Technology Action Team Report

Technology Action Team Report

Goal Eight: Develop a reliable and integrated information technology system that consistently provides high quality services to support teaching and learning, research and scholarly activities, service, and administrative processes.

Objective 8.a. Determine the most appropriate means of structuring and coordinating technological resources on campus, including data management, communications and instructional support.

Strategy 8.a.1. Establish an Educational Technology Center (ETC) that provides consulting services to help integrate technology into pedagogy and the curriculum, and that is staffed by a Director of Educational Technology who has previous teaching experience and an advanced degree. The Director will report to the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs. See Appendix for more details about the ETC.

Cost: $50,000, recurring

Designated person/unit: Chancellor, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Strategy 8.a.2. In the interim, promote existing support for technology in the classroom and increase that support with existing resources.

Cost: $

Designated person/unit: Faculty Support Technology Center; Computer Services Division (CSD), Chief Information Officer (CIO); Campus Technology Committee (CTC)

Strategy 8.a.3. Communicate to the campus community the structure of existing technological support and the process of determining priorities and funding for technology.

Cost: Minimal to publish in Faculty Manual, Policy and Procedures Manual, Web Page, periodic newsletter.

Designated person/unit: Chancellor

Strategy 8.a.4. Clarify that the CTC will assist the CIO in the formation of a long-range campus technology plan that

· takes into account the total infrastructure (including, but not limited to computing, network, video, voice, and data) as well as anticipated changes in that infrastructure

· defines the appropriate level of technology on campus

· ensures end user feedback and unit representation.

Cost: $0

Designated person/unit: CIO, CTC

Strategy 8.a.5. The CTC will also make funding recommendations to the Institutional Planning Cabinet regarding technology expenditures (i.e., student technology fee, institutional technology A funds and lottery IT funds).

Cost: $0

Designated person/unit: CTC, under direction of CTC Chairman and CIO

Strategy 8.a.6. Improve communication between the CTC and units

Cost: $0

Designated person/unit: CTC

Measure 8.a.1 ETC established and Director of Educational Technology hired.

Measure 8.a.2 Review results of Campus Computing Survey.

Measure 8.a.3 Long range campus technology plan is developed by May 2004 and updated annually.

Objective 8.b. Develop current and long-term strategies for maintaining an effective level of technology on campus.

Strategy 8.b.1 Analyze professional development needs of USCA students, faculty, and staff as they relate to technology, and review delivery options.

Cost: The cost of developing a survey to determine the technological needs of students, faculty, and staff would be minimal if the surveys were developed and analyzed in-house. This survey would assess need for technological hardware/software, training needs, and perceived barriers to use of technology.

Designated person/unit: CSD, ETC (after its creation), and Institutional Research develop and administer; then report results to CTC

Strategy 8.b.2 Provide stipends for faculty training and for innovative use of technology in teaching.

Cost: $50,000

Designated person/unit: Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs through Vice-Chancellor’s incentive grants.

Strategy 8.b.3 Develop and implement a Computer Literacy Exam/Requirement that must be successfully completed before graduation.

Cost: Minimal if developed in-house. May be able to use standardized test or successful completion of an appropriate existing course

Designated person/unit: Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Director of Educational Technology, and Office of Institutional Effectiveness

Strategy 8.b.4 Explore opportunities for improving academics through the use of ubiquitous computing and the ETC.

Cost: $$$

Designated person/unit: ETC (after its creation)

Strategy 8.b.5 Develop a comprehensive, coordinated plan to be certain that the campus is in compliance with ADA/Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 laws pertaining to accessibility of technology to students with disabilities. This would involve:

· completion of an annual technology compliance survey by the Office of

Disability Services;

· provision of resources for Assistive technology training of the Office of Disability Services staff;

· training and state-of-the-art equipment for students in the Assistive Technology Center;

· accessibility to Assistive software on campus at all public computer stations (network licenses).

Cost: $$$

Designated person/unit: Associate Chancellor for Student Life and Services

Measure 8.b.1 Monitor results of annual computing survey

Measure 8.b.2 Monitor scores on computer literacy exam.

Measure 8.b.3 Track use of Educational Technology Center and Assistive Technology Center.

Measure 8.b.4 A comprehensive assistive technology plan is developed by May 2004 and updated annually.

Objective 8.c Determine and support the most effective and appropriate uses of technology for academic and administrative services.

Strategy 8.c.1. Establish a mechanism for regular communication between administrative users of technology and the CIO.

Designated person/unit: CIO

Strategy 8.c.2. Evaluate and suggest possible means of improving the communication and flow of technological information between USCA and USC Columbia.

Designated person/unit: CIO

Strategy 8.c.3. Establish user groups among people who use common software.

Designated person/unit: set up by CSD, users will be responsible for coordination

Strategy 8.c.4. Establish an Educational Technology Center whose purpose would be to help faculty develop and maintain both technological and pedagogical skills.

Cost: $$$ (salary of Director and staff, on-going equipment upgrades)

Designated person/unit: Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs in cooperation from the CTC

Strategy 8.c.5. Hold an annual Faculty Technology Conference to help faculty become aware of the latest technological advances that could enhance their teaching.

Cost: $ Should be manageable if in-house faculty and staff expertise is utilized.

Designated person/unit: Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, ETC (after its creation).

Strategy 8.c.6. Improve communication between faculty and Instructional Services Division (ISD), the Educational Technology Center, Computer Services Division, and Web Development.

Cost: $0

Designated person/unit: Academic Council, ISD, ETC (after its creation), CSD, and Web Development

Strategy 8.c.7. Explore and implement the most appropriate uses of the one-card system for facility access, services, financial transactions, and/or other uses.

Cost: $-$$

Designated person/unit: CIO, CTC

Measure 8.c.1 Analyze results of annual campus computing survey.

Measure 8.c.2 Monitor use of Educational Technology Center

Measure 8.c.3 Implementation of one-card system.

APPENDIX

Role of Educational Technology Center (ETC):

Model of ETC will be that of academic computing consulting.
The ETC will be staffed by a Director of Educational Technology who has proven educational experience in successfully integrating technology into instruction. The Director will coordinate the efforts of CSD, ISD and WWW to assist faculty in achieving pedagogical goals.
The ETC will be staffed by Student Technology Assistants (STA) who are either graduate assistants or undergraduates.
The Director of Educational Technology will sponsor and coordinate an annual USCA Technology Conference.

Technology Action Team Members: Mike Lemons, Jeff Mastromonico, Tom Smyth, Michael Casdorph, Kay Benitez, Linda Johnston, Jane Lybrand, Paul Lewis, Keith Pierce, David Jaspers