Kent State University

Jennifer Haren

Tara Kurilchick

Sarim Tot

Institutional Spam

Institutional spam is the free use of the e-mail servers on a campus for students, faculty and staff to send messages to the entire university.

Why Chosen

It may require an investment in more technological resources.

It may cause disparate impact on recipients. It may violate a students, staff and faculty

person’s right to free speech if filtered. It may be abused when allowed free access. It may decrease productivity due to the need

for deleting unwanted messages.

Benefits

Increase in productivity through e-mail. Will allow administrators to prepare for free

speech, libel and other legal issues that may result from the free use of university e-mail.

Will allow for better “customer service” for those members of the university community who oppose the free use of the university e-mail system.

May result in an alternative open forum for the university community to utilize in communications.

Issues of Institutional Spam

Free speech and academic freedom Lower productivity Costs to increase bandwidth and inbox

sizes Abuse of the system which may cause

harm to another member of the university community. 

 

Distance Learning: Benefits and IssuesAccording to Greenberg (1998, p. 36)

distance learning is defined as “a planned teaching/learning experience that uses a wide spectrum of technologies to reach learners at a distance and is designed to encourage learners interaction and certification of learning.”

Why Chosen

Technology has enabled educators to deliver information in a larger capacity and through means that was not thought of before such as virtual classes, videotaped lecturers, and information sharing through the use of the internet.

Why Chosen

Distance Learning is used all over the world Many colleges and universities are offering

distance learning courses Importance of being part of the competition

domestically as well as internationally Changing demographics of the student body

Benefits of Distance Education

Increase accessibility to a different target population who wants to obtain higher education

Ability to deliver education in a new format

Convenience plays a big role

Increase in student enrollment

It saves money! No need for

space/building Increase in revenue

and decrease in costs

 

Benefits of Distance Education Increase in electronic networking Linkage between postsecondary schools and

P-12 to form a larger learning community despite the gap in space and time

Increase in support network for students, faculty, instructors, and administrators

Increase in network of information technology (e.g., OhioLink, Vista, Blackboard)

Issues of Distance Learning

Copyright Law—how will the “fair use” doctrine apply?

According to McKay (1995), the “fair use” doctrine allows the public to use the information without being granted permission from the copyright holder within certain limitations

Information posted digitally can be easily electronically copied and transmitted without the consent of the copyright holder.

Issues of Distance Learning

Instructional Design Restructure Quality issues According to Inman and Kerwin’ study (1999), it

revealed that instructor had conflicting attitudes about distance education. Most instructors rated distance learning courses lower in quality when compared to courses taught in the classroom setting.

According to Palloff and Pratt (2000, p. 4), “technology does not teach students; effective teachers do.”

Issues of Distance Learning

Social Atmosphere Promoting interaction among students can be

difficult due to the nature of the distance course Technological issues and effectiveness Cost Effectiveness It is hard to measure cost effectiveness

because most factors are not included such as the training of technicians and instructors

Loss of Jobs

Blogs

Definition: A frequent, chronological publication of personal thoughts, weblinks, and photos.

Adapted from www.marketingterms.com/dictionary/blog/

Why Chosen

Target audience is already using themYoung adults spend more time on the

internet than watching TV86% of college students go online

Jones, S. The internet goes to college: How students are living in the future with today’s technology. USDLA Journal. 16(10). October 2002. retrieved February 14, 2007 from http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/OCT02_Issue/article03.html

Why be knowledgeable

Effective marketing strategiesSearch engines will retrieve blogs and list them

early when keywords are searched It’s an easy way to keep information fresh and

up-to-dateAdmissions, program requirements, etc.

Frequently asked questions can be addresses easily and in a timely mannerOthers reading the bog can share their knowledge

of the subject being discussed

Problems Monitoring of the blog

It takes time to properly monitor a blog Takes away from other work being done If someone is hired to monitor the blog, that is an added cost

What should be edited and what shouldn’t leads to questions of honesty

Setup of blogs can be a daunting taskChoosing bloggers to monitor the siteDesign of the blog itselfStrategies designed to keep the blog effective and target the

best audience

Information retrieved from www.eduinsight.com/articles/blogfad.html 

Technology and Cheating

Utilizing technology (internet, cell phones, pocket PCs, ipods) to create unfair advantage.

Why pay attention

In a 2005 Chronicle of Higher Education study, “44% of faculty agreed that plagiarism had increased in their students' work since the Internet has emerged” (Young, p. A32) .

New technology will result in new ways for students to cheat.

Focus on how students are cheating will allow faculty to find preventative resources.

Benefits to campus

Faculty will become more aware of aids to prevent cheating through technology.

Less way for students to cheat will result in more academic integrity for programs.

Faculty will learn about new technology which may be used to help students.

Issues surrounding

Faculty are unaware of new technology and how students are using for the purposes of cheating.

An unwillingness to become education about technology and its abuse.

Hard to police with technology becoming more portable.

Podcasting

Definition: A media file that is available for playback on personal computers or mobile devices, such as iPods and Mp3 players.

Pros

Simple to produce and inexpensive

Possible uses of podcasting

Record and distribute news broadcasts. -- The entire campus community and general public

Students can record and upload their foreign language lessons to their instructor’s Web site. The instructor can then

listen to the lessons on their MP3 player at their convenience. -- Students, instructors 

Audio / video recruiting development brochures with personalized messages. -- Prospective students and parents, development and recruiting personnel 

Possible uses of podcasting Recorded teacher’s notes -- Student, teachers  Recorded lectures distributed directly to student’s MP3 players. --

Students, teachers  Recorded meeting and conference notes.-- Students, faculty, staff,

admin  Student projects and project support interviews. – Students  Oral history archiving and on-demand distribution. -- Students, faculty  Sport event distribution. -- Students, alumni, and public 

Implications of Podcasting with regard to learning

There are “affective and cognitive benefits associated with audio, along with its cost-effectiveness, make it an ideal medium for producing material to address students’ preconceptions about a subject and its content, and to alleviate the anxiety that students bring into the classroom” (p. 68)

Would allow students to review materials on the way to class (walking, in the car). Very good for auditory learners.

Students could produce projects and send them to their instructors.

Can use the podcast to produce files for specific disciplines where listening skills are necessary, such as music and medicine

Implications for the university in general

Internet courses could offer lecture as a part of the course.

Students in other parts of the country and the world can take courses offered anywhere in the country, meaning more revenue for the university without additional expenditures.

Negative Implications

Students may not see the need to attend classes in person when lectures are available through the podcast.

Learning through podcasting offers less feedback from instructors and fellow classmates.

Intellectual property concerns—who owns the material? How can an instructor keep the material secure from outside users?

References

Chan, A., & Lee, M. J. W. (2005). An MP3 a day keeps the worries away: Exploring the use of podcasting to address

preconceptions and alleviate pre-class anxiety amongst undergraduate information technology students. In D. H. R.

Spennemann & L. Burr (Eds.), Good Practice in Practice. Proceedings of the Student Experience Conference 5-7th September "05 (pp. 59-71). Wagga Wagga, NSW: Charles Sturt University.

Meng, P. (2005). Podcasting & vodcasting: A white paper. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri, IAT Services.

References:

Read, B. (2005, October 28). Lectures on the go. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved February 13, 2007, from http://chronicle.com/weekly/v52/i10/10a03901.htm

Young, J. (2005, August 21).  Professors give mixed reviews of internet's educational impact. The Chronicle of Higher education. Retrieved February 17, 2001, from

http://kentlink.kent.edu/search/tthe+chronicle+of+higher+education/tchronicle+of+higher+education/1,7,23,E/l856~b3081314&FF=tchronicle+of+higher+education+online&1,1,,1, 0