$120,000 HP Technology for Teaching Leadership grant provides recipients with additional technology in recognition of previous success

Troy, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute was selected as a 2005 HP Technology for Teaching Leadership grant recipient. Rensselaer will receive an HP award package valued at more than $120,000, as part of a total of $2.1 million in cash and equipment HP is awarding to 15 K-12 public schools and 10 two- and four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada. The Rensselaer package includes HP Tablet PCs, docking stations, digital cameras, printers and digital projectors for faculty, and 42 Tablet PCs for student use.

In announcing the awards, HP noted that Rensselaer and all 25 HP Technology for Teaching Leadership grant winners were recipients of HP Technology for Teaching grants in 2004 and were invited to apply for additional investment support, citing the selection for reinvestment because of success integrating the HP technology into the classroom curriculum, demonstrating measurable, positive impact on student achievement and proposing innovative plans to expand their programs into sustainable educational solutions.

According to Don Millard, director of the Academy of Electronic Media, the mobile studio Tablet PC-based lab (Tab-Lab) at Rensselaer is a first-of-its-kind “mobile studio” for engineering students. Using wireless technology, the studio will allow combined lecture and lab work on or off campus. The new teaching, which was tested last fall, will serve as a pilot program for a circuits course designed for sophomores and juniors.

(To read more, see Rensselaer Magazine, Fall 2004)

“With the latest technologies, our students will be able to, at any time and anywhere, explore engineering principles, devices, and systems that have historically been restricted to specific laboratories or classrooms,” said Millard. “The idea is to take the untethered world of technology and apply it to engineering education so that we no longer have to be dedicated to a particular facility to provide engaging, interactive learning. We have observed that by stimulating a student’s multiple senses, we can improve the student’s understanding of the educational concepts − which leads to greater retention and application of the acquired information.”

Rensselaer’s comprehensive education and research programs cut across academic disciplines, giving undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to learn and to grow into world leaders in their chosen fields. Rensselaer is redefining the traditional college course. In fully networked classrooms, students can easily download the notes so they can participate more actively in the day’s discussion. In engineering classes, student teams develop — and drive — their own race cars. In science classes, students work with high-powered optics and lasers. In architecture courses, students design real buildings and create 3-D virtual worlds on wired workstations. In EMAC classes, students make Web-ready movies using digital, nonlinear editing.

“Technology is a powerful educational tool that not only enhances teaching but also prepares students for greater success inside and outside of the classroom,” said Bess Stephens, vice president, philanthropy and education, HP. “By awarding these recipients additional equipment and skills training, we hope to further nurture their innovative programs so that even more students are able to experience the many opportunities that technology offers.”

The HP Technology for Teaching program aims to improve student success and engage faculty through the innovative implementation of mobile technology in the classroom, with an emphasis on creating sustainable advances in teaching and learning. More information about HP’s Technology for Teaching program and the 2005 HP Technology for Teaching Leadership grant recipients is available at www.hp.com/go/hpteach.

Contact: Jessica Otitigbe
Phone: (518) 276-6050
E-mail: otitij@rpi.edu