STRATEGIC TECHNOLOGY PLAN

BEYOND UNIVERSAL ACCESS:

INTEGRATING THE TECHNOLOGY

A STRATEGIC TECHNOLOGY PLAN

for

SUFFOLKCOUNTYCOMMUNITY COLLEGE

November 2000

Revised November 2004 for submission to Strategic Planning Council

Accepted by the Strategic Planning Council April 2006

INTRODUCTION

The objective of the Universal Access Plan adopted in 1998 was to establish a base level of access to technology at SuffolkCountyCommunity College. What constitutes a “base” level of access is certainly subjective and, even to the maker of the standard, only valid for one moment of time. In the wake of the successful implementation of the Universal Access Plan, the college developed its first Strategic Technology Plan. That plan was adopted in December of 2000 and is presented here in its first revision.

The Revision: The process of updating the Strategic Technology Plan was begun in the Fall2003. The College Computing Council requested comments on the progress of the original goals along with recommendations for changes. Members of the Computing Council’s Planning Subcommittee and representatives from student and academic areas came together to form an evolution group. It reviewedcomments and recommendations received from Computing Council Subcommittees and individuals at sessions held during the 03-04 academic year. In early Fall of 2004, a working update was presented to the college and campus computing councils for the purpose of having this near final version reviewed with their constituencies. The Planning Subcommittee then reviewed the final comments and made changes as needed. The revision was adopted for recommendation to the Strategic Planning Council at the Computing Council’s meeting on 12/03/04

The intention of the college’s Strategic Technology Planis to gobeyond a “base” level of accessand to integrate the use of technology into every aspect of the college where it is appropriate. The Internet and computers, and related peripherals and software, offer exciting tools for teaching, learning and for managing the enterprise. These can be effective at serving and motivating students, and proficiency in using technology is certainly important for students in the workplace and in their lives. These tools are extremely useful, but they are not a substitute for other methods of pedagogy. It should remain in the forefront that the technology plan is not the entire plan driving the college. In this context, the plan addresses the needs of academic support, student services and administration, and identifies the outcomes desired in the institutional goals and objectives that follow.

VISION

Information technology has become ubiquitous, providing mission critical support in offices and in many labs and classrooms on campus, just as it has become a necessity in homes and workplaces. The utilization of broad scale access to computing and the implementation of technology-based applicationsare delivering on the promises initially identified in the plan of 2000.

With this plan revision SuffolkCountyCommunity College will continue to create and foster a technology environment in which:

  • There are no barriers to faculty choice of technological tools to enhance the teaching-learning process.
  • Students will come to develop the skills to make the appropriate and effective use of computing services to carry on self-directed learning.
  • The students and community are effectively served through accessible systems.
  • Demonstrable gains in basic skills and critical thinking will be attributable to advances in the teaching-learning process.
  • Student and administrative services will utilize advanced technology to support the needs of the college community.

The Institutional Goals and Objectives that follow are intended to bring about the attainment of this Vision.

Note: See Working Document for assignments and status

INSTITUTIONAL GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Goal 1: All employees shall achieve a basic working knowledge of electronic communication and software applications (computer literacy), and significant numbers of employees will attain a sophisticated (proficient) level of knowledge.

1.The Computer Council’s Training Subcommittee shall take on the leadership for training at the college, establishing needs, publicizing opportunities and collaborating with the various college groups involved in training.

  1. Committee membership shall be reviewed periodically to be assured it containsadequate representation from the college technical service areas, training providers, and the groups where training needs are identified.
  2. The committee shall establish training goals to include the topics to be covered, competencies expected, the number of individuals to be trained and the time frame for the training.
  3. Information on the college’s training activity shall be collected on a regular basis to include the programs offered, the training objectives covered and the number of individuals trained.
  4. This information is to be used to show the economic benefit of individual training efforts.
  5. The subcommittee shall explore the possibility of developing a training portal, initially to report on training results and later to function as a place where the individuals could go to see a schedule of completed and upcoming activity.
  6. The subcommittee shall investigate alternative methods of institutionalizing the delivery of technology training programs.
  7. The college’s training efforts should include all of the items that follow.

2.Presentations shall be made at departmental meetings and/or special sessions upon the roll-out of all major new systems and then follow-up sessions will be scheduled after usage begins. These sessions should be coordinated by the departments owning the system and the technical department supporting the system, and handled through the groups supporting the college’s training efforts.

  1. Results shall be tracked to identify who has been trained and to what level, and to prescribe additional sessions as needed.
  2. New system implementation or major upgradeswill include a training plan and timetable.
  3. The college will provide appropriate funding and resources to support training initiatives.

3.Supervisors shall recommend technology development plans as part of periodic evaluations.

  1. Supervisors shall include an assessment of technology knowledge and future needs on evaluations for the individuals reporting to them.

(Note: For assessment of technology knowledge to be incorporated into all B forms: instructional faculty; librarians; counselors; professional assistants; and coordinators, the recommendation needs to be presented to the VPASA and the FA)

  1. A list of competencies for both faculty and staff shall be compiled and maintained. The list with recommendations shall be posted on the training portal.
  2. Feedback from supervisors on their efforts is to be collected and reviewed by the Training Subcommittee and future needs identified.

4.Technology knowledge (e.g., web page design and publishing, web browsing, file management, e-mail) shall be included among the hiring criteria.

  1. An annual poll shallbe conducted to assess needs and competency in key areas and these will be used to identify upcoming literacy recommendations.

5.Individuals with demonstrated skills in technology should be encouraged to share their knowledge with others.

  1. Campus ETUs, academic chairsand the associate deans will develop a list of individuals available to mentor others in technology.

6.A more formal help system is to be evaluated to determine its role in assisting individuals in the use of technology.

  1. Areas within the Office of Computer Information Systems and the campus ETU will investigate the development of help services.
  2. Opportunities for more formal help sessions will be made available through the campus TLC's.
  3. Help and training efforts will be coordinated to reinforce each other.

7.Technology staff will be retrained in the latest techniques, methods and strategies.

  1. Annual training courses for technical staff, arranged in consultation with the PAs workgroup and their supervisors, have been successful and shall continue. Schedules and results are to be reported to the Training Subcommittee for inclusion in the training portal.

8.New faculty orientation should outline the training available.

  1. New faculty orientation sessions,coordinated through Human Resources,shall include a presentation from a Training Subcommittee representative.
  2. Sessions shall have the support of the Campus Dean's officeand shall be mandatory as a condition of employment.
  3. The development and maintenance of a technology brochure, which includes information on the services and training opportunities available at the college, shall continue and be distributed at the orientation sessions.

Goal 2: The delivery of services to students will be improved by use of emerging technologies.

1.Continue the development of the recently implemented electronic portal, which allows students to perform transactions, access records, communicate with faculty and peers, and obtain information about events and organizations.

  1. Continue to solicitcollege community recommendations for future features and to normalize office participation in managing content within the portal.
  2. Expand the capabilities for faculty and student communication by implementing such tools as email list serves, discussion boards and on-line chat.

2.Prepare for the electronic transmission of transcripts to schools to whichstudents are transferringand from schools of prior attendance,when standards and safeguards are in place.

  1. Investigate the implementation of a transcriptpilot with an appropriatefour-year institution to determine the benefit to our students and the cost- effectiveness of the approach.

3.Enhance student access to information, services, and personal records through the continued development of comprehensive, interactive web sites in all Student Affairs areas.

  1. Plan and implement, as appropriate, a virtual student services' site that seeks to provide students with an on-line equivalent for the services currently only available in person. This will provide for both Distance Education students, who are never on campus, and campus-based students who prefer an on-line alternative.
  2. Initial sites should include:

1.On-line, inter-active counseling and advising.

2.On-line assistance both for using web-based services and for dealing with problems encountered while attempting to transact business online.

4.Develop a system for all students to register over the web.

  1. Maintain service viability and, thereby, maintain the current progress throughthe continued acquisition of adequate Internet bandwidth and back-end systems necessary to support the number of system users and their expectations for current technology.
  2. Implement a means to allow developmentalstudents and students on probation to register on-line froma list of approved courses which have been identified for them through the proper channels.

5.Evaluate the availability, functionality and effectiveness of the current kiosks.

  1. The current use of the kiosks shall be reviewed to determine their future role at the college to include:

1.Reviewing their target population and the appropriateness of their use in reaching this population.

2.Determining their usage. For existing students,a poll shall be conducted to determine the kiosks' existing value and students'expectations for future use.

Goal 3: Learning outcomes shall be enhanced as a result of the use of technology.

1.Continue to monitor computing laboratories to be assured appropriate levels of access are available with respect to the number and capabilities of PCs/ workstations, size and skill of support staff and hours of operation.

  1. Campus ETUs and Technology Administrators will develop and utilize a standard reporting method to track utilization in each lab.
  2. Campus ETUs and Technology Administrators shall periodically review the trends in facilities use and update lab missions as needed.
  3. Adequate budgetary support will be provided to accomplish the missions of each center.
  4. Adequate training, particularly for part-time staff, will be providedin order that students will have access to appropriate resources whenever the labs are open.

2.All building renovations shall include the installation of advanced presentation technology such as a proxima type projector in the ceiling and shallinclude the means for delivering multi-media presentations. Every classroom should be equipped with these capabilities, and each campus should have a media server for instructors to retrieve instructional material for in-class use.

  1. Construction of smart classrooms has progressed well, thanks in part to the availability of Title III funds. With the Title III grant ending, the college shall pickup construction responsibility to maintain the momentum of this initiative.
  2. Responsibility for installing and maintaining these facilities has not been clearly defined. The campus technology administrators shall review maintenance capabilities and recommend responsibilities for current and new facilities on their campuses.
  3. The demand for and the capabilities of media servers shall be evaluated.
  4. Advances in technology seem to point to the need for wireless smart data projectors to be used with faculty laptops. The college shall evaluate this technology and, if appropriate, institute a pilot of the concept.

3.Faculty will be encouraged and supported in plans for the effective incorporation of electronically enhanced pedagogy into their courses.

  1. The College Associate Deans will encourage and coordinate the incorporation of electronically enhanced pedagogy within the curricula in their area.
  2. An annual review of plans will be coordinated by the Campus Technology Administrator. Ideally this will coincide with campus budget development.

4.The Distance Education Committee shall continue to evaluate whether students need prior knowledge skills and abilities to prosper in distance learning classes and, if so, determine how the acquisition of this knowledge may be accomplished.

  1. The DE Committee will continue to make use of the pre-test recently developed as a way to give students an idea of the requirements for taking Distance Education classesand to evaluate the preparedness of students for DE courses.

5.The DE Committee shall identify and work toward achieving enrollment targets for the various populations taking DE courses.

  1. For internal populations, the DE Committee will continue efforts to promote the education of students on Distance Education options to include:
  2. Covering it in the OS15 curriculum.
  3. Posting notices of course availability.
  4. Periodically holding workshops explaining the modality.
  5. And developing ways to advertise these courses (1) before students arrive, as part of our recruiting efforts,and (2) at orientation.
  6. Each full-time student will be encouraged to take a DE course or one hybrid DE course so as to familiarize themselves with emerging learning modalities.

6.Selected classrooms shall be equipped with wireless hubs.

  1. Campus Technology Administrators and ETUs shall evaluate how wireless connectivity may be used in the classrooms. Support for the use of faculty and student laptops should be considered and, where appropriate, facilities such as wireless access to projectors shall be investigated.
  2. As the college expands wireless access, based upon the results of the evaluation above, thecampus ETUs shall work with Networking and Telecommunications to identify classroom locations where wireless connectivity is to be implemented.

7.Other appropriate spaces shall be set up as wired or wireless areas that permit students to access the network with their own computers.

  1. The Office of Computer and Information Systems will periodically poll the college community on their needs and preferences for wireless connectivity. This information will be shared with the Associate Dean for Instructional Technology, Technology Administrators and ETUs to identity implementation requirements.
  2. Based upon an initial review of faculty needs, wireless access in faculty offices shall be included in implementation plans. This is especially important for instructors who are developing on-line courses.

8.A media server and portables (laptops, PDAs, etc. . .) shall be acquired to support the development and offering of technology enhanced courses.

  1. Notebook equipment has been available for several years now and many instructors are taking advantage of this resource to develop DE courses. The program would benefit from the availability of wireless access points. To this end, Networking and Telecommunications will work with the Associate Dean for Instructional Technology to develop ways to provide network access for these devices.
  2. Media servers have not been implemented and multi-media materials have not consistently found their way into the asynchronous offerings. The Technology Administrators and DE Subcommittee should review the addition of more advanced learning materials into the curriculum and establish goals as appropriate.

9.Investigate the possibility of providing students with network drive space for the development of web-based Portfolios.

  1. The Associate Dean for Instructional Technology will work with the Campus Technology Administrators, the ETUs and the Office of Computer and Information Systems to review the appropriateness and feasibility of providing network space for student portfolio development.
  2. If implementation is recommended, development plans will be included in budget requests. A possible source of funding for this is the Student Technology Fee.

10.Explore the option of becoming a laptop college either within specific programs or as a college-wide initiative. The evaluation should include a review of how the requirement could reduce the college’s PC replacement costs, and how funding saved on replacement devices could be used to safely support the use of laptops within the college’s computing environments.

  1. The Campus Technology Deans will work with the Associate Vice President for Student Affairsand the Campus Associate Deans to determine if particular curricula or the student body as a whole would benefit from student ownership of standardized laptops. The group will also identify the requirements for the implementation of such a program.
  2. The Standards Subcommittee will evaluate whether providing all employees or certain employees with laptops would be more effective than desktop PCs, and present their findings to the College Computing Council for review and further action.

11.The current course management system used for blended courses should be reviewed and upgraded as needed.

  1. The Associate Dean of Instructional Technology shall coordinate a review of the current system and provide recommendations on its upgrade/replacement and improved integration with the college’s student administrative system.
  2. The ComputerCenter shall review integration needs for incorporation into the student administrative system and portal.

12.All technologies will be compliant with ADA requirements.