Internet2 Teaching and Learning SIG
Mission Statement

The Internet2 Teaching and Learning Special Interest Group (SIG) was formed originally as a Working Group. However, in order to allow the broadest participation by both Internet2 members and collaborators in the advanced applications arena for teaching and learning, organizers reformed this activity as a SIG to more appropriately align it with the goals for this group. For more information on Internet2 Working Groups, SIGs, and the policies that govern them, refer to the Internet2 Working Groups website.

The mission of the Internet2 Teaching and Learning Special Interest Group (SIG) is to increase awareness of and engagement in the uses of advanced networking technologies in support of teaching and learning activities throughout the Internet2 member community. The SIG will serve as the convener of, and support group for, these teaching and learning initiatives—focusing on the unique issues and needs of those who are implementers and early adopters of advanced technologies in the teaching and learning arena.

More specifically, this SIG will address the need for the following:

• Infrastructure improvements necessary to support teaching and learning activities.
• Communicating teaching and learning needs and directions to interested technologists and practitioners.
• Making Internet2 technologies—such as authentication, security, etc.—available to teaching and learning applications.
• Sharing teaching and learning resources through Internet2 facilities, such as distributed storage, P2P, etc.
• Helping advanced technologists and support staff understand what faculty need to do and how to support them.
• Helping faculty understand what advanced networking technologies can allow them to do.
• Facilitating collaboration between educators and students to collaborate (among colleagues, in a class context, etc.).
• Making routine uses of advanced technologies a non-issue for faculty.
• Demonstrating the potential of leading edge, truly transformational instructional applications.
• Tightening the integration of support for the disparate research and education environments our faculty are expected to navigate.
• Improving the diffusion of advanced technology into our institutions by providing support, tools, best practices, stories, and sharing experiences.
• Serving as a forum for brokering shared classes between institutions.
• Leveraging international opportunities.
• Bringing an Internet2 perspective to other teaching and learning initiatives (MERLOT, Sakai Project, Open Knowledge Initiative, National Learning Infrastructure Initiative, etc.).
• Serving as a conduit to bring key faculty members into the advanced networking community.
• Applying together for collaborative grants.
• Working with the Internet2 K20 Initiative to perform outreach from higher education to other learning communities, such as K12.

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