Throughout Asia-Pacific and Japan, HP is helping universities embrace mobile technologies with an innovative grant program that provides funding to assist selected universities positively transform their teaching and learning environments.
Universities have long been renowned as hotbeds of innovation — committed to embracing new technologies to find smarter and more efficient ways of doing things.
HP has a global commitment to providing universities with access to the latest technology tools, tailored to help them transform and enhance the education environment. As testament to this, seven universities in Asia-Pacific and Japan have recently been awarded HP Mobile Technology for Teaching Grants, worth a total of US$800,000, to develop wireless learning and teaching environments, campus-wide.
Each university submitted a proposal on a mobility solution that would enhance the learning experience on their campus. The entries were judged on their innovativeness and potential for collaboration and visibility on campus and beyond.
The seven winning universities, selected from a field of 25 entries, were: The Curtin University of Technology (Australia), RMIT (Australia), Fudan University (China), University of Tokushima (Japan), The University of Hong Kong, the Singapore Management University and the Tamkang University (Taiwan).
'As a company that subscribes to innovation and education investment, we are delighted to support our local universities with this grant,' said Paul Chan, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, HP Asia-Pacific and Japan.
'HP is pleased to play a lead role in making the mobile experience a rich and seamless part of the education environment,' he added.
HP's annual Mobile Technology for Teaching Grant program has donated over US$14.3 million worth of equipment and cash to 93 universities in Asia-Pacific and Japan, the US and Europe since its inception in 2000.
The program forms a core part of HP's objective to help universities accelerate the adoption of mobile technologies, by providing a deeper understanding of how the technology can be effectively applied to learning environments in ways that improve student achievement.
'The entrants' concepts using mobile computing resonate with HP's mission to lead higher education in integrating mobility in school campuses for more collaborative learning and cross-faculties interaction,' Chan said.
In addition to the initial grant, each of the winning universities also receives a fully funded trip to join in a two-day Worldwide HP Mobile Technology Conference in Palo Alto, California.
Each of the seven winning universities presented a diverse range of projects that challenge the parameters of traditional education, with the potential to provide even greater access to world class learning models and tools.
A Virtual Canvas in Singapore
The Singapore Management University (SMU), for example, was awarded their grant for a project that creates an interactive, participating and technologically enabled learning experience for students and professors. Entitled Virtual Canvas, SMU will replace the traditional whiteboard with Tablet PCs connected to a smart projector (IP enabled) to allow unlimited virtual writing space.
The functionality will also allow the professor to present to the students the course material and walk through each area electronically , rather than resort to a static presentation. It will even allow for students presenting their arguments or discussion points to electronically request control over the projector.
Through the Virtual Canvas SMU hope to provide an interactive platform to facilitate the easy exchange of course materials, as well as a seamless flow of arguments between students and professors.
'By creating such innovative e-learning and teaching experiences, our students become highly conversant with evolving technologies, which is key in today's knowledge-based, technology-enabled global economy,' Dr Themin Suwardy, Associate Dean, School of Accountancy SMU said.
Streamlining the learning process in Hong Kong
The Computer Science Department of the University of Hong Kong will use their grant to streamline the knowledge and delivery process through a clever use of mobile technologies.
All teaching materials, including lecture presentations, notes and discussions in lectures will be recorded and stored on a central server for users to download using their PDAs as a remote controller.
Like SMU, the University hopes that the project will enrich the discussion process, particularly with online participation and note-taking and interactive lecture annotation using text and drawing.
'Our technology vision is to integrate advanced mobile technologies into the teaching and learning processes … that is more efficient, interesting, enriching and rewarding and can help streamline the knowledge delivery process,' said Dr Francis Lau, Head of the Department of Computer Science, the University of Hong Kong.
Mobility solutions get students mobile in Taiwan
In Taiwan, the Tamkang University plan on using their grant for an innovative 'e-Guide Dog' project as well as the establishment of a mobile digital classroom project.
By using PDAs, GPS and computers for the visually impaired, the 'e-Guide Dog' project will help blind students at Tamkang University understand their exact position on campus. In the future, it is hoped that visually impaired people will be able to use the developed mobile systems, outside the campus.
'Virtual study buddies' and intelligent learning in Australia
In Australia, two universities will benefit from the grants — Melbourne's RMIT University and Perth's Curtin University.
At Curtin University, business and engineering students from the University's operations in Malaysia, Africa and Australia will use HP iPAQ Pocket PCs to communicate with local and virtual 'study buddies' in a qualitative and quantitative study project. The project aims to assess students' potential to improve their confidence and ability to communicate through the experience and adoption of mobile, wireless technology.
'Curtin's operations across the globe already provide great opportunities to the University community, but this technology will help further bridge the gap between nations,' said Professor Lance Twomey, Curtin Vice Chancellor.
'I expect students taking part in this project will form long standing and meaningful relationships with their colleagues from other countries and cultural backgrounds, even if they don't have the chance to meet in person.'
At RMIT, Postgraduate software engineering students will be involved in designing software agents and online tools that enhance the mobile collaboration environment for design students. The university hopes that this intelligent collaboration environment can be applied to other disciplines across the University. Design and health and clinical sciences students will also pilot the Tablet PCs in a research project.
E-learning applications in Japan
At the University of Tokushima in Japan, the grant will be used to utilise tablet PCs and PDAs for a range of e-learning applications. Over time, the University plans on making the mobile solutions accessible to their 6000 students.
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As a result of this novel program, the successful universities will score an important win in ensuring students are given access to the smartest and latest mobility technologies.
The program is nothing new for HP who has a long tradition of supporting the education sector. Over the last 20 years the company has contributed more than $1 billion in cash and equipment to schools, universities, community organizations and other not-for-profit organizations around the world.
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