Higher Education 556: Student Affairs and Technology

1. Higher Education 556: Student Affairs and Technology Melanie Stivers Allison Taylor Jason McKean Southern Illinois University, Carbondale Rationale, outcomes, and course content for graduate-level course on Student Affairs & Technology

2. Student Affairs and Technology: A Rationale • Today’s colleges and universities are faced with a plethora of issues regarding technology—which go far beyond the basic usage of e-mail and the Internet. Examining such issues in a critical manner is useful to new student affairs professionals as they begin to work in collegiate environments that are both creators and consumers of technology innovation. (Forest and Kinser, 2002) • Since technology is infused throughout today’s college student experience, our course will challenge graduate students to study technology in every aspect of student services—in terms of its history, value, purposes, flexibility, legal & ethical issues, and administration. • Because of the nature of rapid growth and continuous change in technology, it is essential for student affairs professionals to have a comprehensive knowledge of the technologies available to better meet the needs and demands of tomorrow’s college students.

3. Student Affairs and Technology: Desired Outcomes • By the end of the course, students will be able to: • Trace the historical development of technology in higher education. • Analyze and critique the types, purposes, and values of various technologies on college campuses. • Utilize hardware, software, and other technologies currently in use on college campuses. • Examine the legal issues surrounding technology use, including free speech, privacy, intellectual property, and equal access. • Showcase their individual commitments to technology by creating a comprehensive technology plan for a fictional campus.

4. Student Affairs and Technology: Week One History of Technology in Higher Education • Activities: • Reflect and write about first personal experience with technology, of any kind. • Define technology • Lecture: What have been the needs, uses, problems, and solutions created by technology in America? • Lecture: How have colleges and universities created technology, and felt pressure to use it? • Assignment: Find two journal articles on opposing sides of next week’s topics, read, and bring to class • Objectives: • Outline key trends in the use and creation of technology on college campuses • Root those trends in key themes of America’s use of technology through time

5. Student Affairs and Technology: Week Two Is Technology Worth The Costs? • Activities: • Discuss text reading for the week. • Divide into three groups based on funding, learning, and community • Share articles with group members • Each group subdivides into pro and con, and then presents an ad hoc debate on the issue to the class • Assignment: Use the two provided websites to find two cases on intellectual property, both related to technology in higher education, and read for next class. • Objectives: • Consider the value orientations of current technology uses • Analyze the implications for funding, learning, and community presented by technology

6. Student Affairs and Technology: Week Three Intellectual Property • Activities: • Lecture: Principles of intellectual property rights • Discussion: Case law, intellectual property, and higher education • The Napster phenomenon • Term paper websites • Assignment: Use provided websites to find a case on privacy and a case on free speech, both related to technology in higher education, and read for next class. • Objectives: • Understand key legal principles of intellectual property and technology. • Read case law to illustrate these principles in higher education.

7. Student Affairs and Technology: Week Four Privacy and Free Speech • Activities: • Lecture: Principles of free speech and privacy rights • Discussion: Case law, free speech, privacy, and higher education • Pornography: Filters in higher education? • Campus speech codes in online environments • Assignment: Read IDEA/504 • Objectives: • Understand key legal principles of privacy, free speech, and technology. • Read case law to illustrate these principles in higher education.

8. Student Affairs and Technology: Week Five Equal Access • Activities: • Lecture: Principles of equal access law in higher education as related to technology • IDEA • Section 504 • Guest Speaker: Representative from Disability Support Services to illustrate how technology can serve populations with special needs on campus. • Discuss other barriers to equal access of technology • Objectives: • Map the helps and hindrances technology creates for those in need of greater access. • Read legal documents to ascertain legal responsibilities for equal access and technology.

9. Student Affairs and Technology: Week Six Available Equal Access Technologies • Activities: • Class located in computer lab this week. • Guest Speaker: Representative from Academic Support Services to detail use of technology for students with learning disabilities, and programs for those with low skills. • Assistive computer programs • Services offered • Case studies of students in need of skills; how were such students provided needed instruction? • Objectives: • Understand four assistive technologies for students with learning disabilities. • Design interventions for students with low technology skills.

10. Student Affairs and Technology: Week Seven Available Computer Technologies • Activities: • Class located in computer lab this week. • Demonstration & Interaction: Using scanners, hand-held devices, and web-creating software. • Guest Speaker: Campus Information Technologies Support Staff to demonstrate and provide up-to date information on technologies available • Assignment: Read multiple assigned on-line articles on the topic of campus portals and prepare for discussion • Objectives: • Navigate the various hardware accessories of a current computer. • Be able to use Internet-related software. • Discuss the professional impacts of these kinds of software.

11. Student Affairs and Technology: Week Eight Campus Portals & Online Learning Communities • Activities: • Class located in computer lab this week. • Discuss: What is a portal? How do campus portals build community or create barriers to community? • Lecture: Review Alexander Astin’s Involvement Theory • Discuss: What is the overall impact of technology to student success and involvement? • Explore and critique current online portals at select universities. • Objectives: • Define campus portals. • Examine the impact of technology on the college campus community. • Apply Astin’s Involvement Theory to campus portal use.

12. Student Affairs and Technology: Week Nine • Activities: • Lecture: Give overview of basic types of assessment (ie. needs & outcomes) and their online applications • Survey development • Online survey implementation exercise • Examine costs & benefits of tech-based assessment • Assignment: Visit a department within student affairs and compile a comprehensive inventory of computer hardware & software used for daily operation. Use of Technology for Assessment • Objectives: • Understand multiple types of tech-based assessment available to student affairs professionals. • Create and implement an online survey

13. Student Affairs and Technology: Week Ten • Activities: • Present and evaluate findings of specific departmental uses of hardware & software • Discuss impact of technology on these various departments • Assignment: Choose five universities and evaluate their student affairs websites based on the following criteria: • Graphic appeal • Accessibility of information • Search capabilities • Use of most current technologies Student Affairs Departmental Technology Use • Objectives: • Gain knowledge of currently-used technologies in student affairs departments • Discuss the impact of specific technologies on various student affairs departments

14. Student Affairs and Technology: Week Eleven • Activities: • Class located in computer lab this week. • Share findings and critiques of student affairs websites • Explore various website-creating software currently available and create basic website template • Consider: • Student body (user) profile • ADA compliance • Individual campus policies on website format Campus Website Development • Objectives: • Discuss the important issues to consider when creating a student affairs website • Be able to create a basic website with an understanding of compliance and other issues

15. Student Affairs and Technology: Week Twelve Distance Learning and Virtual Universities • Activities: • Lecture & Discussion: Overview of the history and current implementation of distance learning and virtual universities • In groups, conduct a cost-benefit analysis of distance education in higher education with focus on the following topics: • Tech Support • Intellectual Property • Access • Student Populations • Objectives: • Understand costs and benefits of distance learning • Examine the differences between traditional 4-year universities and virtual universities

16. Student Affairs and Technology: Week Thirteen Project Development • Activities: • Spend class time working collaboratively on assigned project • Each student will claim a specific portion of the project to be completed • Assignment: Compose a comprehensive technology consultation for a fictional campus “case study”. • Objectives: • Gain a comprehensive understanding of technology issues on a typical college campus • Apply skills and knowledge learned throughout the course to a final project

17. Student Affairs and Technology: Week Fourteen Project Presentations • Activities: • Share results from collaborative projects giving special attention to the incorporation of theory, knowledge & skills learned from the course readings, activities, and assignments into the final project presentation. • Objectives: • Create & share a comprehensive technology plan for a fictional campus • Incorporate knowledge & skills gained from course readings and assignments into final project presentation

18. Student Affairs and Technology: Reading List & Bibliography Baxter Magolda, M.B. (2001). Making their own way: Narratives for transforming higher education to promote self-development. Sterling: Stylus Bowers, C.A. (2001). Educational Computing. In Educating for Eco-Justice and Community (pp. 126-148) Athens: University of Georgia Press DeBettencourt, L.U. (2002). Understanding the differences between IDEA and Section 504. Teaching Exceptional Children, Jan/Feb, 34(3) Johnstone, S.M. (2002). Virtual Universities. In Higher Education in the United States: An Encyclopedia (Vol. 2, pp. 695-697). Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO Pascarella, E.T. & Terenzini, P.T. (1991). How College Affects Students. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Schuh, J.H. & Upcraft, M.L. (2001). Assessment practice in student affairs:An applications manual. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Snydman, S.K. (2002). Technology. In Higher Education in the United States: An Encyclopedia (Vol. 2, pp. 652-659). Santa Barbara:ABC-CLIO Upcraft, L. & Goldsmith, H. (2000) Technological Changes in Student Affairs Administration. In the Handbook of Student Affairs Administration. (pp. 216- 228) Eds. Barr, M. & Desler, M. San Francisco:Jossey-Bass Other titles & resources: Entire issue: Syllabus: New Dimensions in Education Technology March 2001, Vol. 14 Technology in Student Affairs: Issues, Applications, and Trends (1994) Eds. Baier, J. & Strong, T.S. High-Tech Heretic: Reflections of a Computer Contrarian. Stoll, C.

19. Student Affairs and Technology: Useful Websites Legal Issues http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/EDU03156.pdf http://www.ce9.uscourts.gov/web/newopinions.nsf/4bc2cbe0ce5be 94e88256927007a37b9/c4f204f69c2538f6882569f1000616b06?Ope n Document http://www.aclu.org/Privacy/PrivacyMain.cfm Campus Portals http://weber.edu/deisler/campus_portals.htm