Open educational resources have grown over the last few years from one-off oddities in single courses to the basis of entire degree programs. Cutting out textbook costs for students tops the list of reasons administrators encourage faculty to develop and adopt these free—or very inexpensive—resources, also known as OER. Other enticements include immediate access for […]
There’s no doubt mobile devices anchor our technology-enabled lives. We may not use their small screens on the go, all the time, but when we do, we have high expectations. If a web page takes more than a few seconds to load on mobile, many of us move on to another website. Patience has never […]
Students applying to the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, traditionally would submit their required materials … and wait. Admissions counselors would print the applications, supporting documents, labels and review sheets. Only after these papers were stuffed into manila folders were the counselors ready to notify a student that their application was received. Often, […]
Many institutions have a repository of old, underutilized multimedia technology. Why is it important for tech leaders to let go of what no longer serves the needs of faculty and students, and invest in new videoconferencing tools? The key thing IT leaders need to keep in mind is not only the awareness that technology has […]
La Verne University’s Wilson Library wanted to develop a digital display to make students aware of library resources, as well as post information on school clubs and community events. Because other universities have found digital signage as an effective medium for communicating with their respective university communities, Amy Jiang, Associate Professor and Librarian contacted other schools to see what had been purchased for similar purposes on […]
Adaptive learning, which brings the benefits of one-on-one tutoring to large numbers of students with instruction tailored to the learner, has garnered attention since the 1970s. But while it’s a common topic in education circles and technology is now widely available to make it happen, translating traditional lectures to an adaptive learning format takes time, […]
Video walls can make a big impression on a university campus, conveying an image of a school on the cutting edge of technology while providing ancillary benefits as teaching aids, wayfinding signage or more. These seven questions can guide a successful video wall installation plan: What goals does the university want to accomplish? Is the […]
Staff in the IT department at the University of South Carolina Upstate in Spartanburg used to say “no” a lot. Meeting the computer needs of 6,000 students—many who work full-time and have families—and hundreds of faculty became an increasing challenge in the less-than-affluent community. Requests from faculty and the demand for technical assistance couldn’t be […]
The free lunch for marketers is over on social media. Now that Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and, more recently, Snapchat can boast millions of daily users, they can set the prices—and encourage users to pay through the algorithms ruling user feeds. Social media might be about the people, but for the top players it’s about business. […]
Just as websites morphed from digital brochures into versatile multimedia portals, electronic portfolios have evolved from information repositories to robust tools for showcasing student learning. Now generally referred to as “ePortfolios,” these software systems house completed assignments, reflections on learning, photos, creative work and journal entries—all evidence of a student’s education. “It is a personal, […]
