University of Delaware
Office of Public Relations
UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 30, May 8


             The PRESENT: Its doors are open to the future
                                   
     If you're looking for a new, high-tech teaching
adventure this summer, the PRESENT-"Practical Resources for
Educators Seeking Effective New Technologies," which opened
its doors in April, is for you.
     Designed for faculty and teaching staff to learn about
and use new and creative media tools, the PRESENT is a hands-
on resource center in Room 002A of Smith Hall.
     The PRESENT features some of the very newest
technologies-alongside established mainstream ones-in one
room, and staff there helps users get comfortable with these
technologies, Paul Hyde, Information Technologies, said.
     Users can learn how to create or enhance web pages and
other presentations, operate presentation tools and
classroom technology and learn about effective technologies
for collaborative projects and distance learning.
     "Although I don't currently use e-mail or the web in my
courses, now that the PRESENT has opened, I definitely plan
to use some of these technologies," Juliet Dee,
communication, said. "And, I plan to make an appointment
with a PRESENT staff member to get some one-on-one
instruction."
     A self-described "novice" computer user, Dee said the
most interesting technology she learned at a recent open
house for the center was about the web and the University's
home page. "I got a better feel for the kinds of information
web sites can contain," she said.
     "For me, the most valuable thing the PRESENT offers is
helping me find information from the Internet that is
relevant to my academic field," Dee said.
     James R. Soles, Alumni Distinguished Professor of
Political Science and International Relations, a self-
described "experienced novice," currently uses e-mail
extensively for messages to individual students, entire
classes and for responding to questions and assisting with
advisement.
     Since his visit to the open house, he said he plans to
make more use of newsgroups and the web. "Prof. Reynolds in
our department has a great web page for each of his classes,
and I would like to make similar, but different, use of such
pages for my class," Soles said.
     "The most interesting thing I learned is how much
easier it is now to create a web page than in the past. I
want to create a major source of information about Delaware
politics, and I think I can do that with the support of the
PRESENT," Soles said. "I plan to make an appointment with
someone at the PRESENT to work on my web pages over the
summer.
     "The best thing about the PRESENT is that it teaches
faculty how to do things for themselves and use short cuts
to make the process easier," he said.
     George Watson, physics, is fairly experienced at
finding his way around the Internet to find information he
needs. He also has learned how to write HTML code for his
courses. "However, I am only beginning to get into CGI
scripting and haven't tried JAVA yet," he said.
     Watson already uses e-mail, newsgroups and the web in
his course curricula. "In the summer of 1995, when I was
designing SCEN 103, the web was getting up to speed here on
campus, so I based that course entirely on the web. I expect
all students to be comfortable using a web browser and be
agile users of their accounts for e-mail," he said.
     Now that the PRESENT is open, Watson said he looks
forward to expanding his expertise through interactions with
its staff and the new technologies and training that are
available at the site.
     "Right now, I am looking to incorporate more graphics
and video into my course pages. Getting a digital camera
looks like it will provide the easiest way to archive some
of the in-class demonstrations that I do. I would like the
students to be able to jog their memories on what I did in
class by referring to the course home page-in a way that is
less time-consuming for me than making lots of drawings or
scanning in images," he said.
     "Other than seeing how well the digital camera works
and how easy it is to use, I would say that the hint that
Debbie Jeffers revealed for creating vertical white space in
HTML documents was well worth the 'price' of the visit," he
said.
     According to Watson, several faculty received National
Science Foundation funding for a summer institute on campus
to introduce other faculty to aspects of active learning and
effective use of technology. There has been a lot of faculty
interest so far, and he said they anticipate sending many of
the participating faculty to the PRESENT for at least part
of their training.
     "The PRESENT will allow faculty to overcome the
barriers to using technology in the classroom in a
relatively painless and effective manner," Watson said. "Its
facilities are conveniently located, the staff is
knowledgeable and courteous, and the new equipment is
fantastic!"
     Coinciding with the opening of the PRESENT, the
University has been accepted as a new academic member of New
Media Centers (NMC), a consortium of higher education
institutions and technology companies, which promote
teaching using new media.
     Activities sponsored by NMC include novel models of
interaction such as distance learning, video
teleconferencing, online discussions and traditional face-to-
face seminars and conferences.
     You can contact the PRESENT in the following ways:
     * Telephone: 831-0640
     * E-mail: present-site@udel.edu
     * Web address: http://www.udel.edu/learn/present/
     * Smith Hall, Room 002A (by appointment)