UC Irvine to Use Grant for Technology Courses

UC Irvine will use a $200,000 grant to develop new courses designed to increase the science and technology literacy of undergraduates, the university announced Monday.

The grant, one of 20 given to universities nationwide by the National Science Foundation, will fund the Campuswide Reform Initiative for Undergraduate Education, which aims to boost undergraduates’ knowledge of information technology, increase faculty use of educational technology and enhance the training of elementary and secondary school math teachers.

The initiative will establish a minor in computer science targeted at students in nonscience fields. New classes for nonscience majors in engineering literacy and mathematical thinking as well as courses on how to use the Internet to help teach science and math in K-12 classrooms also are in the works and may begin by the end of the year.

UCI Chancellor Laurel L. Wilkening, a planetary scientist, will hold a forum in the fall to formally introduce the initiative. In spring 1999, she plans to host another forum to solicit recommendations on how to further carry out reforms.

“As the world become more technologically advanced, it is becoming increasingly important that all students develop the scientific and technological skills needed to succeed in the 21st century,” said Wilkening, who is heading the initiative along with Dean of Undergraduate Education Jim Danzinger.

Danzinger said he hopes UCI’s efforts serve as a national model.