant training. This project will provide funds to purchase video recording equipment to record consulting sessions with students. These recordings will be used for consultant training and for the creation of online informational videos about the CFW. Expected outcomes of this project include better-trained writing consultants, improved writing assistance for NDSU students, raised awareness of the CFW and an increase in the number of students served by the CFW.
• Renaissance Hall “Thinking Space” (Project Directors: Daniel Siverson, Jenny Grasto, Michael Strand). The Department of Visual Arts is seeking to provide the opportunity for students and faculty in the design disciplines to engage in interactive, innovative and collaborative teaching and learning. This project will fund technology – including an interactive whiteboard – needed to fulfill multiple needs of students and faculty, including sketching and writing out ideas and producing digital art interactively with design software on a connected computer. The expected outcome of this project is to enable students and faculty to experience learning and teaching about design in an innovative way.
• Lecture Capture Functionality in Stevens Auditorium Remodeling (Project Director: Nancy Lilleberg). Stevens Auditorium will be remodeled during summer 2012 with funding provided by Gate City Bank. During the remodeling, this project will fund installation of lecture capture technology in the auditorium. Lecture capture technology allows an instructor to teach a class face-to-face with students while capturing everything that is happening in class, including screen content, audio and video. Lecture capture solutions then upload captured audio/video/screen data to a server and reformat the content into Web output. The stored archives of captured classes are easily accessed by students through Blackboard. The expected outcomes of this project include teaching and learning benefits demonstrated by studies on the technology, including improved student retention and grades.
• Blackboard Mobile (Project Director: Nancy Lilleberg). Blackboard Mobile is an add-on to the Blackboard system that allows mobile devices capable of 3G, 4G or wireless connectivity to be able to access Blackboard courses, content and organizations. Blackboard Mobile licensing was purchased in fall 2011 through student technology fee funding. Since then, Blackboard Mobile technology has been used extensively across campus. This project will provide funding for renewal of the license for an additional year. Expected outcomes of this project include improved student ability to access Blackboard course content and improved instructor ability to access and manipulate Blackboard course content using mobile devices. 

More information about projects submitted during spring 2012 and about the proposal review process is available at www.ndsu.edu/tfac

Questions regarding the Technology Fee Advisory Committee may be directed to TFAC Chair Rian Nostrum at rian.nostrum@ndsu.edu or 231-7890, or to the Office of the Vice President for Information Technology at 231-5646.