Purdue News
Purdue News
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June 8, 2004 Education faculty connect with the business worldWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Faculty in Purdue University's School of Education are moving from the classroom into the industrial research and design laboratories.
Professors are working with gh LLC to apply their research on student learning to product development and assessment. The company, part of the Purdue Research Park, is developing new tools to help students with disabilities. George W. Hynd, dean of the School of Education, said that since the passage of the federal No Child Left Behind legislation for public schools, this type of collaboration is particularly important because the legislation mandates that new educational initiatives brought into schools should be based on empirical research and assessment.
"Historically, educators have sat back and not evaluated commercial products," Hynd said. "This gives schools little to base their decisions on other than manufacturers' claims. We are in a position to test those claims and ensure that the educational tools children use will actually benefit them." Using a proprietary media conversion process, gh creates digital talking books for people whose disabilities hinder their ability to read. These challenges may include visual impairments, learning disabilities, cognitive impairments or a physical inability to turn pages. Also included are students learning English and people with literacy problems. Viewed with the gh PLAYER™, a playback application, the company's digital talking books offer audio, text and images that work in concert. The software also lets users search and navigate through digital talking books by page, section, segment or word. David Schleppenbach, gh's CEO and co-founder, said the collaborations with Purdue education professors have made it possible for the company to incorporate the latest research into its products. "The faculty at Purdue are very talented and do a great job of doing important basic research," Schleppenbach said. "At gh, we see ourselves as middlemen, developing the technology to bring that research to students in the form of a finished product. Faculty can use their expertise to help us understand the educational impact of what we are doing, making the products more effective." Lyle L. Lloyd, a professor of special educational and audiology and speech sciences, has been working with gh for more than a year, including working on assessment tools for the products. Lloyd said that, unlike some of his colleagues, he has worked with other assistive technology companies for almost 20 years. He said he appreciates the chance to work with gh and the Purdue Research Park because it will lead to increased benefits for both his students and his research goals. "This type of engagement can help you open your research to new ideas and perspectives you might not otherwise consider," Lloyd said. "It helps you to widen your focus and to stay connected to the technological advances in classrooms. The collaboration also exposes my graduate students to new directions for their research and for potential careers in the private sector." Hynd said it is important for educators and researchers to understand what an important role private industry plays in the educational system. In using collaborations with gh as a model, he would like to see faculty engagement grow to include other companies and projects as well. "It is common for faculty in disciplines such as engineering and science to grow their research into commercial interests, but it remains rare in education," Hynd said. "As a public university, it is important for those of us at Purdue to work to develop means so the important research being done by the faculty can reach the schools and classrooms to benefit children." Hynd said although it is unusual for faculty in schools of education around the country to be involved in the commercialization of educational products, he would like educational product development and assessment to grow into a Purdue specialty. "Many gh products focus on literacy and math and science education, which we have identified as School of Education signature areas, making the company a natural for collaboration," he said. "It is my hope that by using these efforts as a model, we can grow the school's levels of entrepreneurship and industry engagement." Located in the Purdue Research Park, gh is one of 104 businesses, including 58 that are high-tech, which employ more than 2,200 people. Encompassing 591 acres, the Purdue Research Park is the largest university-affiliated, business incubator complex in the nation. Writer: Matt Holsapple, (765) 494-2073, mholsapple@purdue.edu Sources: George W. Hynd, (765) 494-2336, ghynd@purdue.edu Lyle L. Lloyd, (765) 494-7333, lloydaac@purdue.edu Dave Schleppenbach, (765) 775-3776, engage@ghbraille.com Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu PHOTO CAPTION: A publication-quality photo is available at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/+2004/hynd-gh.jpg PHOTO CAPTION: A publication-quality photo is available at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/gh.blindstudent.jpeg
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