Provost Advisory Group to focus on digital education, environments

Provost Deba Dutta has created a Provost Advisory Group (PAG) to explore the various dimensions of digital education and environments.

"Purdue faculty have been engaged in online education for quite some time," Dutta says. "They have brought innovations into the classroom and developed an array of new technology-based teaching and learning initiatives, making Purdue among the leaders in digital education. However, this is a field that is undergoing rapid change and therefore deserves continuous and increasing attention and investment."

Members of the PAG are:

* Sunil Prabhakar, professor and head of the Department of Computer Science (PAG chair).

* V. Ragu Balakrishnan, professor and the Michael and Katherine Birck Head of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

* Steve Beaudoin, interim associate vice provost and professor of chemical engineering.

* Jennifer Dennis, associate professor of horticulture and landscape architecture and agricultural economics.

* Rayvon Fouché, associate professor of history and director of American Studies Program.

* Timothy Newby, professor of curriculum and instruction.

* Sandra Sydnor, assistant professor of hospitality and tourism management.

* Michael Witt, associate professor of library science and head of the Distributed Data Curation Center.

Topics the group is expected to discuss include Purdue's short- and long-term digital education goals, how best to engage digital education stakeholders on campus, and whether or not the campus is organized appropriately to deliver a high-quality and purposeful digital education.

"I have encouraged the group members to approach this subject with vigorous exploration and to engage the campus community in this discussion," Dutta says. "It is very important that we put our brightest minds to this task."

Dutta says that he will create new Provost Advisory Groups to address campus needs as they are identified. The PAGs will not only provide guidance to the Provost on key areas, but also help to enhance faculty engagement. Faculty and students are encouraged to contact the PAG with their ideas and suggestions.