U. review focuses on teaching, technology

While many administrators and faculty reacted enthusiastically to the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education's 2001 White Paper, some have expressed reservations about SCUE's suggestions regarding information technology. Last Monday, SCUE released its evaluation of the state of undergraduate education at Penn, with suggestions for improvement. SCUE releases a new version of the document every five years. The White Paper, among other things, recommends a central technology hub for the College, the creation of a major advising program and increased teaching training. Writer's House Faculty Director Al Filreis, while praising the report, noted that it was quite far-reaching. "If you read this White Paper, you think they are all over the board, but actually the value of SCUE has been that they pick one or two issues and stick to them," said Filreis, an English professor. "We mistake this kind of report for a lack of focus on their part." SCUE included information technology as one of the sections in its White Paper, requesting that the University develop more information technology-related courses, develop and improve computing facilities, provide adequate software support and promote the use of technology as a teaching tool. Ira Winston, director of computing for Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Fine Arts, was hesitant about SCUE's proposal to create "a large computing facility" for College students specifically, since both Engineering and Wharton students currently have computing facilities geared toward them, but College students do not. In response to this suggestion, Winston said that on some level, almost every student at Penn takes College courses, so a computing facility for the College would really be equivalent to a facility for all students, making it redundant. "I'm not sure where you would put such a facility," Winston said. "We've kind of relied on libraries and residential halls to provide those labs." College Dean Richard Beeman said he agrees with SCUE's view that Penn should strengthen information technology within its curriculum. In fact, according to Beeman, a School of Arts and Sciences committee has been working all year on an initiative to create a "certificate program in information technology." Robin Beck, deputy vice president of Information Systems and Computing, highlighted several tools already in place that provide software support at Penn. Beck pointed to Information Technology Advisors as a source of support for students, as well as the Penn Net Passport, a guide to networking tools and services at Penn. "The goal would be to make people much more aware of [Penn Net Passport]," Beck said. SCUE also suggested that the University install more Ethernet connections for laptop computers in classrooms. University Registrar and Provost's Classroom Facilities Committee member Ronald Sanders said the installation of such Ethernet connections would involve enormous expense, and faculty are also concerned that students might stop paying attention to lectures and instead check their e-mail or surf the Internet. "We have not had that many requests that I'm aware of for that specific kind of pedagogy in the classrooms by any of the faculty," Sanders said. "I don't think there's been a lot of interest to do it at the individual desktop locations," Sanders added. "It would be quite a costly thing to do that." At the same time, Sanders explained that the committee is currently examining possibilities for the incorporation of wireless technology in classrooms. The White Paper especially emphasizes the importance of innovations in teaching and learning. According to Beeman, the Center for Teaching and Learning aims to provide resources for precisely this purpose. But Beeman concluded that he had not sufficiently publicized this center. "I could see that I had not done a good enough job of alerting SCUE even to the existence of this center," Beeman said in an e-mail statement. "I think there are important opportunities for SCUE and the CTL to work together in the future, and I wouldn't want to miss those opportunities." In the White Paper, SCUE also expressed the importance of teaching assistant training, which received Beeman's support. "I would be the first to admit that we are not doing enough," Beeman said. "But we are doing better." Beeman asserted that his office will "begin to approach the training of TAs in a much more systematic way than... in the past." In fact, TA training already exists, at least in Wharton, according to Marketing Professor Robert Meyer, vice dean and director of the Wharton Ph.D. program. For the past three to four years, Wharton has implemented a teaching program for TAs that provides instruction ranging from how to organize class material to how to deal with students. "Certainly no one's allowed to enter a classroom and work as a TA until they've successfully completed the teaching program," Meyer said. Another section of the White Paper proposed a major advising program, which would match undecided underclassmen with upperclassmen to help them learn more about majors at Penn. The White Paper also delves into research at Penn, stating, "though Penn is a research institution... undergraduate knowledge of research is arguably minimal." Provost Robert Barchi noted that the issues SCUE has presented in the White Paper parallel recent focuses of the provost's office. "We've partnered with SCUE on a number of these initiatives already -- including the creation of the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowship," Barchi said. CURF, which opened last fall, looks to provide resources, advice and support to undergraduates who desire research opportunities or fellowships. Beeman said he "wholeheartedly supports" SCUE's work in developing an online research database for CURF. CURF Director Art Casciato also anticipates the creation of the database, which will expand and augment the online research directory already in place for the Benjamin Franklin Scholars program. "What SCUE is working on with me and the center is something closer to a broad survey, almost like a census, of what's going on on campus," Casciato said. "The research directory that's already in place is more geared towards projects that faculty have ongoing," he added. SCUE would like to administer the program through a Web site, and College Director of Academic Advising Diane Frey has been working with SCUE on MAP. While SCUE must still work out some logistics, Frey said, "[MAP is] definitely going to be up in the fall."