Progressive University
Leading the Way
Technological Advancements:
Enhancing the University?
University of Texas at Austin
Lizabeth Doherty
Amy Manderscheid
Nancy Wendlandt
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NetGeneration
In 1985…
Only 27.3% of incoming students had used a
computer frequently in the previous year
Today…
The average student spends 3.5 hours a day emailing, instant messaging, and web surfing
1.3 million students own cell phones and spend
nearly 20 minutes each day sending and receiving
text messages
41% of students own an MP3 player and 85% use
them each day
Students are spending a total of 11 hours each
day engaged with media and technology
These advancements in technology affect the
learning, socializing, and development of
today’s university students. University faculty
and staff need to be committed to
understanding the trends and addressing
their impact.
Progressive University’s
Hot Topics in Technology
1. Technology in the Classroom
2. Blogging
3. Social Networking Sites
4. Institutional Spam
5. The Digital Divide
Topic #1
How canintechnology
Technology
the Classroom
enhance learning?
Technology in the
Classroom
What is it?
• The most common educational technologies utilized on
university campuses are PowerPoint & courseware packages
such as Blackboard or WebCT.
• PowerPoint is a presentation software that allows professors to
visually present material to the class.
• Courseware provides a structured online format for professors
to post announcements, course documents, assignments, and
course notes available for easy student access.
Technology in the
Classroom
Why is it important?
• Currently, 72% of students receive grades, as well as
assignments, via the Web.
• 71% of students use e-mail to submit papers.
• 56% of students utilize e-mail
or instant messaging to
contact professors rather
than visiting traditional
hours.
taken from http://www.crk.umn.edu
office
Technology in the
Classroom
Why is it important?
• Between 20 and 30 million PowerPoint presentations are given
around the globe daily.
• Courseware such as WebCT and Blackboard are among the
most rapidly expanding e-learning technologies around the
world.
• New forms of communication call for new ways of thinking
about communication processes.
Technology in the
Classroom
What are the problems for the university community?
• Rather than supplementing a presentation, PowerPoint can
become the focus. The lesson then becomes centered on the
presentation rather than the content.
• When the focus is directed toward the screen, PowerPoint may
reduce dialogue and immediacy behaviors (eye contact, facial
expressions, etc.) that have a positive impact on learning.
• Students can become so occupied copying slides, that they
miss the instructor’s expansion of the idea.
Technology in the
Classroom
What are the problems for the university community?
• PowerPoint can inhibit an open exchange between presenter
and audience, allowing students to be passively rather than
actively engaged in class.
• Online communication with professors can hinder the
development of students’ face-to-face interaction skills.
• Learning new technologies can initially create more work for
staff and students.
Technology in the
Classroom
What are the benefits for the university community?
• Online communication can diminish student inhibitions by
removing psychological and social barriers to studentprofessor and student-student interactions.
• Students’ learning is enhanced when ideas or concepts are
presented in a variety of ways such as having PowerPoint
slides highlight key concepts while the professor explains the
details and provides examples.
Technology in the
Classroom
What are the benefits for the university community?
• Courseware can serve as an excellent vehicle for topic
discussion, group participation, and assignment clarification.
• As relatively few students participate in large classroom
discussions, the use of online discussions can create
opportunities for all students to participate.
Technology in the
Classroom
What are the considerations for the university?
• Faculty, staff and student affairs professionals need to be
trained on how to effectively integrate technology into lessons,
activities and workshops.
• Students should also have the opportunity for trainings or
tutorials on new programs such as courseware packages.
• Students report that when technology is used in a static
manner it is not valuable. However, dynamic use of
technology, such as participation in online discussions, does
enhance learning and is recommended.
Technology in the
Classroom
What are the considerations for the university?
• Technology should enhance a presentation and foster critical
thinking rather than simply serve as a mechanism to deliver
content.
• The professor should still maintain the role of
narrator/performer, rather than simply become a stagehand.
Topic #2
How canBlogging
the university
utilize blogs?
Blogging
What is it?
• A blog is a user-generated Web site where entries are made in
journal style and displayed in reverse chronological order.
• The term "blog" is derived from "Web log." "Blog" can also be
used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
Blogging
What is it?
• Blogs can provide commentary or news on a particular subject
or function as a personal online diary. The ability for readers to
leave comments in
an interactive format
is an important part
of many blogs.
taken from http://www.concurringopinions.com
Blogging
Why is it important?
• As of November 2006, there were nearly 60 million blogs
recorded.
• 9 blogs are created every minute and 2.3 content updates are
posted every second.
• 92.4% of blogs are created by people under the age of 30.
• 39% of the U.S. online population, or 57 million adults, read
blogs.
Blogging
What are the problems for the university community?
• If the university is providing Web space for blogs, questions of
responsibility for content can become an issue.
• Like many online communication methods, blogs reinforce
poor grammar and writing, since online-published versions do
not need to be polished and edited.
Blogging
What are the problems for the university community?
• Blogs create an environment where users can start arguments
in unconstructive ways and post hurtful things about other
people.
• They are not a trustworthy source of news and research, but
they are readily available and often cited by students in papers.
Blogging
What are the benefits for the university community?
• By publishing student blogs, many university admissions Web
sites provide applicants with a better understanding of college
life. With teenagers being the largest users of blogs, this is a
particularly effective method for communicating with this
population.
• Students and staff can use blogs to easily communicate with
their counterparts across campus and at different universities.
Blogging
What are the benefits for the university community?
• Writing about positive experiences in a particular program (i.e.
study abroad, student organizations) can spark interest in other
students.
• Much like courseware, professors use personal blogs as an
avenue to relay information about classes and host
discussions.
• Faculty are using blogs as a way to stay current on research
and trends in their fields of study.
Blogging
What are the considerations for the university?
• Blogs should be utilized to give students an inside view of life
at a particular university, programs of study, or extracurricular
activities.
• Similar to courseware, do not use blogs to replace class
discussions, but instead to supplement course work.
• The university should provide tutorials and education for
students about the safe use of Internet resources like blogs,
both in the dangers of sharing personal information and
incorrectly citing as factual resources.
Blogging
What are the considerations for the university?
• Due to the number of free resources for students on the
Internet, the university does not need to provide Web space to
students for personal sites or blogs. The following are four free
available blogging sites:
•
•
•
•
www.tblog.com
www.blogger.com
www.blogeasy.com
www.myblogsite.com
Why does the
university
need
Topic
#3
Social
to play
a Networking
role in theSites
use of
social networking sites?
Social Networking
Sites
What is it?
• Online directories linking people with the goal of connecting
with friends or joining groups that share similar interests and
lifestyles.
• Students create a profile highlighting their interests,
relationships, and favorites. Profiles can include photos and
contact information.
• Popular sites include flickr, friendster, myspace and facebook.
Social Networking
Sites
Why is it important?
• 18-24 year old students spend an average of 6.5 hours a week
on social networking sites.
• Facebook, friendster and myspace rank in the top 20 Web sites
for overall Internet traffic.
• 3.85 million people have joined facebook.
• 230,000 people visit myspace every day.
Social Networking
Sites
Why is it important?
• 60% of student members log-in daily to their social networking
sites.
taken from http://www.facebook.com
Social Networking
Sites
What are the problems for the university community?
• University administrators and hiring personnel review social
networking profiles to find personal and potentially damaging
information.
• Students may be stalked, threatened or harassed as personal
information (class schedules, phone numbers, etc.) is
publically posted in their profiles.
• Spending too much time connecting with online friends may
keep students from developing meaningful in-person
relationships.
Social Networking
Sites
What are the benefits for the university community?
• Professors can post pictures and information on student trips
and activities for promotional purposes.
• Allows members (faculty, staff, students) to stay in touch with
friends and alumni.
• Students can use sites to campaign for student government
positions and promote student organizations.
Social Networking
Sites
What are the benefits for the university community?
• Can build stronger relationships between students and
faculty/staff.
• Faculty and staff can use the sites to connect faces with
students.
Social Networking
Sites
What are the considerations for the university?
• Faculty and staff are not mandated to use the sites, but should
be aware and receive necessary training on using them.
• A collective presence of faculty and staff could tone down
student antics on sites.
• The university needs to make it a priority to educate students
on how to utilize the benefits of social networking sites but also
on how to use them safely. Student affairs has a responsibility
to look out for students’ safety and security.
What doesTopic
the#4university
Institutional Spam
need to consider when
using institutional spam?
Institutional Spam
What is it?
~ Take the Following Quiz ~ Spam is…
A. The abuse of electronic messaging systems to send
unsolicited bulk messages
B. Canned meat that is sold by Hormel
C. A popular Monty Python sketch
•While
all of
of dance
these are
true, we are
interested
in body
the
D.
A type
characterized
bymost
frequent,
spastic
university’s
ability to mass communicate with all students or
movements
groups
e-mail.
E.
A wayoftostudents
facilitatethrough
electronic
communication among large
groups of computer users
Institutional Spam
Why is it important?
• Estimates indicate that amounts of unwanted spam increased
by 600% in the last year.
• Unwanted spam accounts for 12-15% of all e-mail traffic.
• The drastic increases have led individual e-mail users,
including students, to take steps to block unwanted e-mails
even if they come from a reliable university source.
Institutional Spam
What are the problems for the university community?
• Students who apply filters to their individual e-mail accounts
may not receive important information from the university.
• Universities that apply universal spam filters for safety may
block students from receiving important information from
employers and others outside the institution.
• It is the university’s responsibility to decide who has the ability
to send mass e-mails and what topics mass e-mails can
address.
Institutional Spam
What are the benefits for the university community?
• Mass e-mails are an efficient way to pass important information
to groups of students from administrators, professors, and
other students.
• Many student affairs professionals effectively use e-mail to
survey students and conduct needs assessments on
programming and services.
• As students are regularly logged into e-mail, institutional spam
allows for rapid transfer of information.
Institutional Spam
What are the responsibilities of the university?
• For institution system safety and for the benefit of students, the
university needs to train students on safe e-mail set-up and
use prior to allowing them access to school systems.
• Universities should create listservs for activities, clubs, majors
and schools that allow students to elect to receive e-mails on
specific topics. This ensures that students receive information
relevant to them.
• Utilizing courseware allows students the same benefits of
listservs for individual courses each semester.
Institutional Spam
What are the responsibilities of the university?
• The university needs to create a policy for approving mass emails to students. There are two effective solutions currently
being utilized by large universities:
1. At the University of Texas at Austin, senders must submit an application to
forward mass e-mails. All mass e-mails sent will include what type of e-mail
it is (official, urgent, informational, etc.) to the receiver.
2. At the University of Minnesota, senders must also submit an application to
forward mass e-mails. Users sign up to receive individual mass e-mails or to
receive either a daily or weekly digest of all e-mails they would have
received during that period.
Topic #5
How can
we address
The Digital
Divide the
Digital Divide?
The Digital Divide
What is it?
• The Digital Divide is the gap between those with regular,
effective access to digital technologies and those without.
• It refers to those who can benefit from technology, and those
who don't, as opposed to just talking about who has direct
access to technology, and those who don't.
The Digital Divide
Why is it important?
• 15% of students entering college in 2004 reported not having
used a personal computer on a frequent basis during the past
year.
• The Digital Divide first gained national attention in the 1990s.
Since then little or no progress has been made in bridging the
gap.
The Digital Divide
Why is it important?
taken from Higher Education Research Institute (2004)
• The divide exists mostly along racial and economic lines.
The Digital Divide
What are the problems for the university community?
• Frequent computer usage is a major part of college academic
coursework. Professors expect tech savvy students who are
able to complete and submit assignments online.
• Students lacking what is considered basic computer
knowledge will shy away from majors, schools, and careers
that rely heavily on technology. This continues to divide
society racially.
The Digital Divide
What are the problems for the university community?
• Students who have their own computers are at an advantage.
They can use them at any time in a location of comfort, and
enjoy constant availability.
• “Students who must make an extra effort to learn computer
skills after matriculating are likely to experience long-term
academic challenges.” Mark J. Warschauer, Associate
Professor of Education at the University of California at Irvine.
The Digital Divide
What are the problems for the university community?
• An integral part of student social life involves using technology
to connect with others.
• “[Computing is] really an ingrained part of the college culture
and lifestyle, and if you don’t know it, you’re in a world of
trouble.” Larry M. Gant, Associate Professor in the School of
Social Work at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.
The Digital Divide
What are the benefits for the university community?
• Students with strong computer skills can be utilized as a
resource for professors and student affairs professionals as
they are learning to integrate more technology into their work
with students.
• Students who are comfortable using technology can serve as
mentors to other students developing computer literacy.
The Digital Divide
What are the considerations for the university?
• Continue to provide high-quality public computer labs with
hours matching student study habits, as well as the ability to
borrow portable technology (laptops, cameras, etc.).
• Utilize students with mastery knowledge of computers to offer
training and/or mentoring opportunities for students without a
strong comfort level with technology.
• Financial aid “cost of attendance” for the school can be altered
to allow students to utilize financial aid to purchase personal
computers for learning.
Summary
How can technology enhance learning?
When used in a supplemental and interactive way,
student reports indicate that technology is
beneficial.
Summary
How can the university utilize blogs?
Despite their informal nature, blogs can be an
effective tool for sharing individual accounts of
experience, activities, and research.
Summary
Why does the university need to play a role in
the use of social networking sites?
Social networking sites are an integral part of
student life and the university should be
knowledgeable about both the benefits and
concerns associated with this technology.
Summary
What does the university need to consider
when using institutional spam?
While institutional spam is an effective way to
quickly disseminate information, the university
must develop a policy to address the challenges
associated with cost and abuse.
Summary
How can we address the Digital Divide?
Acknowledging the gap will allow the university to
implement programming that addresses the
need for student access and skill development.
Progressive University
Leading the Way
Technological Advancements:
Enhancing
the
University?
Thank you
University of Texas at Austin
Lizabeth Doherty
Amy Manderscheid
Nancy Wendlandt
References
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Higher Education Research Institute. (2004). The American freshman: National norms for fall 2004. Retrieved February 7, 2007 from
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