Higher Education and the Evolution of

TechnologyMay 20, 2008

University of St. Thomas

Catherine Lennox, Kathrine Russell, Gretchen Switalski & Jenny Tran

A Day in the LifeImagine the student of the future, waking up to a wireless alarm clock tuned to their favorite digital radio station. With the press of a button the student turns on a multimedia monitor which provides the morning news, E-mail, instant messenger, and daily calendar. Before leaving their residence hall room, the student picks up the latest model of a multimedia mobile phone and starts their walk to the student union with a video phone conversation with their mom.

Wait a second…Take a step back to present time. While these technologies may seem far-fetched, the rapid technological advances made over the past 20 years have significantly impacted college students and the student affairs professionals who support them.

Technology is an integral part of our daily lives. The television, the computer, the Internet, E-mail, and the cell phone can sometimes be taken for granted as normal and convenient; however, these technologies were each considered advanced and forward-thinking when they were first introduced…

…back to the present.

Television A 1957 Ford Foundation Report predicted

that the television would advance education and had the potential to eliminate literacy

Televisions have become common place on today’s campus: in most classrooms, campus centers, and nearly every residence hall room

Television: Benefits Quick access to news and media Enhanced visual learning An additional way to advertise campus events:

television sets in public areas of campus and campus television stations

Provides students with the opportunity to develop programming and deliver messages via the television

Broadcasting concerts and speakers via the campus television station for students who could not attend

Television: Challenges The media’s portrayal of what college will

be like Installation of television sets across

campus and the more recent occurrence of flat screen televisions on campus

Lack of student socialization as a result of individual television sets in each residence hall room

Television: Implications Cost: providing students with television access

and repair services The range of stations available: cable vs. network

television The emergence of flat screen, mountable

televisions will require accommodation in each residence hall room

Student Affairs is charged with counteracting inaccurate portrayals of college on television

The Computer In 1942, the digital computer was invented

by college professors to process difficult mathematical equations

The personal computer was introduced in the early 1980s and became commonplace in the early 1990s

The Computer: Benefits Greater access for students with disabilities Ease of creating professional documents and

presentations: advertising and marketing student programs, developing brochures and pamphlets to recruit future students

Creation of digital student records Storage of documents and older files for simple

retrieval

Computer: Challenges Access for staff and students

Cost placed on universities to provide and maintain computers for each staff member, and to develop computer labs, help desks, and/or laptop programs for students

Proficiency Keeping staff and students trained and current

with technological advances

Computer: Implications Campuses need to make computers

available and affordable Necessity of Information Technology

departments for updates and maintenance Funding and budgeting for a help desk Using students as a resource to staff a help

desk

The Internet During the 1960s-1980s, the computer evolved

to a form of communication with the Internet Then, in the 1990s the World Wide Web

became a conduit for mass Internet access Recent data suggests more than 85% of college

students use the Internet daily Individuals ages 18-24, the traditional-aged

college student, have the highest rate of Internet use

The Internet: Benefits Departmental Web Sites: Increased access to

general information Streamlined Services: Registration, Orientation,

Personal and Academic Counseling, Directories, Student Organizations: Event calendars,

recruitment, advertising, student leadership elections

Community Building: Blackboard, Facebook, My Space, Instant Messaging

Staff: Ability to target communication toward a greater number of students

The Internet: Challenges Unauthorized Activity

Illegal downloading and file sharing have led to lawsuits from the Recording Industry Association of America against college students

Hacking and privacy issues

Addiction Gambling, gaming, shopping Depression, isolation

The Internet: Implications Support for access to music with strict

policies regarding illegal activity Awareness of the warning symptoms of

internet addiction Structured support services such as

personal counseling for students and Internet resources available via the university web site

E-mail During the 1960s-1980s E-mail began developing

for intercampus use In the early 1990s, E-mail access and usage

increased with the development of the World Wide Web and institutions began assigning all students and staff with a personal E-mail address

In the mid to late 1990s E-mail became the official mode of communication on many college campuses

The first e-mails were text-only and grew to the E-mail available today with full graphic capability

E-mail: Benefits Increased speed of communication and

information dissemination Ease of obtaining contact information for students

and staff Electronic documentation of communication for

future reference The use of listservs for inter-campus messages to

students as well as for professional development and communication between institutions

E-mail: Challenges Ensuring computer access for all students Overwhelming volume of E-mails Increased anonymity resulting in greater potential

for harassment Students don’t always check E-mail: they prefer

newer and faster modes of communication including text and instant messaging.

E-mail can be perceived as informal, causing students and staff to disregard respectful language and punctuation

E-mail: Implications E-mail is becoming outdated as students

turn to other methods of communication Institutions are turning to other ways of

reaching students: web portals, text messaging, instant messaging

Increased and enhanced E-mail functionality: calendar, automated reminders, spam control, and more!

The Cell Phone Introduced in 1981, the Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT

system) was the first fully automatic mobile phone Until the late 1980s mobile phones were used primarily as

car phones, however with the fast-paced advancement of electronic development, cell phones have quickly transformed into palm sized communication devices

In addition to higher quality, smaller size, and affordability, the cell phone is now capable of text messaging, e-mail, internet access, radio transmission, mp3 player, and photo and video messaging

Cell phones are no longer for the elite, users include everyone from school children to senior citizens

The Cell Phone: Benefits Emergency Notification System & Services Campus Safety: students can quickly call

for help instead of trying to find an emergency blue light or telephone

Advertising campus events More information at fingertips Podcasting events and speakers to reach

out to more students

The Cell Phone: Challenges Creation of new rules, policies, and guidelines surrounding

cell phones use Cell phones have facilitated the making of private matters

public and the improper dissemination of copyrighted data Text messaging is leading to poor interpersonal and written

communication Student in residence halls are not walking down the hall to

talk to friends, just text or call them Cost can create social divides The decreased importance and expense of residence hall

landlines

The Cell Phone: Implications The cell phone is quickly becoming the main

method of communication for and with students: allowing them to check e-mails, receive campus activities updates, emergency warnings, access to internet, podcasts of campus events, and sharing of information and documents

Campuses are beginning to offer university sponsored cell phone plans, as well as cell phone recycling programs to promote sustainability

Technology Common Themes Different levels of proficiency and access among

students and staff lead to a technological divide New technology allows students and staff to be

both producers and consumers of information Overuse of any form of technology can result in

social isolation and inhibit the development of interpersonal skills

Multimedia devices are increasingly becoming one, providing students and staff one device for all of their technological needs

“Instead of technology driving the innovation, we need to have more conversations about creating the best learning environments and the ways in which technology can enhance those environments.” (Kruger, 2005, p. 104)

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