Digital Tools for Study Abroad

In Summer 2003 the University Honors Program will take fifteen students to Rome for a four-week writing workshop. Shawn Wong, the director of the program, has worked with PETTT to integrate technology into the study abroad curriculum. The 2003 Rome Program incorporates a prototype of the zBento Knowledge Management System currently in development at PETTT. zBento adapts the technology used in the Arthritis Source web site for pedagogical use. Students in the 2003 Rome Program will contribute articles to an on-line, publicly accessible collection. There are four categories of articles in the collection.

• Diary: This section contains students' comments on daily life during the 2003 Rome Program.
  
• Language: In this section, students collect interesting Italian phrases and document their process of language acquisition.
  
• Dining: This section contains Italian recipes and reviews of restaurants and cafes.
  
• Location: In this section, students record their observations about Rome’s seven hills, numerous piazzas, multitude of churches, and diversity of architecture.
  

The zBento database will provide a space for students to archive and share the expertise they gain as they become familiar with another culture. The public nature of the database will increase opportunities for connection among the students in Rome. It will also allow students to share their knowledge with members of the UW community, friends and family members, future Rome students, and other interested parties. The instructors hope that people will continue to visit the program web site and database after the end of the program.

Additionally, some writing exercises have been adapted to suit the Catalyst Portfolio Tool. A web site has been developed to provide access to these tools, along with a variety of additional resources (http://depts.washington.edu/findrome) . PETTT researchers are currently conducting a study investigating the impacts of integrating technology in this manner. This research involves surveying, interviewing, and collecting writing samples from students on the 2003 Honors Program in Rome and students from previous Rome Programs.

Examples of work

• Honors Study Abroad Program in Rome

Collaborators

• University Honors Program
• Department of English

Research

1. Teaching Literature Through Interpretive Web Design: Student Editions of Pride and Prejudice and Great Expectations

   by Cara Lane
   edited by Mark Girod and Jason Steed (Forthcoming)
   A chapter in Using Technology in the College Classroom: Humanities (volume 2)
   New Forums Press, early 2004
   
   Read: Abstract (PDF; 1 page)



2. Using Digital Tools in Study Abroad Programs

   Paper and One-Hour Breakout Session at Syllabus: Technology for Higher Education Conference in Cambridge, MA.
   By Cara Lane
   December 2003
   
   Read: Conference Paper (PDF; 5 pages)