F.D.I.P. Grant Programs
F.D.I.P. 2006 Grant Recipients
The following faculty received grant awards from the Faculty Development Initiative Program for F.Y. 2006.
Chad Wilson - ENG / DEAN'S OFFICE ($4,000)
A hybrid version of ENGI 2304: Technical Communications will be created, including a large online component managed through Blackboard. Most lectures will be converted into online videos using Camtasia and MS Photo Story software. The elimination of in-class lectures will allow for more workshops and presentations during class.
Phyllis Gingiss - EDU / HHP ($4,000)
HLT 4308, Understanding Cancer, will be redesigned as a hybrid course incorporating an innovative mix of teaching/learning activities utilizing a combination of web-based technologies and face-to-face instruction to achieve course objectives. The multidisciplinary course focuses on how health education and other health professions contribute to cancer prevention and control.
Patricia L. Yongue - CLASS / ENGL ($4,000)
The Automobile in American Literature and Culture is successfully taught in traditional formats as a topic of the Core Humanities course ENGL 2316 and as a graduate seminar in Cultural Critical Theory. The immediate goals for this project are to reclassify the course as ENGL 3396: Selected Topics in Literature and to migrate the traditional course into a hybrid format. Long term goals are to create a permanent advanced English course, Literature and Popular Culture, in which the topic, Automobile, can reside, and to collaborate with at least three university colleagues to create a multi-disciplinary course with the same subject area.
Mary Armsworth - COE / ED PSYC ($4,000)
The purpose of this project is to develop and integrate electronic materials for a hybrid course, EPSY 6370 Intro to Cross Cultural Counseling. The intent is to enhance instructional relevance and delivery of course material and to increase portability of the course content in the event of evacuation or closure.
Timothy Koozin - CLASS / MUSIC ($4,000)
This project will create music theory exercises, render musical graphic, audio, video examples, develop study guides and graphic displays for music analysis, and organize an online user interface for electronic transmission of student work.
Sujit Sansgiry - PHAR/CLSC & ADMIN ($4,000)
The project aim is to refine the process of delivering Power-Point Timed Quizzes as well as educate and train faculty on how to use this tool effectively in classroom assessment. A graduate student will assist in refining an existing template and train faculty to adopt this technology in their courses.
Richard DeFrank - BAUER / MANA ($4,000)
In order to both enhance the classroom experience and facilitate the grading process, this proposal focuses on the purchase of a tablet PC to provide more immediate and involving feedback to students both during and outside of class.
Tawhida El-Askary - CLASS / MCL ($3,000)
The aim of this project is to use appropriate technology to enhance the WebCT component of the Arabic courses and, to improve the in-class content delivery and interaction. This dual approach is intended to help accomplish the overarching goal of making the Arabic courses more engaging and effectiv..
Robert Bregman- BUSI / DISC ($3,000)
This proposal covers the development of a web-based MILP solver to use in DISC 6301, the core course in Operations Management (OM) in the MBA program. This tool will allow students to solve model formulations that they develop for various types of OM problems via the web interactively, thereby improving their educational experience.
Michael Gibson - COT / ILT ($4,000)
An FDIP grant proposal to develop and use a Student Response System (SRS)tool to promote active learning in the classroom. An SRS facilitates interactive communication between faculty and students via electronic exchanges during class sessions. The completed project will develop a strategy to deploy and use SRS within an undergraduate course.
J. Timothy McMahon - BAUER / MANA ($4,000)
This hybrid course will be designed to ehance leadership effectiveness via improved self-awareness, learning related to leadership models and styles, developing leadership diagnostic and problem solving skills and appreciating and understanding that leadership is not a position. Special emphasis will be placed on being an influential leader virtually through the use of electronic tools.
Lawrence Pinsky - NSM / PHYS ($3,636.50)
Funding is requested to compile an electronic database of images and animations for use by all instructors teaching solar system astronomy (PH1305).
George Trail - CLASS / ENGL ($4,000)
Generate podcasts and streaming video content relative to the objectives of English 1304 (produce, analyze written argument) including, but not limited to, extended discussions of problem concepts, problems attendant to specific assignments, and relevant material from current film and video. Some podcasts and videos will be accessible to all 1304 sections, while others will contain section-specific material.
Garth Jowett - CLASS/COMM ($4,000)
Proposal to enhance all of my visually-oriented upper level courses in communication by transferring a large collection of valuable slides and videotaped material to more classroom friendly, and student accessible media such as CDs, and Webct available material. This will significantly improve the quality of in-class presentations and interactions leading to increased intellectual engagement and content analysis.
Jose Guillermo De Los Reyes Heredia - CLSS / MCL ($4,000)
The aim of this project is to develop, produce, and implement various digital stories/videos/movies in order to supplement the content of SPAN 3341 (Spanish for Language and Trade). The use of digital stories will aid the students in understanding the language of business and trade in the Hispanic world, thus enhancing the weekly lectures and help the students in their oral presentations and final projects.
William Walker - BAUER / MANA ($4,000)
The first objective of this project will be to provide electronic support for MANA 4331. The second objective of this proposal is to add videos to the material available on the INTB 3350 (an online course) WebCT Vista site for the Spring 2007 term.
Sharon Lund O'Neil -TECH / ILT ($24,920)
Students who become "podcast producers" will have an essential workplace skill for communicating individually and via teams in multi-national corporations. Three Technology instructors will provide an innovative, integrated learning experience for student teams to use podcasting technology for communication via problem-based learning in three hybrid courses.
Harrell Rodgers - CLASS / POSC ($25,000)
The Department of Political Science has successfully piloted several new technologies in its initial hybrid course and would like to expand to additional sections of POLS1336 and 1337. This FDIP proposal will fund the ability to hire and train several graduate assistants to assist with the technological aspects of the new hybrid courses. It will further allow us to continue enhancing the student learning experience by purchasing equipment for instructors to create high-quality podcast content and purchase new, timely media from commercial outlets that can be added to a media library and utilized in all sections.
Xiaojing Yuan - TECH / ET ($25,000)
'The objective of developing a virtual mechatronics laboratory is to improve conceptualization of Mechatronics systems, including system dynamics and controls concepts by incorporating a web-facilitated engineering technology curriculum to enable intra-campus collaboration and virtual systems. The set up will benefit a set of courses in mechanical and computer engineering technology, and prepare the students for conducting the live experiments in the laboratory.
Brian McFarlin - EDU / HEAL. & HUM. PER. ($23,250)
We have proposed to convert three, large enrollment (>150 students/class/year) core classes (9 hours) in Health and Human Performance to hybrid format, which provides a dynamic/interactive learning environment, designed to meet the needs of students today and in the future.
Rong Zheng - NSM / COMP SCI ($24,833)
We propose to develop a Network Laboratory On-the-Go (NLOG), which facilitates ubiquitous access to networking labs remotely. Students will conduct network experiments and collaborate with one another in ad-hocly formed groups. ELET computer networking labs will provide a pilot testing environment with its various network equipment donated by AT&T.
Basheer Khumawala - BAUER / DISC ($10,000)
The introductory undergraduate core course in Operations Management (DISC 3301) has an expected annual enrollment of over 1,500 students. Funding this proposal will allow us to enhance the course by: (a) providing on demand access to pre-recorded homework and exam review sessions and supplemental material on selected course topics, (b) expanding the online exam question database and incorporating additional software tools such as MS Excel, and (c) extending these features to our elective courses at the undergraduate and graduate level.
Gangbing Song - ENG / MENG ($25,000)
In an early project with Dr. Mo as the PI, three innovative multi-purpose online experiments have been developed. In this project, a multi-disciplinary team led by Dr. Song plans to integrate these three innovative online experiments into eight engineering courses to improve the learning experience of students in multiple departments.
Enrique Barbieri - TECH / ET ($25,000)
The project addresses the need for providing a comprehensive, uniform, repeatable, and accessible source of instructional materials and tools that enhance the pedagogical practices of Teaching Assistants/Fellows, Instructional Assistants, and other non full-time faculty, collectively called Part-Time Faculty (PTF). We propose to develop a Hybrid Orientation Program (HOP) that comprises a generic set of modules that are easily adapted by other departments or disciplines across campus. The instructional materials and tools emphasize the acquisition and implementation of effective teaching methodologies, as well as the continuous updating of best practices for overall classroom management and instruction.
Maher Lahmar - ENG / IE ($25,000)
In the proposed project, we plan to develop a web-based educational simulation game for integrated logistics and inventory systems. This online tool will allow students to compete on making the best real-time decisions to maximize the overall supply chain profits. The goal of this educational tool is to familiarize students with the supply chain complexities and expose them to basic trade-offs embedded in real-world managerial decisions.
Andrew Rorschach - EDU / HHP ($25,000)
The purpose of this project is to enhance the delivery of three nutrition courses using a hybrid format by incorporating audio and video component for podcasting. It is being proposed as a means to expand the opportunities for nutrition majors and others in related fields at the University of Houston.
Driss Benhaddou - TECH / ET ($25,000)
Concept mapping has been widely utilized as a means to enhance student learning. However, lecture presentations are still linear and do not provide students the opportunity interactively link to corresponding concepts. The PI and collaborators will develop interactive concept maps to enhance learning and thinking skills in several course presentations.
Samuel Hanlon - OPTO / CLSC ($25,000)
This project will expand and improve our current online clinical evaluations system. The benefits will include providing more timely performance feedback and making it more meaningful by providing a means for the student to view the patient record while reviewing faculty comments and posting online responses to those comments.
Jerry Waite - TECH / ILT ($18,250)
This project will complete the "On Your Own" section of the graphics.tech.uh.edu website. This site is used for hybrid instruction and as a support to UH graphics students and alumni as well as other students worldwide. Content will be developed by students in GRTC 4378 under the direction of faculty and a consultant.
James Conyers - CLASS / AAS ($25,000)
The purpose for an oral history project directly addresses the lack of published scholarly work on the African American Experience in the West, with emphasis on Houston. Yet, the commitment for diversity and more specifically, the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, has expanded course offerings in AAS. Certainly, asserting the concept of diversity and tangible course offerings, the advancement of AAS through curricula and research, fortifies the formation of offering an undergraduate major and graduate degree program in AAS. The primary goal of this project is to provide online resources that give students an opportunity to interact with Black residents in Houston, and to learn about the history of African Americans in Texas.
Olin Johnson - NSM / COSC ($25,000)
Computer Science has developed several broadband streaming hybrid classes. There is no provision in the broadband facility to locate a particular topic, a significant weakness of broadband lectures. We propose using indexing and animation software to create indexed versions of the streams with animated indexed introductions, benefiting many NSM classes.
If you have any questions about this program, please contact Dr. Marshall Schott at (713)743-0749 or at mschott@mail.uh.edu