Proposal

Name:

Enhancing Tutoring through Technology

FiscalYear:

2013

Audience:

Honors College

Submitter:

Kraynak, Kate

Budget Manager:

Atkinson, Crystal A.

Project Manager:

Proposal Approvers

Dept. Chair:

Buller, Jeffrey

Local IT:

N/A

Dean:

Buller, Jeffrey

Facilities:

Dashtaki Dotiwala, Azita

OIT:

Campbell, Glen R.

Proposal Funding

Year 1:

$ 9,664.95

Year 2:

$ 0.00

Year 3:

$ 0.00

Total:

$ 9,664.95

Proposal Funding versus Average

Questionnaire

Narrative
The purpose of this project is to enhance the effectiveness of the MacArthur Campus peer tutoring program, the only place on the campus that provides this type of service. We request funding for a SMART board interactive whiteboard system, one computer with MATLAB software, a stand for the computer, one wireless printer, three TI-84 calculators, and one electronic speaking Spanish/English dictionary in order to provide interactive teaching tools and learning opportunities for students seeking peer tutoring support.  Currently, there are six tutors offering services available to all FAU students on the Jupiter Campus in a small room that is not equipped with a computer or any supplemental tools, requiring the tutors and students to supply all of their own resources.  The Center for Teaching and Learning tutoring center on the Boca Raton Campus is equipped with computers, printers, and up-to-date interactive technology openly available to all FAU students.  We would like to be able to offer a similar experience on the Jupiter campus.

Tutors working with multiple students at one time can find it difficult to work off of one personal laptop and share a single screen. We need something that will be easier to use, will aid in peer collaboration, is visible to multiple students at once, and will allow tutors to focus on delivery of material. The SMART board interactive whiteboard provides a solution to all of these problems while taking up very little space. The functionality of a SMART board also allows the tutors to utilize multiple approaches for delivering material and engaging students. The accompanying computer will be connected to the SMART board and loaded with software used in the students’ courses. Additionally, students will need to be able to print course material quickly and conveniently from their personal laptops or the provided computer via a wireless printer. The Honors College will provide the paper and ink for the printer beyond the initial supply requested.

Keeping three TI-84 calculators on hand for students to check out for the duration of their tutoring session may encourage more drop-in tutoring, and will alleviate the scheduled tutor from lending their personal calculator to another student. Additionally, the Franklin Electronic Pub – Miriam-Webster’s Speaking Spanish-English Dictionary would be a helpful addition to our Spanish tutoring program. The dictionary has a recorded voice to help with correct pronunciation and a Spanish grammar guide to aid in advanced verb conjugation for proper grammar. Our Spanish tutor will be able to use this tool to increase student engagement, differentiate instruction, and as a supplemental tutoring aid when working with multiple students at various levels of proficiency.

Our goal is to make provide an effective tutoring environment that is available to all students through use of technology that promotes and supports collaborative learning. Students seeking additional academic support through our peer tutoring program should not be limited by lack of access to resources or inconvenient or difficult to use personally provided technology. This proposal aims to solve this problem through increasing the availability of interactive learning tools and technology in a supportive peer tutoring environment available on the Jupiter campus.


This project is aligned with the 2012 - 2017 Strategic Plan as such:

  1. Goal I: Enrich the Educational Experience
    This project contributes to the development of a "learning-centered community committed to continual improvement of the University educational experience." Students will benefit from an enhanced tutoring program aimed at improving student success on the Jupiter Campus. We hope that implementing technology into our tutoring practices will improve the overall effectiveness of our tutoring program and the FAU educational experience as a whole.

Facilities
The installation of the SMART board will require electrical installation, a network port, AV plates and an Extron input and output switcher to be installed as well.
Hardware Requirements
Our hardware requirements include: 1 SMART board 800 series Interactive Whiteboard System, 1 network port, AV plates and an Extron input and output switcher, 1 Dell Optiplex 900 Desktop computer with wireless keyboard and mouse, and 1 HP wireless LaserJet Pro M4 Series printer.
Software Requirements
N/A
Personnel Costs
N/A
Other Costs
Other costs associated with this project include electrical installation of the SMART board and labor, start-up printer supplies of 1 toner cartridge and 1 box of printer paper, an adjustable height computer workstation that's small enough to fit in the tutoring space, 3 TI 84 graphing calculators, and 1 electronic speaking Spanish-English dictionary.
Timeline
The project should take approximately six months from receipt of funds to allow for purchasing and installation.
Sustainability
N/A
Resource Matching
N/A
Implementing Organization
The Honors College

Proposal Budget

Fiscal Year 1 Fiscal Year 2 Fiscal Year 3 Total
Hardware One-Time $ 8,275.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 8,275.00
Hardware Recurring $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00
Software One-time $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00
Software Recurring $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00
Personnel One-time $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00
Personnel Recurring $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00
Other One-time $ 1,389.95 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 1,389.95
Other Recurring $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00
Totals $ 9,664.95 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 9,664.95

Supporting Documentation

Filename Size Description
Data Sheet - Tech Fee Proposal.xlsx 11,589b The attached data sheet provides an individual breakdown of item price, vendor, and links to items for purchasing and cost verification.
tutoring quote.docx 13,411b Marc Verdieu, the Jupiter campus VC Support Specialist, provided a quote for the SMART board installation and computer components to be added to the tutoring room.