Sharing a Good Thing

Given that track record, it is not surprising that others have taken notice. The software development team behind the new tools recently formed a company, Blended-Tek, to market the product. As a partner in the firm, Auburn University and the College of Engineering will get a share of the profits.

“We are beginning to get serious inquiries about the products and we are looking forward to bringing this tool to other colleges,” explains Walker. “We are also seeing interest from K-12 schools where administrators are looking for ways to allow a single teacher to deliver class content to students at a number of locations within a district.” Walker also noted that they are seeing benefits for on-campus students. “Some of our traveling sports teams are using it to allow students to keep up when they are on the road. Others are offering the content to on-campus students who don’t speak English well, or just want to review what they heard in the classroom,” he said.

Lately, Thomas has been experimenting with short video modules that provide detailed discussions of fundamental engineering concepts. He creates them on his computer and then posts them for students to review before they pull up the next lesson. Students are reporting that this approach is extremely helpful and that they want more of these videos.

“The new delivery system has enhanced student learning and provided us with more time to search out and test other tools,” says Ruff. “Distance education is here to stay. My goal is to make sure that Auburn is providing the best education possible. These new technologies are helping us meet that goal — on and off campus.”