Grant-Funded Tech Program Enables Future of Interactive Learning

A plan to develop the next generation of digital learning is now underway at NJIT, made possible by a $385,000 grant from the Martinson Family Foundation, university officials announced this month.

The three-year program known as VITAL@ NJIT — Virtual, Immersive, Technologically Augmented Learning — will provide faculty training in novel classroom technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality and virtual reality, with the goal of enhancing student-instructor interactions in both traditional and online learning environments.

"Thanks to the generosity of the Martinson Family Foundation, additional resources are being directed to upgrade our classrooms and learning spaces with new technologies that supports faculty in redesigning their courses in ways that integrates augmented reality, virtual reality, AI and other tools, and to provide instructional technology support for our expanding digital learning initiatives," said Provost Fadi Deek, who played a key role in securing support from the Martinson organization.

Deek noted that timely investments of more than $1 million in spring 2020 helped equip classrooms with synchronous audio and video so that learning could continue uninterrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. NJIT was uniquely prepared to meet that challenge because of its experience with online learning through the university's global campus initiative. More work needs to be done, however, to fully engage students beyond simply watching and responding to online lectures.

"Instructors find it difficult to encourage active learning methods, where students are engaged actively in the learning process rather than passively listening to a lecture and asking an occasional question. There is a need to incorporate more immersive and active learning methods in the development of courses. Instructors need to have effective tools to share what is drawn [or] written on the white board, which is particularly important for science, technology, engineering and math disciplines," officials stated.

As examples, AI software can enable a professor's personal chatbot to answer student questions 24 hours a day or capture what is written on a white board and convert it into digital notes. Extended reality software can show students, and not merely tell them, about anything from the structure of an atom to the architecture of a building in Venice.

Students will continue to see gradual changes in our classrooms. Looking forward, Deek stated, "We anticipate that the blurring of the physical and virtual campus to become the norm. The improvements to the curriculum, the physical classrooms, the innovative pedagogies, and support for delivery of multimodal instruction will continue to strengthen NJIT’s digital learning and influence the growth of our global campus."

Kamalika Sandell, vice-provost and chief information officer who joined NJIT during the height of the pandemic, will oversee implementation of VITAL@ NJIT. She'll work with others such as Blake Haggerty, executive director of digital learning and technology support. NJIT's Institute for Teaching Excellence will hire an instructional technologist to guide the projects. The Office of Digital Learning and the Media and Technology Support Services department also will collaborate.

Martinson Family Foundation, formed in 1998, funds more than 20 universities, primarily in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Chairman John Martinson, Sr. is a venture capitalist in the software industry. He's also a U.S. Air Force veteran who flew 500 combat missions and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He earned many academic honors and awards including NJIT's inaugural Entrepreneur Award.

NJIT President Joel S. Bloom said, “We are very appreciative of the support of the Martinson Family Foundation, and thank Provost Deek for driving this initiative forward. This will improve the quality of learning that occurs virtually at our university and will directly benefit both our students and faculty.”