Transcript Serving an iPod Nation ® Technology in Campus Environments Michael Elias Nicole Foster Jennifer Kopczynski Rose Sterling DePaul University.

Serving an iPod Nation
®
Technology in Campus Environments
Michael Elias
Nicole Foster
Jennifer Kopczynski
Rose Sterling
DePaul University
Proposing Questions
• Are student affairs professionals prepared to deal with the
complexities and issues associated with the growing
development of technology?
– Providing technology training for student affairs professionals
– Ensuring student safety and confidentiality
• What about the impact it has on the delivery to traditional
student affairs services and programs?
– Sacrificing personal interactions with students
Purpose of this presentation
• To address technology obstacles in the student affairs profession
• To discuss an emerging student population embracing technology
• To discuss the five “Hot Topics” in technology that the Student Affairs
professionals need to be aware of in order to:
– Foster stronger, more vibrant campus communities
– Support students’ academic and personal growth
– Increase student engagement in learning
Technology and Student Affairs
• Obstacles:
– Lack of educational preparation has made it difficult for some professionals
to fully embrace electronic process use
– Constant technological advances allow no time frame for professionals to
adapt to already implemented and learned technology
– Resistance to change from traditional approaches delay effectively learning
technological systems
• If Student Affairs professionals are to successfully meet the
needs of today’s students (Millennial generation), we must stay
abreast of technological innovations.
Understanding the Millennial Generation
and their Technology Usage
•
Characteristics of the Millennial
generation (Coleman, Little, &
Lester, 2006) :
– High comfort level with
technology in all forms
– Described as the
“connected” generation
because technology has
provided them with the
capability of always staying
connected with family,
friends, and professors
– High expectations and
demand for customer
service since their needs
are instantaneously gratified
through technology
•
In a Research Study on Student
Technology Use at Penn State
University (2001), students were
asked to estimate the average
number of hours per week they
spent online doing class related
work, using e-mail or instant
messaging, in chat rooms,
surfing the Internet,or
communicating with faculty:
– Email: 4.91
– Instant Messaging: 11.06
– Chat rooms: 0.3
– Surfing the Web: 6.35
– Communicating with faculty:
1.03
“Hot Topics” in Technology
Online Counseling
Web-Based College Admission Applications
Videoconferencing
Blogs
Institutional Spam
“Hot Topic:” Online Counseling
Mental Health Crisis on College Campuses
• Students’ Issues
– According to Gallagher’s annual
survey of counseling centers
(as cited in Brody, 2003) more
than 80% of college campuses
have noted significant
increases in psychological
problems, including severe
stress, depression, anxiety and
panic attacks.
•
Kadison (2004) found that:
– 45% college students have
experienced severe depression
– 10% have seriously considered
suicide
– 64% have felt a sense of
hopelessness
– 94% have felt overwhelmed at
times
• Campus dilemma
– High need and demand for
more mental health services;
however, budget problems limit
what institutions can provide.
• As a result:
– Not enough counselors for
students to get quick attention
– Waiting list for counseling
services have increased
– Quality of counseling services
suffers
– Higher counselor burn-out rates
“Hot Topic:” Online Counseling
Using Technology to Help Address Students’
Needs
• Online Counseling, what is it?
– A professional counselor or psychotherapist communicates with
a client over the Internet to provide emotional support, mental
health advice, or some other professional service.
– Online counseling depends entirely on written (typed) out words.
– Also known as: etherapy, ecounseling, cybertherapy, web
counseling, and telecounseling.
“Hot Topic:” Online Counseling
How does Online Counseling Work?
•
The following are online tool options used to foster communication
between counselor and client as part of the counseling process:
– E-mail:
• Typically used to initiate the online counseling process by completing
an intake form, which includes the client’s presenting problem(s). This
is known as the thoughtful process as it requires a lot of thought on
what the client wants to express.
– Instant Messaging (IM):
• Allows counselor and client to conduct real-time chats without the wait
of e-mail.
– Chat Room:
• Most popular use for online counseling. Similar to IM’ing, counselors
and clients use the keyboard to type out their exchange in real time.
– Videoconferencing:
• Considered the wave of the future for online counseling. Allows the
counselor and the client to see and hear one another in close to real
time.
“Hot Topic:” Online Counseling
Who would Online Counseling Work Best
For?
• A research study conducted by Leibert, Archer, Munson, York (2006)
found that people who used online counseling tended to use the
Internet for general purposes over 10 hours per week. Thus, online
counseling could definitely benefit students as use of technology is
part of today’s generation’s culture norm.
• Also beneficial for:
–
–
–
–
Introverted people
Persons with disabilities
Individuals with anxiety disorders
Individuals with body image issues
“Hot Topic:” Online Counseling
Why Campuses should Embrace Online
Counseling
• To better serve an emerging generation for whom interaction via
the Internet is a common practice.
• To reach out to a student population that feasibly cannot or will
not access traditional mental health services.
• To provide a higher level of privacy or anonymity that will allow a
greater level of client self-disclosure.
• Convenient for both students and counselors
• To better meet budget demands.
“Hot Topic:” Online Counseling
Top 3 Disadvantages of Online Counseling
• Confidentiality-- the possibility exists for breach of
confidentiality of client information that is transmitted
electronically over computer networks.
• Lack of visual cues-- prevents counselor from picking up
on important nonverbal behaviors.
• Inability to intervene in crisis situations-- remote
communication prevents immediate or emergency care
in the event that a client tries to harm him/herself or
others.
“Hot Topic:” Web-Based College Admission Applications
Web-Based College Admission Applications
• It is essential that colleges and universities recognize the technology
trend of the Internet among our students.
• The ultimate goal of any college’s Internet presence is to create a
dialog with the prospective student (Hartman, 1998).
• The College Bound Annual Admissions Trends Survey (2003)
indicates that electronic applications have become major part of the
admission process (Gifford, Perriott, & Mianzo, 2005).
– In 2003, 98 percent of colleges surveyed accepted electronic applications.
– Of these, 89 percent received more electronic applications than in 2002.
“Hot Topic:” Web-Based College Admission Applications
Click to Submit….
• Online applications are those in which the data is transmitted and
stored electronically - a paperless system from student to institution.
– Students complete admission application and click the computer mouse to
submit versus completing paperwork required in traditional admission
procedures.
– Students are provided with an access code for an administrative site to check
status of application.
– The institution reviews the application and notifies applicant of decision.
• Using the Internet for application submissions, puts the institution on
the forefront of technological advancement.
– Universities need to keep up with their constituents’ technological abilities.
– Prospective students are familiar with the Internet and its functions, thus pushing
the world of higher education into this technology trend to best serve the growth
of both the students and institution.
“Hot Topic:” Web-Based College Admission Applications
Benefits of Web-Based College Admission
Applications
• Time-effective for students and institution.
– Students pressed with deadlines have opportunity to bypass snail-mail and
submit their application with the click of a button.
– Institutions are able to receive, review, and decide on application minus the
paperwork, keeping the process functioning on a higher level of organization.
• Resource management (budgets, personnel).
– Online applications do not replace Student Affairs personnel, but provide
opportunities for technological development among staff members.
• Takes institution into the Web-based technology trends commonly
used by prospective students.
– Creating an Internet Action Plan to help create funds and build campaigns
around this concept enables the institution to keep up with technological
advancements within higher education.
“Hot Topic:” Web-Based College Admission Applications
Challenges of Web-Based College
Admission Applications
•
Availability of Web technology
among prospective students.
–
–
•
•
Socioeconomic status impacts
accessibility to computers and latest
technologies.
Minority and ethnic groups may not
have easy access.
Possibility that students will
submit a lesser-quality
application when completed
online (Gifford, Perriott, &
Mianzo, 2005).
–
With paper applications, counselors
and parents serve as resources, which
can be diminished with online
applications.
Security and privacy concerns
about the process.
–
•
Who reviews my application? How will
I know it was received and processed?
Hot Topic: Web-Based
Student Affairs professionals
may hesitate when moving
towards Web-based technology
for fear it will sacrifice personal
interactions with students.
–
•
Online applications will take the place
of the student making the effort to
contact the institution and request
information or even visit the campus.
Cost of training and
implementation to provide
service of Web-based
applications.
“Hot Topic:” Videoconferencing
Videoconferencing Defined
•
Webopedia (2007e) stated that videoconferencing involves conducting a
conference between two or more participants at different sites by using
computer networks to transmit audio and video data.
– Allows people to share ideas and information via document sharing and whiteboarding (an electronic version of a blackboard).
•
Advanced technology in video compression has made videoconferencing
affordable and usable.
•
Web cameras or Web cams are inexpensive and easy to install on any
home or office computer.
– Instead of purchasing a Web camera to videoconference, students or Student
Affairs staff may be able to hook up a digital camera.
•
Free videoconferencing software is provided by Yahoo!
“Hot Topic:” Videoconferencing
Why Use Videoconferencing?
“Two hundred heads are better than one.”
• Student populations today
expect campus-wide access to
information technology.
• Students want electronic
access to faculty and staff.
• Distance education students
need access to the same
services, education, and
Student Affairs staff as oncampus students.
• Provides a medium for
students to communicate with
others who share their
interests and experience the
same challenges.
• Telecommunications provide
expanded opportunities for the
delivery of education and
training.
“Hot Topic:” Videoconferencing
Benefits of Offering Videoconferencing Capabilities to
Students and Student Affairs Professionals
•
Conduct virtual meetings with students to enhance relationships with them. This could be
especially useful when working with part-time and evening students, commuter students and
students who are differently-abled.
•
Collaborate with other Student Affairs professionals, faculty and students at the national and
international level. Minority student groups could communicate directly with each other across
universities to collaborate efforts, build workshops, and promote awareness.
•
Professional Development seminars and key note speakers could be videoconferenced to multiple
universities, student groups, and campus departments while saving time and travel costs.
•
Communicate directly with parents and other involved parties when handling issues on campus.
•
Verifies student identity when not able to communicate face to face.
•
Provide videoconferencing to enhance the university’s career center by allowing employers and
students to conduct interviews. This will be especially helpful when students are looking to
relocate after getting their degree.
•
Research on videoconferencing has shown that it can heighten motivation, improve
communication, expand students connections with the outside world and increase depth of
learning.
•
Expanded opportunities for community outreach and partnerships between the business
community and the educational community.
“Hot Topic:” Videoconferencing
The Challenges of Videoconferencing
•
Issues with reliability, costs, compatibility, and ease of use.
•
Constantly having to manage technology so that it improves the
environment and resources made available to students.
•
Small details such as eye movements and facial expressions are missed
during videoconferencing.
•
Appropriate supervision is needed to ensure students, staff, and faculty are
using technology for positive gains.
•
Could make establishing boundaries more difficult.
•
Research has shown that participants of a videoconferenced lecture or
keynote speaker may lose interest more easily than if they were actually at
the event.
•
Dependability of equipment (for example, small screens at a large lecture
where not everyone has good visibility).
“Hot Topic:” Videoconferencing
What’s the Bottom Line with
Videoconferencing?
•
Videoconferencing could be used in residence halls, computer labs,
libraries, and Student Affairs Offices. This capability can be seen as a
selling point when recruiting students.
•
Among other areas mentioned, videoconferencing could be used in the
Admissions Office to conduct initial interviews and with minority student
groups to promote collaboration across universities.
•
Collect feedback from students and staff regarding their views on
videoconferencing before implementation and after.
•
If used, protect students from the negative side of videoconferencing
(example, pornography).
•
To stay abreast of the latest advancements, it is recommend that Student
Affairs professionals attend at least one technology-focused seminar during
conference to keep abreast of new videoconferencing capabilities and
implementation strategies.
“Hot Topic:” Blogs
What’s a Blog?
• Blogs are online “journals” that allow people to write about personal
and/or professional experiences and share them with others via an
online Web site.
• Blogs generally contain information in the forms of written text,
pictures, links to other Web sites and/or blogs, and any other
information related to the content of that specific blog entry.
• Blogs allow other viewers to post their comments or remark on blog
entries.
• Though blogs are primarily used by individuals as an online “diary”
for posting personal day-to-day events, many organizations,
including college campuses, are using blogs as a form of outreach
to communicate with students, faculty, and staff about university
events and procedures.
“Hot Topic:” Blogs
Why are Blogs Important to the Campus
Community?
• Faculty, staff, and student affairs professionals can connect with
students via online blogs with information regarding advising, career
opportunities, clubs/organizations, and campus events.
• Students are accustomed to searching for university information and
aid online – blogs provide and accessible outlet for student
outreach.
• Blogs are easy to implement, navigate, and use.
• Using blogs will send a message to students that faculty and staff
care about technological advances and will take notice of the
university’s assimilation to online tools and connections.
“Hot Topic:” Blogs
How are Blogs Used Effectively in the
Campus Community?
• Professors can post classroom discussion questions, homework
assignments, participation and extra credit opportunities online via
blogs.
• Unlike other technological discussion boards most commonly used
(i.e., Blackboard), blogs are more informal, less intimidating, and
more familiar to students, therefore aiding in ease and satisfaction of
use.
• Blogs can be used by faculty to provide links to journals, online
articles, pictures, and lectures materials, saving both professors and
students the time and money of printing and/or making copies of
classroom materials.
• Students can use blogs to comment, evaluate, and make
suggestions about academic, housing, or student life concerns.
“Hot Topic:” Blogs
What Are the Negative Effects of Blog Use?
• Loss of the human element – interacting with students, faculty and
staff electronically forces people to keep an interpersonal distance
from one another.
• Legal Implications – without proper monitoring, students and faculty
could open themselves up to libel or plagiarism cases if they are not
careful with what they post online.
• Easy access – anyone has access to online materials if blogs are
not password protected or accessible by people outside of the
university.
• First Amendment Rights – as everyone has the right to free speech,
it is difficult to implement rules about what can and cannot be said
on university blogs and, more importantly, how to prevent
inappropriate material from being posted on blogs.
“Hot Topic:” Blogs
Examples of Blog Use on College
Campuses
• Jason Nolan, a professor at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada,
uses his blog to both promote his work, and inform students:
http://lemmingworks.org/weblog/
• Waynesburg University devotes a page of their Web site to blogs
used across campus for academic and student life concerns:
http://www.waynesburg.edu/students.asp?pi=1302&c1=5&c2=86&c3
=1302
• A step-by-step guide for faculty and students about creating and
using blogs at the University of Minnesota:
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/ways.html#students
“Hot Topic:” Institutional Spam
What is Institutional Spam?
• Institutional Spam refers to the one or more mass e-mails that are
sent out to numerous university populations, including faculty, staff
and students.
• Spam or mass e-mails are always sent to numerous recipients at
once, which can include a cluster of students, faculty, staff, or all
three.
• Though sometimes welcome, “spam” generally has a negative
connotation, associated with unwanted or repetitive e-mails.
• Institutional spam may include both mass e-mails sent regarding
internal functions and events within the university as well as
information about events outside the campus environment.
“Hot Topic:” Institutional Spam
Why is Understanding Institutional Spam
Important for College Campuses?
•
It is important to understand spam as a networking tool that connects faculty
and students to campus functions (guest speakers, lectures) or updates to
current campus systems (employee benefits, student registration).
•
As an efficient and convenient way to inform numerous people all at once, it
is necessary to become familiar with how to send and receive institutional
spam.
•
By understanding how spam works, faculty and students can become more
technologically proficient and, therefore, differentiate between educational
spam and unhelpful or repetitious spam.
•
Since unwanted spam is more prominent than education spam in the
university e-mail system, it is not an issue that can be easily solved or
avoided without understanding more completely how it works and who the
recipients are.
“Hot Topic:” Institutional Spam
How is Institutional Spam Used Effectively in
Campus Environments?
• The best way to implement a policy for sending mass e-mails, or
educational institutional spam, would be for the university’s
information technology (IT) department to implement any of the
following guidelines:
• Educational spam should only include unsolicited electronic mail that
pertains to events, functions, and policies relevant to the learning
environment.
• Educational spam may fall into any of the following categories that would be
relevant to the university: Urgent Messages (class cancellations, safety
concerns, emergency procedures), Formal Notice (commencement details,
bereavement notices), or Informational (advising opportunities, registration
dates/deadlines, campus events, etc).
• Educational spam should be approved before submission by either a
departmental chair, Executive Vice President or Vice President of University
Relations.
“Hot Topic:” Institutional Spam
What are the Negative Effects of Institutional
Spam
• The negative effects greatly outweigh the positive, unfortunately.
They include:
• A lot of spam includes pyramid schemes or online “hackers” who use other
peoples’ passwords and credit card information to access their personal
information. Uninformed students, faculty, and staff may unwittingly comply
with these e-mails if they are not careful with their information.
• Wasted time and money spent on learning how to best eliminate unwanted
spam.
• Many technological strategies implemented to “block” or prevent spam from
getting into e-mail are not only costly but unreliable.
• Anti-Spam laws, while in effect for 26 states, have proven to be difficult to
implement and enforce (i.e., unwanted spam vs. the right to free speech).
• It is cheaper for advertisers to send unwanted spam than it is for institutions
to find new ways of blocking spam e-mail.
• Free access to student, faculty, and staff e-mail addresses make it easier for
people to send unwanted spam to university recipients.
Summary:
Technology Decision Making
Online Counseling, Electronic Application, Videoconferencing, Blogs & Institutional Spam
Factors to consider:
• What is the benefit to students? Do benefits outweigh
drawbacks?
-How can technology enhance and build upon the campus
environment?
• Feasibility
-Considerations include ethical concerns, cost of equipment,
training, policy implementation, and management of service.
• Cultural Concerns
-More and more students come from a technology, driven
society. How can Student Affairs adapt?
What We’ve Learned….
•
With new technology emerging every day, we must be prepared to “think
outside the box” if we are to successfully compete with other technological
forward colleges and most importantly, better serve our students’ needs.
•
Universities aim to inspire growth and promote the welfare of students and
faculty. Creating an environment that fosters this concept comes with the
need for technological advancement and development.
•
Technology is being embraced by students and we have to embrace it as
well to create campus environments that foster a truly inclusive and
cohesive community for all.
•
Technology is essential to student learning. If faculty and staff make the
effort to accommodate and replicate these technological advances, students
will respond positively to their colleagues, faculty, and the institution with
appreciation and respect that their needs, and voices, are being heard.
References
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