Subject: JSU/Syr/MS ITR proposal Resent-Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1999 10:22:42 -0500 Resent-From: Geoffrey Fox Resent-To: p_gcf@npac.syr.edu Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 11:18:12 -0500 (CDT) From: Joe Thompson To: wbrown@ccaix.jsums.edu, gcf@npac.syr.edu CC: joe@erc.msstate.edu, carter@erc.msstate.edu Willie & Geoffrey, Here's a beginning on a concept paper for an NSF ITR proposal from JSU, Syracuse, and Mississippi State to do CS courses across all HBCUs. Needs lots of work from y'all, of course. Letter of intent due Nov 15, pre-proposal due Jan 5, full proposal due April 15. NSF announcement is at http://www.itr.nsf.gov/ Joe *** Concept ------- A networked Computer Science courseware delivery system across all HBCUs, to supplement on-campus CS curricula at HBCUs with CS courses from other HBCUs and from CS departments at other universities. The intent would be threefold: * To enhance CS curricula at HBCUs by making courses available from major CS departments around the country over the Internet. * To enable HBCUs to offer courses to other universities via the Internet. * To advance technology for the development and delivery of courses over the Internet. Rationale --------- Under the Programming Environment & Training (PET) effort of the DoD Major Shared Resource Centers program - led by the NSF ERC at Mississippi State - Syracuse has been conducting regular semester undergraduate and graduate Syracuse CS courses at Jackson State (an HBCU) in Mississippi over the Internet, using technology developed at Syracuse. Jackson State now is using this technology to teachJackson State CS courses at Morgan State (another HBCU) in Maryland (?) over the Internet. Since Jackson State produces more African-American undergraduate degrees in CS than any other university (of any kind) in the country, this effort is having a significant effect on the pipeline of minority CS graduates, enhancing the quality of their education and also serving to increase the attraction factor. This current effort between Syracuse and Jackson State has shown the potential to be expected from enlarged effort across all the HBCUs, as well as the potential for involving CS faculty at HBCUs both in the practice and enhancement of the underlying information technology. Approach -------- Jackson State would lead a coalition of HBCUs, with Syracuse and Mississippi State, to acquire, develop, evaluate, and implement web-based technology for conducing CS courses over the Internet throughout the coalition of HBCUs. These courses would be regular CS courses at Syracuse, Mississippi State, Jackson State, other HBCUs, and other universities as appropriate. The coalition of HBCUs would initially consist of a few selected for the potential of quick interaction, but would be expanded during the course of the effort to include all HBCUs. Further expansion to MIs, and even a high school compenent, would be possible. Elements -------- The effort of this virtual center would be composed of four fundamental elements: * Research * Evaluation * Application * Practice The Research element would conduct research into innovative use of IT in course development and delivery. This element would also develop new courseware components for assembly into courses. The Evaluation element would continually evaluate emerging developments in the use of IT in course development and delivery from outside the center, as well as from the inside. The Application element would assemble courseware components into complete courses for use by the universities in the center. The Practice element would actually deliver the courses in the universities. These four fundamental elements would continually interact in a feedback mode to enhance the courseware and its delivery. Thus, the Evaluation element would operate to evaluate developments as they emerge from the Research unit, to provide new developments from outside to both the Research unit and the Application unit, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the courses implemented by the Practice unit. Technical Approach ------------------ *** Geoffrey ***