Student Affairs
On-Line
The on-line magazine about
technology and Student Affairs
Gary D. Malaney - Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst
Editor
Stuart Brown - StudentAffairs.com
Executive Editor
|
Student Affairs Gary D. Malaney - Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst Editor Stuart Brown - StudentAffairs.com |
|
|
|
||||||||
Join our mailing list!
|
Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning: Leading and Supporting the Transformation on your Campus
If you were a newly hired college president, what would you do if, among all the many other issues with which you needed to deal, you discovered that the technology needs of your college had been neglected? More commonly, what if, as a newly hired college president, you wanted to expand the technology infrastructure that already existed on campus? Whether you are facing an extreme situation, or already have technology in place, Barone and Hagner's (2001) Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning: Leading and Supporting the Transformation on Your Campus is written as a guide to thinking through technical processes within the context of the values and culture of your institution. Faculty issues and concerns are recognized as central to the transition to a technologically integrated campus. Intellectual property issues are addressed, and infrastructure issues are discussed. The book begins by addressing the practical issues of assessing the existing technology infrastructure and the level of faculty adoption of instructional technology. It quickly moves beyond this by suggesting that part of being a leader of campus transformation is the ability to create an environment in which members of the campus community are allowed to disagree with the acquisition or implementation plans or even decide against the entire technological change altogether. For those desiring a sequential presentation of information, chapters are devoted to the discussion of five principles for managing complexity in leading transformational change, five elements of systemic support models, four phases of successful team-based design and delivery of instructional technology, and seven elements of successful institutionalization. The gift of the book, however, is revealed when the authors state that the intention is not to present a "how to" manual, but instead to discuss the initiation, implementation, and management of transformation in Internet-based learning. To do this, the editors present a comprehensive twelve-step approach to thinking about distributed learning. Presenting the "Twelve Campus Conditions for Transformation," the editors use these steps to summarize the conversations of three focus sessions of administrators, faculty, and instructional personnel held by the National Learning Infrastructure Initiative (NLII) in 2000. The twelve conditions are unique in that they are presented together as a decision-making tool that addresses the fact that a college's technology decisions need to be made in the context of the unique values and culture of that institution. The conditions that are presented force decision-makers to take a much more inclusive view of who the technology stake-holders are. They suggest that the technology needs of the college cannot be considered without a simultaneous consideration of the institutional mission, and technological change should not even be considered unless the institutional leaders go beyond "lip-service" support and actually show resource and policy changing commitment to this strategic direction. The editors suggest that this will require communication about the need for a strategic technological direction so that a climate of trust will be facilitated within the campus community. If communication is successful, i.e. if the technology implementation strategy is clearly linked to the institution's teaching and learning goals, cooperation among the different departments and divisions should be achieved.
Overall, then, the conversations engaged in by those participating in the NLII focus sessions encompassed much more than the traditional structural considerations of technology expansion. Indeed, the discussions revealed how innovative higher education institutions are conceptualizing the blending of information technology and instructional technology so that the ultimate goal of student learning enhancement is achieved. Ultimately, what Barone and Hagner suggest in summarizing these conversations into the themes of the book is that technological change must be all-encompassing, and that it must have the support of both the president and the various college constituents. While in the short run a "how to" book may be what practioners desire, for long-term transformation, taking the time to adopt Barone and Hagner's recommendations may be more likely to facilitate the achievement of sustainable technological change and produce engaged participation by those for whom it was intended.
|
|||||||