Notes

Outline

Time and Technology: Is there room for innovation? Scott E. Siddall Denison University Granville, Ohio http://siddall.info

Technology gives, technology takes away Productivity paradox Erik Brynjolfsson at Sloan School of Management, MIT Learning new methods takes time; technology is often brittle Eventually, some tasks done better, some more quickly Have we rationally reallocated any saved time?

Why innovate? Because we always have American academic tradition is richly innovative Scholarship, creativity, intellectual and social growth Discovery, creation and distribution of  information Tradition and constancy of process Learning from differences

Why innovate? Since 1993, more than a ten-fold increase in investment in online education In 1999, 1 million US students taking online courses Mark Taylor, co-founder of the Global Education Network “….the commercialization of higher education will accelerate in coming years.  Too many educators live with the illusion that they have a choice about whether or not these changes will occur…” Far more of our content is distributable Networks break down barriers Challenges to placed-based instruction Adult learners seek convenience, cost-effectiveness

Innovation (i.e., change) All change is not innovative All innovation is not manifested as change We need an institutional vision as well as “digital agenda” Change affects individuals differently Change from within can be positive (motivation) Change from without can be resisted (pressure) Challenges our identity, comfort, beliefs Can represent the will of others (James O’Toole – Leading Change)

Steady change has given way to accelerating change Changes in technology Positive feedback loop in technological development New patterns of information distribution and use “Not done yet” -  like Incunabula Beginning to work better than five years ago Victims of success

Steady change has given way to accelerating change Changes in the context of higher education Changes in student demographics Increasing competition for students, faculty Increased competition from alternative providers Meeting needs with limited (declining) budgets Growing expectations - students, parents, others Consumerism, vocationalism High costs of information and expertise

Steady change has given way to accelerating change Changes in expectations for learning Learning takes place many places and times Learning is not an isolated process Students teach, faculty learn One-approach-fits-all assumptions are out Basis of classroom authority is changing Lectures will endure but not dominate

Do we have the resources even to keep up? As institutions As individuals Do we have a choice?

So should  we innovate with technology? Enhances information access – convenience and cost Can increase student motivation, engagement Accommodates different ways of learning, knowing Creates partnerships, opportunities to collaborate Changes content through visualization, simulation Promotes a new “balance of power” in classroom Encourages new methods of assessment Improves communication skills Greater opportunities for complex, interdisciplinary study

State of the residential liberal arts colleges Consortium of Liberal Arts Colleges (CLAC) Fifty-nine colleges in the US http://liberalarts.org Preliminary data from annual self-study

1999-2000 averages for CLAC schools 1,795 students:  99%+ live on campus 62 part-time students 187 faculty members $60 million total institutional budget

1999-2000 averages for CLAC schools 1,013 college-owned computers, 300 of which are student-accessible 73% of students own their own computer; ownership is not required $3.1 million annual technology budget (operating and capital) 5.2% of total institutional budget $171,000 per year in student technology employees $702,000 annual hardware purchases, including replacements $47,000 on technology staff professional development 4.8% of salaries

1999-2000 averages for CLAC schools 25.2 full-time staff members in central technology division 5.4 in administrative systems 2.2 staff and 3.6 students in helpdesk functions 1.0 in training support 2.4 in curricular support 3.5 in network support 3.4 staff members supporting technology in other departments 16 full-time equivalents in student employees

Costs of change Not just capital and human resources Of doing nothing lost opportunities, lower competitive advantage Of doing too little technology as veneer doesn’t work Of doing too much costly, difficult to assimilate quickly, altered mission Consumers’ Guide to Technology on Campus Eight critical success factors for online education

The “Digital agenda” Institutional commitments for open dialogues and planning Constantly evolving strategic plan that outlines what we want to do with technology An annual “digital agenda” that commits resources to achieving the vision No more budget dust models; no more inadvertent consumption of newfound time

Case studies: making room Faculty development: Summer Institutes Tools that work will be used; we use what we understand; we understand what we’re taught 1980-90s: few enthusiastic faculty asked “HOW” 2001: many pressured faculty asking “WHY” Faculty incentives: Course release, stipends Bai’s Advanced Chinese course as exemplar Liaisons to academic departments – students and staff Collaborative course webs – emphasizing student responsibilities Permission to experiment, to fail Endorsement of Blackboard Course web sites for everyone

We will continue to make room for innovation As institutions through policies, planning and commitment As individuals who see themselves as agents for positive change, who change rather than increase their workloads Technology offers far more than delivery of content It is an environment that must be designed and used thoughtfully by faculty who make room for innovation

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