(left to right) Duke Energy employees
Gabriel Washburn and J.R. Steely

Erskine Hosts Duke Energy Group For "Beyond Question" Training

Erskine College students are absent from the campus until the beginning of the summer term, but learning is still taking place in the Daniel•Moultrie Science Center, where a dozen Duke Energy employees are attending a two-day training session instructing them in the use of "Beyond Question," educational software created by Erskine physics professor Dr. William Junkin, who is also conducting the classes.

Developed at Erskine five years ago, the software allows students to communicate with the instructor anonymously via computer or wireless keypads. It has been adopted by several disciplines and "Networked Mentoring Computer Labs" have been added in several buildings on the Erskine campus. Use of this software allays students' fears of giving the wrong answer in front of the whole class.

Junkin will focus on how to prepare and present questions using the Beyond Question software, and will also speak on pedagogy. He is enthusiastic about his invention's value in the classroom, whether with public school children, college students or corporate employees. "The students become active participants rather than passive listeners," he says.