This report is the result of a case study conducted by the Institute on Learning Technology (ILT), a year long Institute of the National Institute for Science Education (NISE), on the reform activity implemented by Eric Frost at the San Diego State University.
Marco Molinaro and Jean-Pierre Bayard, researchers for the Institute on Learning Technology, conducted interviews during early December, 1999, at San Diego State University. At that time, Eric Frost was finishing his course on Collaborative Visualization - Geology 600. Shane DeGross was selected as a student that had known Professor Frost under various circumstances, as both a student and as a mentee. We met with him privately and for lunch with Eric. Kris Stewart acted as an enabler for connecting Eric with the San Diego Supercomputing Center. We spoke to her to better understand the support given to Eric by his institution. Yusuf Ozturk gave us the perspective that comes from a colleague who is outside Eric's department. All other interviewees were administrative personnel keenly aware of the work of Professor Frost via their promotion of his work.
The interviews were guided by the protocols used in all the Learning Through Technology case studies and were taped and transcribed. Marco analyzed the interview material to produce this case study. Andrew Beversdorf edited the case, with assistance from Susan Millar.
The instructors and administrators who are identified in the case study read the document and gave us permission to use the quotes we attribute to them. These SDSU readers also affirmed that this case study conveys the essence of what they were doing in fall 1999. To help readers who jump into the middle of this case avoid confusion, the researchers are identified as "interviewer" the first time their voice appears an interview segment.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the San Diego State faculty, staff, and students who participated in this study. They very graciously responded to our request for their time and attention. In particular, we thank Eric Frost for the enthusiasm and devotion shown to this endeavor.
This case study is based on a deeply collaborative analysis and planning process undertaken by the NISE's Learning Through Technology "Fellows" group:
The Fellows, in turn, benefited substantially from members of the College Level One Team: Robert Mathieu, Anthony Jacob, Art Ellis, Kate Loftus-Fahl, Andrew Beversdorf, Sharon Schlegel, and Susan Daffinrud.
The preparation of this case study was supported by a cooperative agreement between the National Science Foundation and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Cooperative Agreement No. RED-9452971). At UW-Madison, the National Institute for Science Education is housed in the Wisconsin Center for Education Research and is a collaborative effort of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the School of Education, the College of Engineering, and the College of Letters and Science. The collaborative effort is also jointed by the National Center for Improving Science Education, Washington, DC. Any opinions, findings, or conclusions are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the view of the supporting agencies.
