Ian Davis

After taking several difficult classes that required scrupulous note taking during lectures, Ian Davis, a junior and accounting major, came up with the idea to utilize today's electronic media to help students effectively study lecture material. Davis hopes that his program will help students retain lecture material, by making lectures a little less demanding. Davis and Hugh Rode, professor of legal studies, started what they call a "web lecture service" for one of Rode's classes.

The service allows students to view class lectures online within an hour after the actual presentation. Davis' goal is to create a medium that will allow students to relax and focus on the lecture without having to take extensive notes. The students can then review the lectures online to gather any material that they may have missed.

Davis is also using the project as a means to research how and if this teaching medium is effective. Davis is able to confidentially compare students UV ID's that log in to view the videos, with class attendance and corresponding test scores.

Davis applied and was recently accepted to present his research findings at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in San Rafael, Calif., this April. Davis will be giving a 15 minute oral presentation titled, "The Myths and Realities of Online Teaching Supplements."