ACA Virtual Center

Collaborative Projects:
	Biblical Language Laboratory: Biblical Greek & Biblical Hebrew Purpose of the site is to provide help for students learning Biblical Greek and/or Biblical Hebrew. At the present time both the Biblical Greek and Biblical Hebrew sections include materials to assist students in reviewing and learning grammatical principles and vocabulary. In addition, the Biblical Hebrew section provides materials to help with exegesis and to learn more about the Masorah.

	CAWS: Collaboration through Appalachian Watershed Studies This site is a central electronic communication and data collection point for a collaborative watershed studies project focused on undergraduate student engagement in actual environmental research. The authentic learning that has occurred through data collection and analysis at watershed sites has touched future scientists of all levels at the participating institutions.

	GreenLab: Green Chemistry Laboratory Modules The purpose of GreenLab is to provide Appalachian College Association faculty and students with an Internet-accessible resource base in experiential chemical education that is environmentally sensitive, relevant, and that uses technology to enhance learning and collaboration. There are individual modules designed principally for use by faculty and students in general and organic chemistry, though some of them are sufficiently interdisciplinary to also be used elsewhere in curricula in the physical and biological sciences.

	Just Connections The Mission of Just Connections is to invigorate grassroots democracy among residents of distressed mountain communities by creating and using models for participatory research and service in support of self-sustaining communities that offer equitable access to resources for local citizens. We believe that participatory research entails an equal partnership between campus and community.

	Virtual Karak Resources Project The Karak Resources Project (KRP) is a regional project examining the Karak district of central Jordan.Work in Jordan began with a pilot season in 1995 and continues with field seasons of 5-6 weeks length in the alternate years. Between field seasons data gathered during the summers is analyzed. It involves a multidisciplinary approach in attempting to understand the cultural and political history of the region, and to explore the current social and environmental status of the region.

	Nantahala Review The Nantahala Review is a peer reviewed e-zine dedicated to the creative spirit of the Appalachian cultural region of the United States. The publishers actively solicit submissions from ACA faculty members, staff, and students.

	Psychvista This project is intended to explore alternative ways of thinking about and teaching the introductory course in psychology. Our goal is to take advantage of today's technology resources to enhance student learning and to develop a coherent course structure organized along one or more themes related to the psychological study of social issues. We also have built in collaborative learning and community based participatory research.

	Psyquests in Cognitive Psychology The PsyQuest web site is a resource to help learners increase their understanding of Cognitive Psychology. The PsyQuest site is composed of interactive webquests that are authored by several different subject matter experts. At the end of each PsyQuest, the respective author has provided their name and a link so you can e-mail them with any comments, questions, or problems you may have experienced.

	Restoring the Voices There is an African American history in the Ninth Congressional District of highlands Virginia. Their voices sing of black pride in achievement. The voices belong to ministers and musicians, attorneys and professors, athletes and poets, farmers and coal miners, schoolteachers and public officials, philosophers and financiers. For too long their voices have not been heard as they should be. Interviews of African Americans in the ninth district are taking place now.

	Text and Context Text and Context is a collaborative teaching and learning project designed to bring the study of religion to life through the use of computer technology and the internet. The pathways are intended to be used as independent study exercises accompanying a classroom course or courses, not as a stand alone, online course. The project currently explores topics on Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam.

History:

The ACA's Virtual Center has been through several incarnations as the ACA and its constituents have grown and changed in their relationship to and use of technology. Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation's Teaching and Technology: Stage II grant (received by the ACA in 1999) the Virtual Center was conceived as a catalyst for change. It aspired to be a growing, thriving repository of pedagogical assistance guided by discipline-based faculty coordinators (or advocates, as they have been called). In addition, the Virtual Center was to be a catalyst for collaboration. Faculty and staff with various problems dealing with technology or with certain research interests could make their desires known in this online community, and others from ACA colleges would respond.

During the subsequent years, as the Mellon grant has unfolded, ACA faculty have done some very creative things with their teaching and with their collaboration. Some of the most creative activities have occurred as a result of ACA collaborative grants given to small groups of faculty from multiple disciplines and/or multiple ACA institutions who work jointly on a given project. Thus, much of the ACA collaboration has happened without the direct intervention of the Virtual Center. What these collaborative groups need, however, is a showcase and repository in order to disseminate their works. The current incarnation of the Virtual Center will provide that showcase and repository in addition to being a communications and tutorials resource. Additionally, because many of these projects require substantial server resources, the Mellon grant has enabled the ACA to provide the space and technology support for these projects.