Snowmass, Colorado -- Eleven computer programs have won top honors in the 1992 EDUCOM Higher Education Software Awards competition.
Six of the winning entries were in the sciences -- three in biology, two in chemistry, and one in physics -- while four were in the social sciences -- two in economics and one each in history and sociology. Accounting had one winner.
The results of the competition were announced here last month at a meeting of a project called Educational Uses for Information Technology. The project is sponsored by EDUCOM, a consortium of 600 higher-education institutions and 110 corporations, and by the University of Maryland at College Park.
One purpose of the annual competition is to recognize academics who have devoted time and effort to developing software, says Susan Clabaugh, director of the university’s Educational Technology Center and co-chairman of the awards program. She says she thinks winning the annual event helps faculty members in evaluations for promotion and tenure.
“The peer-review process for software is similar to that used by academic journals. The strength of that peer process is important,” says Ms. Clabaugh. “There are no independent studies, but we hear from some faculty that developing software has helped -- or at least it didn’t hurt them.”
Ms. Clabaugh says she thinks the competition has played a role in encouraging more academics to create software. Instead of single developers, she says, “we are seeing more development teams. The teams have faculty members with content expertise, plus program evaluators and media developers.”
More than 100 programs were entered in this year’s competition, which was limited to the sciences, social sciences, and accounting. The 1993 competition will be open to programs in those disciplines, as well as in engineering, the humanities, law, and mathematics.
All award winners will receive cash prizes. The developers of “Smithtown,” selected as the best social-sciences software and the best instructional innovation, will receive $4,000, as will those of “RelLab,” designated as the best natural-sciences software and best-designed program. Developers of each of the other “best” programs will receive $2,500. Developers of each of the “distinguished” programs will receive $1,000 and plaques. All the winning programs will be on display at EDUCOM’s annual meeting in Baltimore in October.
Information about the 1993 Higher Education Software Awards competition may be obtained from Gail D. Miller, Computer Science Center, Room 3355, University of Maryland, College Park, Md. 20742; (301) 405-7534; GMILLER@CRISTAL.UMD.EDU.
Following are the winners of the 1992 competition: Best Social-Sciences Software (Economics) and Best Instructional Innovation: “Smithtown,” for Apple Macintosh, by Kalyani Raghavan, Robert Glaser, Valerie Shute, Jamie Schultz, and Leona Schauble of the University of Pittsburgh.
With this program, students can change the economic conditions -- prices of goods and services, for example, or per-capita income -- and the environment in an imaginary town and observe the outcome. The students learn how to plan an experiment, gather data from market manipulations, and infer basic economic principles from the results.
For more information: Kalyani Raghavan, Learning Research & Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, 3939 O’Hara Street, Pittsburgh 15260; (412) 624-9580; KALYANI@UNIX.CIS.PITT.EDU.
Best Natural-Sciences Software (Physics) and Best Design: “RelLab,” for Apple Macintosh, by Paul Horwitz, Wallace Feurzeig, William Barowy, and Kerry Shetline of Bolt Beranek & Newman Inc., and Edwin Taylor of Boston University.
This interactive simulation lets physics students plan and conduct laboratory experiments in relative motion, involving, for example, clocks and rulers, sound and water waves, rivers and winds, and particles and light flashes. Students can visualize phenomena that humans cannot observe directly.
For more information: Paul Horwitz, Bolt Beranek & Newman Inc., 10 Moulton Street, Cambridge, Mass. 02138; (617) 873-3897; PHORWITZ@BBN.COM.
Best Natural-Sciences Software (Chemistry): “Organic Reaction Mechanisms,” for Apple Macintosh, by Andrew F. Montana and Jeffrey R. Buell of California State University at Fullerton.
This three-dimensional program lets students view 40 key chemical reactions as they take place, speeding them up, slowing them down, or stopping them. The program concentrates on collision theory, transition-state theory, acid-base chemistry, and structural changes.
For more information: Falcon Software Inc., P.O. Box 200, Wentworth, N.H. 03281; (603) 764-5788.
Best Social-Sciences Curriculum Innovation (History): “Perseus 1.0: Interactive Sources and Studies on Ancient Greece,” for Apple Macintosh with CD-ROM player, by Gregory Crane and Elli Mylonas of Harvard University; Thomas Martin of Pomona College; Kenneth Morrell of St. Olaf College; and D. Neel Smith of Bowdoin College.
This introduction to Greek antiquity gives students a general view of fifth-century-B.C. history. It contains works in Greek and in translation by 10 authors from the archaic and classical periods, biographies of ancient authors, and articles on geographic regions. Also included are images of sites and artifacts.
For more information: Mary Coleman, Yale University Press, 92A Yale Station, New Haven, Conn. 06520; (203) 432-0912; COLEMAN@YALEVM.BITNET.
Best Accounting-Curriculum Innovation: “Dermaceutics Inc.: Risk Assessment and Planning,” for IBM PC and compatibles, by Murray B. Hirsch, Brent C. Inman, Maria M. Sieber, and Sean W. Wood of the Coopers & Lybrand Foundation.
This multimedia simulation, which is Phase II of a program called “Excellence in Audit Education,” gives accounting students experience as field auditors. After watching a videotape on Dermaceutics Inc., students search a computer data base for relevant articles, review company and industry information, compare Dermaceutics to peer companies, and plan an audit.
For more information: Jean C. Wyer, Coopers & Lybrand Foundation, 1251 Avenue of the Americas, New York 10020; (212) 536-3270.
Distinguished Natural-Sciences Curriculum Innovation (Biology): “Embryology Videodisc” and “HyperEmbryo,” for Apple Macintosh with videodisk player, by Michael A. Kolitsky of California Lutheran University.
This videodisk and the accompanying “HyperCard” program simulate an introductory embryology laboratory. The disk contains images of 3,000 slides, including embryos of starfish, sea urchins, grasshoppers, frogs, chickens, and more.
For more information: Michael A. Kolitsky, California Lutheran University, 60 West Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks, Cal. 91360; (805) 493-3385.
Distinguished Natural-Sciences Curriculum Innovation (Biology): “BioQUEST: Quality Undergraduate Educational Simulations and Tools in Biology,” for Apple Macintosh, by John R. Jungck and Patti Soderberg of Beloit College; John N. Calley of the University of Arizona, Nils S. Peterson of From the Heart Software, and James Steward of the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
This collection of computer simulations lets students conduct both introductory and advanced scientific experiments that would be impossible in a real laboratory. In general, the simulations fall into four areas: biochemistry and biotechnology, ecology and evolution, genetics, and physiology.
For more information: Academic Software Development Group, Computer Science Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Md. 20742-2411; (301) 405-3023; ASDG@UMDD.UMD.EDU.
Distinguished Natural-Sciences Software (Biology): “MacRetina: a Simulated Experiment in Neuroscience,” for Apple Macintosh, by Richard F. Olivo of Smith College.
This computer simulation lets bioscience students observe the on-and-off responses and map the receptive fields of ganglion cells in a cat retina. It gives undergraduates an opportunity to simulate an experiment that would be impossible to conduct in a laboratory because it requires expensive instruments and live cats.
For more information: Richard F. Olivo, Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Mass. 01063; (413) 585-3822.
Distinguished Natural-Sciences Software (Chemistry): “SpectraBook,” for IBM PC and compatible machines, and “SpectraDeck,” for Apple Macintosh, by Paul F. Schatz of the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
“SpectraBook,” which contains the spectra and physical information for 50 chemical compounds, is a tutorial for students and a lecture aid for instructors. “SpectraDeck” is a “HyperCard” stack with the same compounds and information as “SpectraBook.”
For more information: Falcon Software Inc., P.O. Box 200, Wentworth, N.H. 02182; (603) 764-5788.
Distinguished Social-Sciences Software (Economics): “AECONIntro: Computer-Aided Instruction for Introductory Economics,” for Apple Macintosh, by Gerald C. Nelson, Wesley D. Seitz, and Dana Lee Ling of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
This interactive program, designed to help students master the basic principles of micro-*and macroeconomics, includes nine “HyperCard” stacks on economic concepts. Each concept is explained step by step and illustrated with numbers and graphs.
For more information: Intellimation Library for the Macintosh, P.O. Box 1530, Santa Barbara, Cal. 93116-1530; (800) 346-8355.
Distinguished Social-Sciences Curriculum Innovation (Sociology): “Miami University Multi-Cultural Awareness Program: a National Model,” for Apple Macintosh with videodisk player, by Robert A. Vogel, Guy R. Moore, Gerri Susan Mosley-Howard, Ronald B. Scott, and Raymond M. White, Jr., of Miami University.
This interactive program was designed to sensitize students to racial and cultural issues. Students watch different scenarios -- answering questions in class or talking in a bar, for example -- in which white and minority-group students and faculty members exhibit racist behavior. Students can influence the outcome of confrontations by choosing among options offered by the program.
For more information: Robert A. Vogel, Mass Communication, 146 Williams Hall, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056; (513) 529-3542.