Student Affairs &
Technology Proposal
Daniel Cassidy
Greg Gundersen
Denise Kupetz
University of Denver
Copyright ©1999
University of Denver.
All rights reserved
Why do we see a need for a
technology course?

“Our post-industrial world is increasingly based in cyberspace” (Komives, S., & Woodard, Jr., D.,
2003, p. 641).

“To appropriately use media and IT requires mastery of a knowledge base and skill set” (Barrett,
2003, p. 393)

“Clearly, it is a national imperative for higher education to educate the future workforce” (Komives,
S., & Woodard, Jr., D., 2003, p. 642).

“Universities should teach and expect computer literacy of all students, faculty and staff”
(Komives, S., & Woodard, Jr., D., 2003, p. 641).

“Student affairs professionals can play a vital role in supporting positive student learning outcomes
in technology-based education (Schwitzer, Ancis, & Brown, 2001) by consulting with faculty about
ways to develop a sense of community for students in on-line courses and providing information
on students who use technology, and on strategies to promote interaction” (Schwitzer et al., 2001,
as cited in King, P.M., 2003, p. 258).
Course Learning Outcomes
At the end of the semester, students will be able to:
 Better utilize technology in the profession of student
affairs
 Better understand current and future trends of
technology
 Identify and understand ethical issues and legal
implications relating to student affairs and technology
 Reduce the digital divide between students and
university administrators
Syllabus
Class One
Overview of Technology
in Student Affairs
 History of technology
 Five stages of web page applications
 Explanations of individual projects
 Research other institutions web-pages
to assess the overall content and
structure.
Class One
Learning Objectives

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To learn how technology has affected higher
education
To understand the design of Web page layout
and how content is structured
To understand the difference between static
and kinetic Web pages
Individual Project Information

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Research a specific functional area within student affairs to learn how they utilize
and assess technology.
 How have other institutions incorporated technology into their daily work?
 What are their objectives for using technology?
 What has been accomplished with their use of technology?
 How do other institutions assess their uses of technology?
Presentations will be the final weeks (12 - 14)
 Incorporate the best practices from the research and what you would like to
see regarding technology and your specific functional area.
 20 - 30 minute presentation with time for Questions and Answers
Paper requirements: 7 - 9 pages
 Focus on best practices for your functional areas.
 Cite at least five peer reviewed journal articles.
 Research five other University web-pages and their specific functional units.
 Explain how you would best implement technology within your functional area.
 Create an assessment instrument that you would use to justify your choices of
technology implementation.
“…learning will be greatest when the learning environment is structured
to encourage active participation by the student” (Astin, 1984, p. 301).
Syllabus
Class Two
Campus Community’s Expectations,
of Student Affairs Embracement
and Application of Technology
 Student expectations of technology
 “…students want greater control over their
educational experiences” (Black, J. 2003, p. 81).
 Faculty/institutional expectations
 Web-based tools i.e. Blackboard, WebCT
 Applications
 HRIS, Banner, PeopleSoft, etc.
Class Two
Learning Objectives
“Younger students have grown up in a culture of
immediacy” (Black, J. 2003, p. 81).




To know what is important to students in order to
better meet their needs
To learn how technology can enhance better
decision-making within Student Affairs
To build a connection between students, faculty, and
staff
To understand the benefits of Web based tools and
how to use them
Syllabus
Class Three

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Ethical Issues, Legal Implications,
and the Appropriate Uses of
Technology
Student Misconduct
Harassing/Stalking emails
Hacking
Illegal Downloads
Inappropriate Internet Usage
 Judicial sanctioning
Class Three



Learning Objectives
To gain familiarity with the student code of
conduct and how technology affects the code
To learn about resources to use in
conjunction with ethical technology issues
To learn about the legal landscape in relation
to institutional use of technology
Syllabus
Class Four

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Digital Divide and
Other Technology
Cautions
Access
Opportunity
Cost of implementation/maintenance
Non-traditional students
Disabilities
Internet addiction
Other Challenges
Class Four


Learning Objectives
To build an awareness that technology is not
ubiquitous
To understand challenges associated with
technology
–
Cost, training, staffing needs, maintenance, etc.
Syllabus
Class Five
Panel Presentation
 A student affairs professional panel will
discuss the impact of technology on their
respective campuses and business models.
 Panel might include:
 Director of Budgeting and Technology for the
Department of Residence
 Director of Business Development
 Administrator for an online university such as
Western Governors University
 Associate Provost for Student Affairs
Class Five


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
Learning Objectives
To see how technology has changed the higher
education landscape
To hear perspectives and trends from professionals
in the field
To understand the challenges of implementing
technology into Student Affairs
To stress the importance of professional collegiate
networking
Syllabus
Class Six
Distance Education
 Advantages
 Disadvantages
 Access
 Cost
 Without borders
(students can learn
from across state
and international
lines)


 Human contact
 Emotional
disengagement
 Access
 Challenges to
holistic approach
Roles of student affairs and
distance education - how the
profession changes
Incorporating distance learners
into student affairs
“Today’s distance learning students serve as a good role model for what the traditional
study body of tomorrow will progressively look liker” (Johnstone, S.M. & Shea, P.A.,
2003, p. 353).
Class Six
Learning Objectives
“The question of support for student learning and
development in distant learning remains largely
unaddressed” (Komives, S.R. and Woodard, Jr., D. 2003, p.
641).




To understand how the role of student affairs changes
with distance education
To understand how functional areas develop by
incorporating distance education
To be able to identify how student affairs can still
affect the holistic development of each student
To recognize the advantages/disadvantages of
distance education
Syllabus
Class Seven
Mid-term Exam
 Students will answer five essay
questions on topics that have been
covered in class thus far.
 Students will be able to use their
notes from readings to assist with the
exam.
 Students will submit a half-page
progress report about their individual
project.
Class Seven
Learning Objectives


To synthesize what the students have
learned thus far in the class
To assess the direction of future classes
based on the students comprehension thus
far
Syllabus
Week Eight
Using Technology to
Promote Learning
 Review the SPPV (Student Personnel
Point of View) and discuss how it
supports the academic mission of the
college relating to technology
 Review The Student Learning
Imperative and discuss how it
supports the academic mission of the
college relating to technology
Class Eight
Learning Objectives

To be able to use technology to engage
students in active learning
–
–

How to use technology to make learning
meaningful
How to create learning opportunities both inside
and outside the classroom
To be able to identify ways in which student
affairs can enhance learning through
technology
Syllabus
Week Nine
IT Competencies
 IT upgrades
 Budgeting and
cost
 Staffing
 Privacy
 Training
 Policing the
network
 Virus protection
 Needs
assessment
“The virtual university as you can see, is not only real in here, it is
growing and could impact virtually every facet of our educational
system” (Miller, K.L. & McDaniels, R.M. 2001, p. 201).
Week Nine

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Learning Objectives
To learn how technology effects the departmental budget
– Cost Benefit Analysis
To be able to complete an appropriate assessment of
student and institutional needs
To identify how technology effects departmental staffing
needs
To identify the lifecycle of technology
– Needs assessments, new machines, programs, and
software, set-up, training, upgrades, cost, etc.
Syllabus
Week Ten
Web Design
 Contents of a user-friendly Web page
 Contact info
 ePortfolio
 Easily navigable linkage between like departments
(i.e. advising and career services)
 Communication
 Email, instant messaging, live chat rooms,
resource links
 Look and feel of a good Web page
 Graphic User Interface
 Branding
 Concise
Class Ten

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Learning Objectives
To distinguish between static vs. dynamic
Web design
To be able to identify multiple components of
a user-friendly Web page
To see examples of good/interactive Web
pages from other universities
Syllabus
Week Eleven
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Other Types of
Technology and Future
Trends
Video conferencing
PDA’s
Smart classrooms
Demographics
Availability
Continual upgrades
“Face to face interaction on campus as well as at remote locations, callerauthenticated phone assistance, Web chats, two-way, video counseling or
advising sessions, and on-line tutorial assistance are examples of a blended
delivery model for student services” (Black, J., 2003, pp. 81-82).
Week Eleven
Learning Objectives


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To understand all aspects of technology
available for student affairs, not just Web
based technology
To explore the parallel movements of
advanced technology, higher education, and
student affairs
To know how changing demographics in
higher education will affect student affairs
use of technology in the future
Syllabus
Weeks 12 - 14
Project Presentations
Areas of focus might include:
 Residence Life /
Housing
 Student Activities
 Advising
 Career Centers
 International
Student Services
 Health and
Wellness
 Multicultural
Affairs
 Learning
Services
 Athletics
Assessment
Course instructors will assess student
progress via a mid-term exam.
 Course instructors will asses student
learning outcomes via final projects.
 Students will complete an on-line course
evaluation that will be used to assess the
skills they learned, the adaptability of
those skills, and their ability to implement
those skills.

“There is no question that
technology, when carefully
designed as a partner in
delivering student services,
can flatten organizational
barriers and empower
students” (Kramer, 2003, p. 445).
References
Astin, A. W. (1984). Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher education. Journal of College Student Personnel, 25, 297-308.
Barrett, W. (2003). Information technology in student affairs. In Komives, S., Woodard, Jr., D., & Associates (Eds.), Student Services: A
Handbook for the Profession. Fourth Edition, (pp. 379-396). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Black, J. (2003). Enrollment management and conceptual underpinnings. In Kramer, G.L., & Associates (Eds.), Student Academic Services,
(pp. 77-101). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Boulais, N. & Sturgis, T. (2003). Changing the channel: Using technology effectively in student affairs. Student Affairs On-line: The on-line
magazine about technology and Student Affairs, http://www.studentaffairs.com/ejournal/Fall_2003/ChangingtheChannel.html, Retrieved
February 8, 2004.
Johnstone, S.M. & Shea, P.A., (2003) Putting academic services on-line. In Kramer, G.L., & Associates (Eds.), Student Academic Services, (pp.
353-370). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
King, P.M. (2003). Student learning in higher education. In Komives, S., Woodard, Jr., D., & Associates (Eds.), Student Services: A Handbook
for the Profession. Fourth Edition, (pp. 234-268). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Komives, S., & Woodard, Jr., D. (2003). Shaping the future. In Komives, S., Woodard, Jr., D., & Associates (Eds.), Student Services: A
Handbook for the Profession. Fourth Edition, (pp. 637-655). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Kramer, G. L. (2003). Leading student academic services in the twenty-first century. In Kramer, G.L., & Associates (Eds.), Student Academic
Services, (pp. 439-446). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Miller, K.L. & McDaniels, R.M. (2001). Cyberspace, the new frontier. Journal of Career Development, (27)3 199-206.