Paula’s E-Musings

As we continually evaluate our services we are always looking for ways to measure how students use instructional technologies and how our services impact the educational experience. ECAR (EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research) has just released a comprehensive Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology that includes a literature review and information gathered in surveys and focus groups. This is the fourth annual study and there are some interesting longitudinal data about student use of technology and emerging trends. The report validates what we already seem to know —  the increased use of the Internet, and especially social networking sites. Although the Millennials use many forms of technology in social and interpersonal situations, there is still ambivalence about its instructional application, and students report that they still enjoy some traditional classroom interactions. 

There’s lots of information in the ECAR report which is a good barometer of student use of technology. As always I find the EDUCAUSE Resource Library an excellent respository of information and this study is no exception.

It’s hard to believe that we’re into Week Three of the semester. More faculty than ever are using our eLearning tools, and many waited until the last minute to learn about our course management system, request software, etc. so the technologists are scrambling these days. The training sessions offered at the Technology Training Center reflect the heightened interest in iTunesU, WebCT, and blogging. Office 2007 is now installed in the labs and classrooms so many faculty are requesting it for their office desktops.

This fall we’re rolling out a Webcasting service offered through Classroom Media Services using interns from the New Communications Media and Professional Writing majors. The internship program is being coordinated through the Learning Commons and interns will assist students in a variety of media production.

With the re-opening of the Sperry Learning Center we now have 45 general purpose technology classrooms, all with centralized Crestron control systems that we attempt to standardize for ease of use.  There are an additional special purpose and mobile classrooms. Classes are also scheduled in the 17 teaching labs equipped with desktop computers with a variety of general and discipline-specific software.

How to keep everyone on campus informed of our eProgress is a challenge. We update TechInfo, the IR blog, with developments and changes that affect the campus, and each IR department communicates with its constituencies. There’s lots going on — that’s for sure — as more than ever before faculty and students learn about and depend on new communications technologies.