Letter from Dr. Bryon Grigsby
Welcome
You
may already be aware of some of the very exciting things that are happening
at Shenandoah University. In addition to its financial stability and
strength, the university will soon introduce an integrated mobile learning
program (iMLearning) that will enhance the educational experience and
radically transform the way students learn and professors teach. Starting
in the fall semester of 2009, the university will put the new “environmentally
friendly” MacBook laptop and Apple iPod touch into the hands
of all incoming full-time freshmen, some graduate students, and a portion
of the full-time faculty. The integrated use of these mobile technologies
will connect students and teachers into versatile, dynamic communities
of learners and provide creative linkages and connections throughout
our academic and co-curricular environments. The iMLearning Program
will:
• Access online resources that open the classroom to world-wide experts,
from Thomas Friedman lectures at the London School of Economics, to
tours of medieval armor at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, to drug
interaction software for pharmacy and nursing students.
• Create a “classroom flip” model, where tasks that detract from teacher-to-student
interaction, such as lectures, quizzes and videos, can all be accomplished
outside of class.
• Create a more dynamic classroom environment focused on discussion
and interaction.
• Prepare students for their future careers with technology and learning
skills they will be expected to already know.
• Allow any classroom to become a laptop classroom.
• Standardize digital tools so faculty and students become more comfortable
using the equipment in class. • Permit the institution to offer unique
technology programs that enhance classroom management and student engagement.
• Enable students to more easily connect with student life and the faculty.
The iPod Touch provides a simple way to notify students of campus events,
professor office hours and locations, and course changes.
• Allow MacBook laptop users to interface with Microsoft Windows platform,
giving students options depending on their courses of study. It’s important
to note that all incoming students will receive this equipment, so we
encourage parents not to purchase other computers for students, as they
will be required to utilize the new system in their classes. It’s definitely
a dynamic time to be a student at Shenandoah University, and we look
forward to seeing you on campus. I have enclosed a question and answer
sheet. (provide link) If you have questions about the iMLearning project,
I encourage you contact the admissions office at 540-665-4581 or Admit@su.edu
for further details about this exciting initiative.
Sincerely,
Bryon Grigsby, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President &Vice President for Academic Affairs