Carol Scott Whelan – Curriculum & Instruction Faculty Member, E.T.R.C., 1987 – 1997

Carol Scott Whelan

                In the spring of 1987 I visited the campus of USL and made an appointment with the Dean of the College of Education to discuss the possibility of applying for a position in the College of Education.  I was asked to teach a graduate level course in Educational Program Evaluation in the fall and a methods course elementary mathematics education in the spring. While teaching as an adjunct professor, I applied for a full time position as an Assistant Professor in Curriculum and Instruction and began in the fall of 1988.

                In 1990, USL had the unique opportunity to develop a center to build upon the computer science interest at the university and to address local educators’ need for a bridge between pure computer science and its application in the classroom.  Consequently, the Educational Technology Review Center (ETRC) was established in winter of 1991 as a resource site to serve the schools of the region, the state, and the nation.  Funded through a grant from the Louisiana Educational Quality Support Fund (LEQSF), ETRC became a clearinghouse for existing and recently released computer software and hardware.  Through the Fall 1991 issue of the quarterly publication of the Louisiana Educational Technology Review, information about C was shared statewide. The center is now funded by the legislature.

                Through the establishment of an Advisory Board comprised of faculty, K-12 educators and business and community leaders, the ETRC’s strategic plan evolved.  The ETRC staff became involved in research, videodisc and CD-ROM production in 1993.  Through a $200,000 grant from the BellSouth Foundation, the ETRC and the Center for Telecommunications Studies researched the existing telecommunications infrastructure in Louisiana as well as existing educational programs available in Louisiana in 1993.  The information was compiled and put on the ETRC’s first CD-ROM, Innovative Technology in Louisiana.

One of the charges of the ETRC was to review software.  While a survey of the multimedia software market revealed an abundance of historical and cultural materials on video disc and CD-ROM, it also revealed that nothing was unique to Louisiana.  Realizing the powerful potential of acquiring new learning through self-awareness and self-knowledge, the ETRC’s staff took its next big step: to create software that linked the rich cultural heritage of Southwest Louisiana with current technology. This led to the production of Notre Heritage Louisianais, a collaborative project which featured the artistry of an Acadian weaver.

Also, in the spring of 1994, the ETRC homepage was established and information was shared online (http://www.etrc.usl.edu/).  In the fall of 1994, the ETRC became involved in the first networking pilot project with K-12 schools (Louisiana Networking Infrastructure in Education (LaNIE).  The Louisiana Systemic Initiatives Program (LASIP) received a $564,000 grant to work with 5 pilot sites across the state in the implementation of a effort to integrate telecommunications into the curriculum through professional development, assistance with curricular development and technical support.  The ETRC Director served as the University coordinator for the Lafayette School System/USL project.

This LaNIE project resulted in a $4.3 million Innovative Challenge Grant award from the U.S. Department of Education in 1995, one of 19 funded in the nation.  While serving as the ETRC Director, I was also the Coordinator of the Louisiana Technology Challenge Grant Telecommunications Curriculum and Evaluation and established the Challenge Grant homepage.  Information about this is online at http://www.challenge.state.la.us.   It provides a valuable resource for educators across the state and its evaluation design has been used as a model at the national level.  The Challenge Grant provided a foundation of support and knowledge needed for the enactment of the 1997 Classroom-Based Technology Fund.  This fund provided over $62 million in state funds to help provide educational technologies for Louisiana’s elementary and secondary students. It also provided support for the federal Technology Literacy Challenge Grant which has allocated over $15 million for educational technology in the last two years.

Through networking evolving from all of the projects, electronic curriculum development projects including the Oil Spill Awareness through Geoscience Education (OSAGE) CD-ROM, and the Wetlands Education Project evolved.  Support for these projects was provided by the Governor’s Office of Oil Spill Research and Development and the National Biological Service’s Southern Science Center.

During its regular 1997 session, the Louisiana legislature passed a bill  to support use of technology in  classrooms and appropriated $62 million for technology over the next two years. The Louisiana Department of Education established a new Louisiana Center for Educational Technology (LCET), and at the request of the  Superintendent of Education,  Cecil J. Picard, I am directing the technology initiatives.   As the Director of Educational Technology, I realize that the Educational Technology Review Center (ETRC) at USL played a key role in helping to prepare Louisiana for statewide reform.

I would like to thank Dr. Authement and the faculty and staff at USL for providing the strong leadership and support for educational technology.  Through my work as a faculty member and Director of the C, I was able to work with colleges across the campus and educators across the state and the nation.

The staff at ETRC and the staff at the Department of Education’s T continue to work closely in the areas of software review and multimedia development.  The recently completed Reaching for Results: Education Reform in Louisiana M (also online at http://www.doe.state.la.us) is a great example of this collaboration.  As a result of working together and sharing information, lessons learned are being shared statewide and good products and projects are being replicated.

Again, I would like to thank Dr. Authement and the USL administration and staff for all the support over the last ten years. We will continue to work together to provide all students the skills and knowledge necessary for success.  USL has been a strong leader in the field of educational technology, and I hope to continue to work closely with your faculty and staff.

Sincerely,

Carol Scott Whelan, Ph.D.

Director, Educational Technology

Louisiana Department of Education