This proposal requests computing equipment and software necessary for the Psychology department at Towson State University to: 1) establish a local area network (LAN) of the 30 existing personal computers in the department's laboratory, and 2) establish an "intranet" connection between the Psychology department computer laboratories at Towson State University and Rowan College of New Jersey. The goal of these improvements is to enhance the learning experiences of students in the statistics and Experimental Methodology courses, which are required of all Psychology majors and minors. The LAN will provide all Towson Psychology majors with access to statistical analysis, graphics and data collection software. The intranet connection with Rowan will expand the library and computing resources of both institutions. Both the LAN and intranet will be employed in a pilot collaborative instructional effort between the two schools. Students in the methodology courses will cooperate on laboratory and homework assignments, participate in group discussions and decision making, and solve research together. They will also collaborate in the literature review, design, data collection, analysis and interpretation phases of a required independent research project. Students will be encouraged to present the results of these projects at Rowan's annual undergraduate research conference. Through this unique process, students will learn the fundamentals of research methodology through "hands on" lab experiences, learn how to use communications technology (e.g., email, file transfer, etc.) in a meaningful context, gain experience working with others -- both in person and via electronic media, and learn the benefits and limitations of the use of technology in collaborative efforts.
