Penderwood University:

A Comprehensive Research Institution

in the Southeast

Dean’s Advisory Council on TechnologyJames DeVita

Kristin FergusonShanna PendergrastAmanda Blakewood

Technology Workshop Overview

Purpose: to identify and discuss five technology hot topics and their significance for student affairs professionals at Penderwood

University

By the end of today’s workshop, participants will be able to:

Understand key terms associated with various aspects of technology Recognize five aspects of technology and how students use the

technology in their daily lives Relate these five aspects to important theoretical frameworks

utilized by student affairs professionals Assess both the positive and negative implications for student

affairs professionals in our work with students Understand the ways these technologies have been used on other

college campuses—and how they could be employed at Penderwood University

Tech-tionary (Glossary of Terms Related to Technology)

AIM - Stands for AOL Instant Messenger. The most widely used instant messenger service.

Screen name - The name chosen by the individual to identify them in instant messaging communications.

Buddies - The term used to describe those people that one has contact with through instant messenger.

WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) - allows users to access the internet and/or network without physically being connected to it. Hot spot – an area in which an internet ready digital device can connect to the internet

Institutional spam - mass communication from the institution to students or groups of students

Listserv - a listing of e-mail address that have been complied under a single address for distribution purposes

Online Community (OC) - a website where you can post information, pictures and videos for others to see.

Profile – all the information you add to your place in the OC. This usually includes demographics, school and work history, pictures, videos, and random fun information such as “favorite” lists (i.e. favorite movies, favorite quotes, etc).

Friend – someone you have confirmed you have a relationship with. A friend can view your profile in its entirety.

Privacy – OC profiles can be set to varying levels of privacy. The more private your profile, the less the public can see without first being added to your Friend list.

Cyberspace – the community created by the internet where users interact.

Blogger – someone who participates in the act of blogging.

Posting – the act of adding information to an online site or community.

Why is technology important to understand?

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) identifies five benchmarks critical to understanding effective educational practices on college campuses today:

1. Level of Academic Challenge2. Active and Collaborative Learning3. Student-Faculty Interactions4. Enriching Educational Opportunities5. Supportive Campus Environments(NSSE, 2003).

These benchmarks were employed in a study conducted by Kuh and Laird(2004) that found the following results:

Not surprisingly, students use technology to complete assignments as well as to communicate with professors and peers.

Students believe that technology enhances the academic challenge of their courses. Students work together more when utilizing technology. Some students do use technology to “cheat” or plagiarize. Students use technology to communicate more frequently with faculty members and on more

important topics, such as career choices and grades. Students use various forms of technology, particularly email and the internet, on a daily basis.

Why focus on these five topics of technology?

1. Institutional Spam - students use email on a daily basis. Does institutional spam help us connect with students or take time away from other more important pursuits?

2. Instant Messaging - like email, instant messaging is used by many students on a daily basis. Does this form of technology help students connect to one another or actually prohibit meaningful connections? Can and should student affairs professionals use text messaging to reach out to students?

3. Blogs - offer students the freedom to express themselves in a safe, non-confrontational environment as well as to connect with others. However, is this actually prohibiting the formation of meaningful, collaborative relationships or helping them?

4. Online Communities - offer students both freedom of expression and the opportunity to connect to and stay connected to others easily. However, are online communities safe for students? More importantly, perhaps, are they effective ways to facilitate learning or distractions from more important endeavors?

5. WiFi (aka wireless internet) - offers students the ability to connect from anywhere. Now students don’t have to be in the library to get information from it. Again, does this technology help students get connected or stay connected or simply serve as yet another method for students to procrastinate?

Each of the following five topics were chosen based upon their relationship to the frameworks identified by NSSE and the impact

they have on the quantity and quality of students’ time and energy (Astin, 1999).

Institutional Spam

Mass Emails Get Messy

What is Institutional Spam and How Does it Work?

Institutional spam allows administrators to send messages to the whole university, including faculty, staff and students.

Faculty members can email messages to all students in their classes at once.

The majority of universities allow spam under a few conditions: There is a controller: a person who determines which messages

go out and which do not. Listservs must be approved by the Office of Institutional

Technology (OIT). Listserv addresses must be managed within the organization or

class they are assigned to. All accounts will have one “controller” who will determine which messages to send out across the listserv as well as which incoming messages to send out for all members to view.

These messages can only be sent by current faculty, staff, and students and to individuals currently associated with the university.

Institutional Spam: Students’ Perspective

Student organizations utilize institutional spam regularly to update their members.

Must students do not read institutional spam. Usually after reading the memo line they delete it.

E-mails, such as the one to the right, are deleted by the students who later run into problems due to a lack of information.

Institutional Spam: Administrative Prospective

There is compelling rational behind the allowance of institutional spam: mass distribution of important information could be quick and inexpensive; however, the students must read the information for the message to be received.

Universities struggle to implement creative ways to notify the student body in light of the fact that they do not always read mass emails

While universities have regulations regarding outside spam, they do not consider their mass emails spam, although students do.

The controllers can only monitor emails that are sent through a listserv. If all email addresses are listed in a mass email, an individual could create a new email and add the addresses individually. This could a more be serious problem if someone were use an institutional email to gain access to student email addresses and subsequently send an offensive message to a targeted group on campus.

Institutional Spam: Uses at Penderwood University

In order to cut down on institutional spam Penderwood has consolidated emails and utilizes descriptive subject lines.

Faculty members are also encouraged to use institutional in online communities, such as BlackBoard, to update students on course requirements, class assignments or even cancellations.

Below is an example of a mass email heading that was sent out by Penderwood this week:

Instant Messaging

Type to Talk Communication

Instant MessagingText Messaging and AIM services

Instant Messaging “An instant messenger is a client which allows

instant text communication between two or more people through a network such as the Internet” (Wikipedia, 2007).

For more information, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/instant_message

Amsademeis: With instant messenger I can contact my "buddies" immediately!SBlakewood: that’s great - but what if your buddy is not there?Amsademeis: well with instant messaging you can put an away message up and then your buddies can reply.  That way you can see what they are up to even if you are in different cities, states, or even countriesSBlakewood: that is really cool - when we are both at our computers we can have an instant conversation.  what a great way to communicate

Text Messaging

“Short Message Service (SMS) is a service available on most digital mobile phones, other mobile devices (e.g. a Pocket PC, or occasionally even desktop Computers that permits the sending of short messages between mobile phones, other handheld devices and even landline telephones” (Wikipedia, 2007).

Students use Instant Messaging as a way to quickly, easily and efficiently

communicate with others.

Pros – ability to establish a more supportive and collaborative environment for students

Easy way to connect, communicate, enhance relationships.

Increases communication by providing convenient way to immediately contact someone. Most cell phones come equipped with text message function. Most computers also come equipped with instant messaging technology and those that do not can be easily downloaded for free.

Can be used as a cheap and efficient way to disseminate information to a mass number of people.

Easily facilitates long distance communication, both interstate and internationally.

Cons – amount of time and energy spent with instant messaging keeps students from engaging in other activities

Provides distractions to students in a variety of settings, including during class and meetings. This could lead to a lack of focus on academics and a decrease in effective participation in extra-curricular activities.

Increased use of short-hand may promote a decrease in their actual writing skills and abilities, thus making effective assignment completion more difficult and time consuming.

Instant messaging may also

encourage carelessness in writing and other forms of communication that allow students to avoid confrontation and person-to-person contact.

Student Affairs Implications

How does this technology impact our students on college campuses today?

Cheating Scandals

At the University of Maryland, College Park, twelve students were caught cheating through an elaborate text message scheme in their accounting class.

Similarly, twenty-six Hitotsubashi University Students in Japan failed after receiving emailed exam answer messages to their cell phones(Wikipedia, 2007).

These examples show us that students may abuse technology for their own benefit. While these illustrations take place inside of the classroom, text messaging can have major implications on the well-being and academic success of our students.

Advantages of Text Messaging Technology

Text messaging and IM have become increasing popular methods of communication for students. Student affairs professionals can take advantage of this by utilizing these technologies to communicate with students and stay connected.

Applications for Penderwood University

Instant Messaging

Many University libraries are using Instant Messaging as a way for students to access help finding information or books. Penderwood University can set up a screen name: PenUlibraryassistant for students to IM if they have questions or concerns.

Text Messaging

Creighton University uses Text Messaging to notify students of their acceptance. Penderwood University could employ the same strategy to alert students if they chose to be notified in that manner (Diverse Issues in Higher Education, 2006).

Some Universities are using Text message to disseminate health messages. Smoking-cessation messages were sent to forty-six regular smokers who attended universities. The study was showed a decrease in smokers and provides support for the use of text messages as an effective means of communication with students. Penderwood University could also use text messages as a way to disseminate information quickly and efficiently to many students. (Journal of American College Health, 2004).

Blogs

Private Journals Go Public

Online Communities

My Place in Cyber-Space

What is an online community?

Why do students like online communities? OC’s allow students to form friendships, join groups and socialize with other people who share

common interests (i.e. Penderwood Democrats or Penderwood Hiking Club)

What do Student Affairs Administrators need to know about Online Communities?

OC’s can be very helpful with students who feel nervous in social situations. For example, a male student could meet a female at a party but not feel comfortable asking for her phone number. He could, however, request to be her friend on an OC and subsequently establish an online relationship with her. After exchanging online dialogue, he may feel more comfortable asking for her phone number.

OC’s are a great way to interact (or just get in touch) with students. University departments (Penderwood University Career Services) can create their own profiles using a .edu email address.

OC’s can encourage student involvement on campus. Most OC’s have “evites” (online invitations) so that students or administrators can invite their “friends” to events.

Some universities are creating their own OC’s, often called “portals” which are open only to active students. These portals are a great way to inform students of happenings on campus, discuss issues in online focus groups and encourage student involvement.

As noted above, used properly, OC’s facilitate student relationships and encourage involvement on campus. Unfortunately, OC’s can also stifle students’ abilities to overcome social anxieties when used as crutches. In addition, interacting on OC’s also take time away from students’ study time and time interacting in person on campus.

In a few unfortunate situations, students have been stalked both online and in person as a result of posting personal information online. Many OC’s display events that students are planning to host or attend. Administrators should familiarize themselves with the signs of internet stalking in case a student seeks assistance.

An online community is a website where students can post information, pictures and videos for others to see. Each student has their own page which contains the information the student chooses to share. The most popular Online Communities are

Facebook and Myspace.

On the left side, there is a picture of Penderwood and information about the University’s favorite music, movies, books, TV shows, and heroes.

On the right side, there are places for Penderwood administrators to write blogs or make announcements; friends of the university are displayed, and comments by Penderwood’s friends are listed.

Backgrounds can be personalized by the user to express their personality or mood.

Applications at Penderwood

University How can Penderwood University best utilize Online

Communities?

They can create their own Online Community, the Penderwood Portal!

WiFi

Coming Soon To Everywhere You Want To Be

What is Institutional WiFi and How Does it Work?

Nearly two-thirds of colleges and universities in the U.S. indicated they are either underway with or have a strategic plan to implement a wireless computing network.

Why are universities are moving to a wireless system (WiFi)?

Many students are coming to school with wireless ready laptops.

Students have wireless in their homes and expect to have it at school as well

Several restaurants are offering WiFi and students are taking advantage of it, thus leaving the university.

The more students on campus the more they interact with each other increasing chances for engagement and involvement.

WiFi does not completely replace a wired network; it does however, enhance it.

As the diagram to the right depicts there is a wireless access point (WAP) that is connected to a desktop and the servers.

As long as users are with a certain radius of the WAP they will be able to access the internet. Increased attention must be place on security in order for a wireless system to be successful Companies exist that specialize in assisting colleges and universities with wireless set up on their campuses.

WiFi & College Students

Some benefits of wireless include: Ease of Movement - Wireless laptops can be moved

anywhere within and between buildings and require no special furniture.

Relaxed Fit - Laptops are easier to accommodate within existing classrooms because of their small size.

Low Profile - Laptops are less intrusive and allow for more personable interaction. Unlike desktops that have large monitors that can block the vision of both students and teachers, laptops have low profiles and allow teachers and students to make important eye contact.

Convenience - Wireless laptops are readily available when needed and can be easily stored. There is almost no set-up time for laptops. Students are not required to find, connect or disconnect wires.

Access – Students can access the library or other resources from anywhere. No more scrap pieces of paper with notes on them to remind themselves what to look up they can do it right then.

Major issues for students regarding WiFi include: Technical Support - Students prefer 24 hour access to

technical support since many of them study after traditional business hours.

System Overload - The system not being able to “hold” several students logged in at the same time.

Wireless networks offer mobility and simplicity to students, which in turn will lead to increase studying, ideally, with a definite

increase in access.

How does WiFi affect student affairs administrators?

Positive aspects of a WiFi system for administrators:

Strategic Deployment - Unlike traditional hardwired computers, laptop computers can be deployed on rolling carts where they are needed most, creating one-to-one learning opportunities.

Flexibility - Laptops can be used within existing classrooms. Whether there is a team, group or individual, laptops can be configured to fit a teacher's preference and the nature of the learning experience. Also, wireless laptops place no additional demands on furniture or space.

Less Clutter - Elimination of cables and wires reduces clutter and allows for as many as twenty-five to thirty laptops to be easily used in a single classroom.

Simplicity - The simplicity comfort and reliability of wireless laptops means that teachers and students can focus on learning and not on hardware. This allows technology attain its purpose not often due to technical difficulties or inconvenience.

Major issues with administrators regarding WiFi include:

While students and faculty/staff have added freedom they find themselves slaves to their computers.

WiFi users are always reachable; potential exists to feel as if they have no alone time. Students using WiFi are easily distracted due to “playing online” when they are supposed

to be paying attention in class or working on an assignment. Personal contact or dialogue diminishes since departments no longer call each other with

questions. Instead they email or text message their questions to each other.

Two-thirds of other institutions are currently implementing or looking to implement wireless systems in the near future. Therefore, WiFi will likely become a factor in choosing a college; colleges will need to have WiFi to

remain competitive.

WiFi: Penderwood Application

Before the instillation of WiFi students had to go to a computer lab with limited computers in order to access the internet and our network.

After installing WiFi, students are free to study in their rooms or outdoors.

Users also have excellent technical support with extended night and weekend hours for convenience.

Students, faculty, and staff can also access the internet from their cellular phones.

Penderwood University was recently accepted as a winner of a competition for Campus-Wide WiFi Equipment Donation Program. Here is how our campus has

changed. . .

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