StudentAffairs.com - the online guide for student affairs professionals.

Ejournal

Winter 2008: vol. 9, no. 3

Editor's Note
I would like to emphasize that we always are interested in publishing viewpoints that do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editor or the executive editor. The published articles are clearly the opinions of our authors. As such, from time to time, I feel the need to comment on the content of an article, and in this issue, I would like to offer opinions on two articles. First, although Kevin Guidry does an excellent job of pointing out many of the data bases pertaining to student use of technology, I believe he gives a little too much credit to the methodological rigor of some of the large, national survey projects. Readers should always pay attention to methodological issues in survey projects, and in particular, they should be aware of sampling procedures and response rates. The methodology in some of these national projects is less than desirable. Secondly, Quincy Martin provides an important perspective regarding the use of technology as part of campus preparation for crises. I certainly am aware of parents' concerns regarding safety for their children on our campuses; however, I would urge administrators to be cautious about becoming victims of a culture of fear. College campuses are among the safest venues in the country, and we should carefully consider what it means to give up our rights to privacy (e.g. cell phone tracking and camera installations) in an effort to provide safety. Of course, these opinions are mine and I welcome others to write letters or articles in support or opposition of these views. Gary D. Malaney Director, Student Assessment, Research, and Evaluation Office Coordinator, Higher Education Program University of Massachusetts Amherst malaney@educ.umass.edu
Letter to the Editor
Comments: Regarding the use of technology in Student Affairs, the article overlooked the use of technology in learning assistance and in information systems both of which were pioneered at CSU Long Beach by its Learning Asistance Support System's Learning Assistance Center. Some examples follow. 1. First computer study skills survey developed circa 1968. 2. "Computerization Need Not Be Dehumanizing," is assumption #9 in a 1970 conference presentation of the Western College Reading Association. 3. Description of an audio tour of the CSULB Learning Assistance center in a 1979 issue of technological Innovations in Education. 4. A column, "TechTalk," in the Journal of Developmental Education was begun by a student affairs professional in 1981. 5. The web portal, LSCHE (Learning Support Centers in Higher Education) went on the Internet in 1996 from a database initiated on PLATO in 1973. All of these uses of technology were initiated by a student affairs professional at CSU Long Beach. Collegially, Frank L Christ Emeritus CSU Long Beach flchris@cox.net
Inside This Issue
Featured Articles In Technology and Job Searching: A Marriage in Need of Counseling, Sara Sandstrom reflects on her job search process and has some recommendations for Student Affairs Human Resource folks on incorporating courtesy and technology in providing timely feedback to job candidates. Joshua Hettrick looks at some of the positive aspects of students playing video games in Video Games: Opportunity for Colleges or Potential Addiction. In Sources for Understanding Undergraduate Student's Use of Technology, Kevin R. Guidry points us toward several sources of data which look at how students use technology. Quincy Martin III discusses how technology can be used in times of crises in Technology in the Time of Crisis: A Dean's Perspective. Finally, in African American Students' Satisfaction with Distance Education Courses, Lamont A. Flowers, James L. Moore III, and Lawrence O. Flowers investigate African American students' enrollment in distance learning.

The on-line magazine about
technology and Student Affairs

Gary D. Malaney -
Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst
Editor

Stuart Brown -
StudentAffairs.com
Executive Editor

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