Durham, N.C. - Duke University is hosting its sixth annual CIT (Center for Instructional Technology) Showcase from 8 a.m. -- 2:30 p.m. Thursday, April 27.

The event, which is open to the public, will be held at the university's Bryan Center on West Campus.

The CIT Showcase features a variety of presentations, faculty discussions and informative poster session on classroom technology, including tablet PCs; iPods; the Duke Digital Initiative; digital audio and video; iTunes U; and podcasting. Descriptions of presentations and presenters are available online at http://cit.duke.edu/showcase/2006/.

In addition, a panel discussion, titled "Serious Games: Digital Game-Based Learning in Higher Education," will examine gaming environments and their effect on culture and politics.

Elements of the Duke Digital Initiative (DDI) will be featured at the CIT Showcase. On April 24, Duke Provost Peter Lange informed faculty of the university's plan to further develop the DDI in the 2006-07 academic year. A total of 47 spring semester courses are now participating in the DDI, compared with 19 the previous spring.

The DDI grew out of the iPod First-Year Experience, which distributed more than 1,600 of the devices to students in 2004-05. Duke has distributed even more iPods during the current academic year through a course-based distribution model. The increase has been driven by the growing number of faculty members using iPods in their courses.

More information on the DDI is available at  http://www.duke.edu/ddi.