UDMessenger

Volume 12, Number 4, 2004


In the community

Technology at the University of Delaware is not confined to campus but is shared widely with the community through courses, databases and web sites.

Distance learning has long been an important part of the University's mission, and the primary delivery base now is reflected in the program's name, UD Online Distance Learning. UD offers courses in a variety of technological formats, including videotaped courses and web-based programs. More than 125 credit courses are offered.

The distance-learning format is especially useful in such professions as nursing and the hospitality industry, where work schedules vary around the clock and employees who want to continue their education often find it impossible to attend traditional classes. Through UD Online, for example, registered nurses can earn their bachelor's degrees and hospitality professionals can complete much of the coursework for a bachelor of science degree in hotel, restaurant and institutional management.

A new approach to distance teaching is being made possible through Internet2, a faster and much improved version of the Internet that is enhancing video and audio transmission. Internet2 makes it practical for a respected musician on the Newark campus to provide real-time lessons to students in Georgetown, for instance.

UD has been a strong partner in the Internet2 initiative and in 2000 participated in an innovative nationwide Halloween program, which included music performed on the Jefferson Organ at Bayard Sharp Hall.

In addition, technology makes it possible for researchers off campus to study materials through powerful equipment, such as a remote control mass spectrometer, in UD laboratories in Newark.

UD is involved in a number of important database programs. One of the most visible is the Delaware Data Mapping and Integration Laboratory, which makes possible continual improvements to maps and spatial data used by federal, state and county governments in the state. The DataMIL has received national recognition, having been awarded the Special Achievement in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Technology award from the Environmental Systems Research Institute.

A major campus project involving technology is the digitization of the Paul R. Jones Collection, one of the world's foremost collections of works by African American artists, which is being housed in the newly renovated Mechanical Hall.

A primary goal of the benefactor, Atlanta collector Paul R. Jones, is to make the work as accessible as possible to the general public. To do that, UD will render the works in digital format for the enjoyment of everyone with access to the Internet.