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News and Events
The LIBERATED LEARNING PROJECT is live at Saint Mary's University
October 2000
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
The Liberated Learning Project, a world first initiative, was introduced
live in three classrooms at Saint Mary's University on Thursday,
October 5, 2000. Students are now not only able to hear the lecture,
they are
also able to see it appearing as text on screen in real time. The
project is generating interest across campus, and is also gaining
international
exposure, with presentations given at major technology and education
conferences in Canada, the U.S., Europe and Australia.
During the past few months, preparations were made for this first
testing phase of the project. We were preparing the hardware and
software necessary
for the project and getting the classroom ready for the robust
system that is being used. A classroom speech recognition application
was
developed, customizing IBM's ViaVoice speech engine for lecture
use. Saint Mary's faculty members involved with the first testing
phase
participated in workshops about speech recognition technology and
a new means of posting notes on the Internet: the Liberated Learning
Online Notes System. Now that actual live testing has begun, our
research
team will be compiling and studying the impact on students and
faculty alike.
Our partner institutions, Ryerson Polytechnic University, and the
University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia are also preparing
for their first
testing phase, which will begin in early 2001. As well, we are
continuing to actively pursue additional university partnerships.
Please view
our Partnering page, or download our brochure on our splash page
for more information about becoming a Liberated Learning Project
partner.
Now that live testing has begun, we hope to demonstrate that
speech recognition is preferred and has advantages over conventional
classroom
note-taking for some students with disabilities. The Liberated
Learning Project team is very excited about this endeavor and
hopes that the
project will significantly improve access to higher education
for students with disabilities.
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