Funding received for the initial development of web-based science programs. Unique multi-agency partnership will see project move forward.
Imagine being able to conduct university science labs from your home computer. It sounds like science fiction doesn't it? Thanks to funding from Inukshuk Wireless and BCCampus and unique partnerships with other educational agencies, a team from North Island College is seeking to make web-based science laboratories a reality.
North Island College, in collaboration with College of the Rockies, Tatlayoko Think Tank Ltd., Tatla Lake School and Thompson Rivers University is working to develop the first semester of what will eventually be an entirely web-based Associate of Science degree program. This is a strong team. North Island College has placed hundreds of courses into a web-based format. On-line science lab courses are the next frontier for NIC. College of the Rockies has extensive experience in the adaptation of programs for alternative deliveries. TTT has the multimedia experience that will be required for this project, while Tatla Lake School has the capacity to provide physical space and bandwidth. TRU, which has a provincial mandate for open learning, will contribute their experience in curriculum evaluation.
Two entirely web-based Space Science and Astronomy course have already been developed by North Island College. Using the Tatla Lake On-line Observatory (TLOO), students are able to connect to the telescope server via the Internet, take control of the telescope, slew it to the object of interest, image that part of the sky with the CCD camera attached to the telescope, download the image to the their home computer, study it, and incorporate the data obtained into a lab report to be handed in electronically for grading. The development team is building on what they have already learned from the implementation of these courses as they expand into other areas of science education.
Ron Evans, an instructor at NIC, is one of the driving forces behind this project. "The greatest challenge in developing a web-based science program is the lab component. We've shown that it can be done in Space Science using TLOO. Now it's time to expand to other areas of science." For courses to be transferable for university credit, students must be able to actually conduct labs in real time, collecting authentic data that can then be analyzed. A simulation is not adequate. To meet this need, the team is presently working on the prototype for the Remote Web-based Science Laboratory. RWSL will allow students, from their home computer, to control actual lab equipment and collect real data for analysis. It is expected that a prototype will be ready for testing this summer. In the fall of 2008, select students enrolled in a first semester Physics course at NIC will have the opportunity to try out this new technology for themselves. Similarly, students at COTR may be able to try out RWSL in a first semester geology course.
RSWL technology will significantly decrease some of the barriers to obtaining a science education. People who have not been able to access a formal science education because they live in remote communities will now be able to do so. Those whose family or employment responsibilities don't allow them to take part in traditionally scheduled science laboratory courses will have greater flexibility in scheduling, providing them with the option of obtaining a science education.
"This project has interesting implications for traditional education," according to Evans. "Once we get this working, science labs will no longer be limited as to when and where they can be offered". RWSL technology will increase the ability of institutions to deliver science education to traditional students as it will afford greater flexibility in lab scheduling.
Inukshuk Wireless's Learning Plan has provided funding for this initial phase of RWSL development. Inukshuk encourages the development of multimedia-rich learning content that will allow learners across the country to embrace on-line learning.
BCCampus has a mandate from the Provincial government to provide web-based post-secondary curriculum province-wide.
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Media relations contact:
Susan Auchterlonie
Director, College & Community Relations
(250) 334-5271