CINCINNATI - What started as a device used to review game footage has evolved into an academic tool that is transforming the student-athlete's way of life and learning at the University of Cincinnati.
UC Athletics' Student-Athlete Support Services staff, the driving force behind a tablet implementation program for Bearcats' student-athletes, was among a group of leaders across campus who shared the inaugural E-Learning Program of the Year Award at the All-University Faculty Awards Celebration, held on Tuesday, April 17, 2018 at the Great Hall at Tangeman University Center
The President's Office, Provost Office and Faculty Senate co-sponsored the annual awards ceremony and reception which honored 14 outstanding faculty members and one team for excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, creativity, e-learning, innovation, entrepreneurship, service and more.
"This is a perfect example of what happens when you pull a team of people together with the objective of helping students," says Dr. Joe Luckey, UC's Senior Associate AD/Student-Athlete Support Services.
The Athlete Tablet Initiative started during the 2015-2016 academic year. Gigi Escoe, PhD, vice provost for undergraduate affairs, teamed up with Joe Luckey, and UCIT to lower the cost of textbooks and improve student-athlete learning using one digital platform.
Through the Initiative, student-athletes, along with athletics staff and coaches, are given a tablet computer to easily and remotely access electronic books and course materials through Blackboard, iTunes U, iBooks, and UC Smartbooks.
In the fall of 2017, about 60 percent of textbooks offered to student-athletes were delivered in an electronic format through Vital Source, an electronic book app with notetaking, highlighting and dictation features.
Other productivity apps such as Wunderlist, a work organization tool, along with the ability to save documents to the iCloud, allow students to conveniently access documents and needed tools to study.
"Finding solutions to make course materials more affordable, accessible and effective for students and faculty is a top priority," says Escoe.
Academic advisors also utilize tablets to collaborate in a truly wireless environment, which eliminates the cost of paper, and provides up to the second data about a student's academic performance. This speed and delivery of data allows individualized and quick responses to assist at risk students.
The proof is in the data:
- The average student-athlete GPA during the 2017 spring and fall semesters was 3.2 – a new record.
- 70 percent of student-athletes earned a 3.0 or higher GPA during 2017.
- UC's football program won the American Athletic Conference award for best team GPA for the third consecutive year.
- Athletic department saved more than $20,000 by purchasing electronic textbooks.