Advanced Technology Group -
  Interactive Multimedia Authoring Group & Emerging Technology Center
  at Wake Forest University

Projects ...    

ATG started in Fall 1998. We have been collaborating with faculty on the development of instructional projects. You will find a list of our interactive multimedia projects we have worked with the faculty members: Current Projects, Finished Projects, and Prototyped Projects.

Current Projects
  1. Interactive Multimedia Electronic Journal (IMEJ) - In collaboration with Jennifer Burg of the Computer Science Department, and Anne Boyle of the English Department.
    IMEJ is a pilot interactive multimedia electronic journal edited and produced at Wake Forest University. One of the goals of IMEJ is to provide a peer-reviewed forum for innovations in computer-enhanced learning.

    The role of ATG is to provide expertise in the web & multimedia development & design of the journal. We also meet with the Eidtors-in-chief and the Editorial Board regularly.

 

Finished Projects
  1. Online Exercise Template:
    demo (Wake Forest loginID and password required)
    The online exercise template allows faculty to set up online exercises of various types (multi-answer or single-answer multiple-choices, short answers) on the Wake Forest main web server easily. This online exercise will record students' login name, answers to each questions, comments/questions for the instructor. It also has an option of online grading. It will send the student a copy of their own answers by e-mail so the student can keep a copy of their own answers.

    This online exercise template is useful for pre-class or pre-lab exercises where the instructor can read the students' answers before class. The instructor can ajust the lecture based on how the students answer the pre-class exercises. This online exercise template was requested, and is now being used, by several faculty from the Physics and Chemistry departments.

    It is also useful for online evaluation or questionaires. A modified version of this template was used by the Library for the Fall 98 Freshmen Thinkpad survey and quiz during the Thinkpad orientation.

  2. Streaming Videos of Chemistry Lab Safety - Created in collaboration with Dr. Angela G. King of Chemistry Department.
    demo (Wake Forest loginID and password required)

  3. Streaming Audio Synchronized with PowerPoint - Created in collaboration with Gordon McCray of the Business School.
    demo (Shockwave)
    demo (RealAudio)
    This PowerPoint presentation incorporates with RealAudio to give the student an online PowerPoint presentation.

  4. Pictogram - Created in collaboration with John Pickel of the Art Department. The original analog assignment was developed by Page Laughlin, Associate Prof. in the Art Department.
    demo (Shockwave)
    The online exercise allows students to select pictograms from a list of thumbnails and drag them around on screen to create visual compositions. It will be used for the Introduction to Studio Art Fundamental classes in the Art Department.

 

Prototyped Projects
  1. Online Exercise for Supply-Demand Concept - Created in collaboration with Perry Patterson of the Economic Department.
    demo (Wake Forest loginID and password required)
    The online exercise allows students to drag lines on the supply-demand graph, answer simple multiple-choices, short answers, etc. Their answers, including the graphical, will be saved, and can be reviewed by the instructor later.

 

Emerging Technology Evaluation

Here are the technologies that we are interested in investigating at this year:

  1. Full screen digital video
    In anticipation of the enhanced video display capability of forthcoming laptop computers, we are looking into the possibilities of introducting technologies like DV, MPEG2 for creating contents that can take advantages of this video enhancement. Two of the obstacles to wider adoption of video in curriculum are the quality of the compressed digital video and the multiple steps in creating digital video. The emerging of pure digital video (DV) video camera with direct computer interface remove the need of digitizing from tape (analog video), a process that some of our users have difficulty with. The new DV format also has higher resolution that makes full screen video feasible. Issues related to the adoption of this new DV technologies, such as the requirement of much larger intermediate storage using DVD-RAM, will be investigated.
  2. 3D input/output
    This year, we also plan to look at ways to facilitate the adoption of 3D content creation. We will start with bringing in the 3D printing device. With this new technology for prototyping, users can output 3D objects to a miniature milling machine that can replicate the computer model. We are also working on future plans to introduce force-feedback devices to allow users to feel 3D objects on their computers.
  3. CrossPad pilot training