Student Affairs.comCase Study

Jason L. DaviesJohn B. Huber

Kathryn L. MortensenJennifer C. Wong

Ball State University

Welcome

We are pleased to address the Dean’s Council on the topic of new and

emerging technology. It is easy to feel overwhelmed when dealing with

technology. After our presentation you will feel more comfortable with some of the issues that are on the horizon

for technology.

Issues

• Full Service Websites• Blogging• Podcasting• Institutional Spam• Ultra-Sonic Ringtones

Full Service Websites

Full service websites offer users increased access with decreased time

spent online. We feel that this is an emerging phenomenon that will affect

campuses in the next few years.

Full Service Websites

• Customized to each user’s specifications and needs

• Services are centralized to one page

• Each functional silo is accessed through one gateway

Issues with Current Websites

Currently, students jump from one webpage to another to complete

business with the university, entering their login and password information multiple times. This decentralization is time consuming and redundant.

Areas for Access

• Academic Affairs• Student Affairs• Business Affairs• Other Personal Options

Academic Affairs

• Blackboard, Pipeline, Campus Connect, or other course specific websites

• Blogging• Webcasting/Podcasting• Registration/Advising

Student Affairs

• Student Organizations• Campus Calendar of Events• Intramural/Recreation Services• Housing and Residence Life

Business Affairs

• Parking Services• Pre-Paid Flex Dollars• Financial Aid

Other Personal Options

• Campus Areas of Interest (Culture, Athletics, Etc.)

• Campus Email• RSS/XML News Feeds• Personal Calendar/Schedule

Problems Implementing Full Service Websites

• Increased dependency on Information Technology departments

• Uniform server programming and access

• Uniform formatting of information between offices and departments

Blogging

Blogging, short for Weblog, is an effective way to not only post

opinions, but also create dialogue specific to a topic. Now as an

emerging technology in education, educational blogs or edublogs, are

starting to take precedence in many courses.

Uses for Blogging

• Public bulletin board• Electronic discussion forum• Forum for advice or educational

guidance

Importance of Blogging

• Blogging creates extra discussion time outside of the classroom

• Students participate according to their personal schedule

• Deeper exploration of a topic from the questioning and challenging of each other’s thinking occurs

Problems with Blogging

• Access to the internet, while increased, is not necessarily universal

• Isolation and alienation of students can occur through decreased person to person contact

• Many students feel that the out of class time is unnecessary

Podcasting

A podcast is a media file that is distributed by subscription over the Internet using syndication feeds for

playback on mobile devices and personal computers. We feel that this is the future of distance learning and

classroom lecture archiving.

Uses for Podcasting

• Distance learning• Archiving of professor lectures• Convenience for students• Representing the institution

through contributions to the global knowledge community

Problems with Podcasting

• Should access be open to the general public or restricted to registered students?

• Attendance implications with no stated policy– Will students opt to never go and just listen to

the podcasts?

• Proprietary issues of ownership between the institution and the faculty

• Technical knowledge to create a podcast

Institutional Spam

Mass emails from the upper echelons of administration can provide vital information simultaneously to all students easily. However, an over saturation of emails of this variety can lead to filtering of information which leads to a breakdown of an effective communication channel.

Problems Associated With Institutional Spam

• Too Many Sources• Irrelevant Sources• Volume

Too Many Sources

• There is not enough restriction as to who can distribute mass emails from:– Academic Departments – Student Affairs– Business Affairs– Athletics

Irrelevant Sources

Information is only effective if it is relevant. For instance, students who

do not have children do not need emails about campus-provided child

care services.

Volume

• Student and employee mail boxes have a limited amount of space.

• The sheer volume of emails that are distributed can overwhelm and disable communication ability until unnecessary emails are deleted.

Institutional Spam Solutions

There is no simple solution to institutional spam. One idea we wish to propose is to have an “information center” on our full service website in

which announcements that were previously disseminated via email

would instead appear as a hyperlink to a webpage that would display the

email as a news article.

Ultra-Sonic Ringtones

Technology is a great asset to education. Unfortunately, it also enables cheating. One avenue of cheating that is prevalent is text

messaging during quizzes and exams. We feel that this is an issue that needs to be addressed for the

integrity of the institution.

What Are Ultra-Sonic Ringtones And How Are They

Used?• Ultra-sonic ringtones are alerts that ring

between 16.5-22.5 kHz. Normal adult hearing ranges between 20 Hz and 14 kHz.

• These high tones are detectable to most 14-22 year olds, whose hearing ranges are typically higher.

• Students use these ringtones for notification instead of their phone’s vibrate feature, because ultra-sonic ringtones are undetectable to most professor’s ears.

Problems with Ultra-Sonic Ringtones

• Discourages cognition • Violates honor code • Distracts other students• Disrupts grading curve

Possible Solutions

• Ultra-sonic frequency detectors• Mobile phone ban• Proximal mobile phone jamming

devices• Promote ethical learning

environments

Conclusion

We appreciate the opportunity to address the Dean’s Council regarding

these topics. We hope that this information has enlightened you on

the future of technology on this campus.

Resources• Alexander, B. (2004). Going nomadic: Mobile learning in

higher education. EDUCAUSE Review, 39(5), 28, 30-32, 34, 35.

• Campbell, S.W. (2006). Perceptions of mobile phones in college classrooms: Ringing, cheating, and classroom policies. Communication Education, 55, 280-294.

• Can I hear these ultrasonic ringtones? (n.d.). Retrieved February 5, 2007 from http://www.ultrasonic-ringtones.com/ Ray, J. (2006). Welcome to the blogoshere: The educational use of blogs (ada edublogs). [Electronic version]. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 42, 175-177.

• Encyclopædia Britannica. (2006). Blogs mix up the media. Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. Retrieved on February 12, 2007 from www.britannica.com/eb/article-9389625

• Lowery, J.W. (2004). Student affairs for a new generation. New Directions For Student Services, 106, 87-99.

Resources• Martindale, T., & Wiley, D. A. (2005). Using weblogs in

scholarship and teaching. [Electronic version]. TechTrends Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning, 49(2), 55-61.

• McAnear, A. (2005). The best defense is a good offense: Keep the focus on knowledge generation and communication. Learning and Leading with Technology, 32(7), 4.

• Poling, C. (2005). Blog on: Building communication and collaboration among staff and students. [Electronic version]. Learning and Leading with Technology, 32(6), 12-15.

• Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. (2007). Blogs. Retrieved on February 12, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogs