Technologies such as multimedia instruction, electronic
presentations, distance learning, and electronic mail are
changing the way we teach, learn and communicate. Increasingly,
technology-related skills are a prerequisite for College of
Education graduates to gain employment in their chosen field.
Therefore, our graduate and undergraduate students must receive
extensive and systematic exposure to influential technologies.
Accordingly, the purpose of this document is to set goals that
will enable the College to ensure that students, faculty and
staff can keep pace with important technological changes within
our society.
There are a variety of overriding concerns related to all
aspects of these proposed technology goals that need to be
emphasized from the outset. These include the following:
Purpose of Goals
These technology goals should be considered as ideals for
which to strive. They are not intended as criteria for
evaluating faculty, staff, or students. They are primarily
intended to guide the processes of strategic planning and
resource allocation within the college and its schools,
departments, and programs. It is expected that positive
incentives will be provided for faculty and staff to achieve
these goals. Outcomes should include increased efficiency,
better preparation of students, and a higher quality work
environment.
Local Application of Goals
Because of the enormous diversity of departments and
programs within the College of Education no statement of goals
can possibly be appropriate for everyone. The following goals
are meant to reflect the expectations that face many of the
College's employees and graduates. Each school, department
and/or program must decide which goals are, or are not,
applicable to individuals within their domain. Moreover, each
school, department and/or program has an obligation to set
additional, more specific goals appropriate to their faculty,
staff, and students.
An additional application foreseen for these goals is to
guide the use of technology in primary and secondary schools.
For a significant number of College of Education graduates,
schools are the eventual workplace. If schools do not have
technology that our graduates have learned to use, efforts to
enhance learning through applications of technology will be
limited. It is therefore suggested that these goals be used as a
guide by schools as they allocate resources and make plans for
the future.
Updating Goals
Technology is ever advancing, and goals that have been set
and achieved may become irrelevant or insufficient. Therefore,
these technology goals should be revisited on a regular basis and
revised as needed.
Access
Advanced technology is useless to those without access to
such technology. Although persons with disabilities can be
greatly enabled by certain technologies, even the standard
personal computer system (with its disk drives, keyboard, mouse
and monitor) can present barriers to certain users with
disabilities. It is the responsibility of the College to ensure
that students, faculty, and staff with disabilities have full
access to technology.
Terminology
The concept of "technology" involves much more than computer
hardware and software. For example, some authors refer to both
"product technologies" and "idea technologies"1. Product
technologies include the full range of hardware (e.g., computers,
video-cameras, overhead projectors, etc.) and software (e.g.,
presentation and instructional software, word processing
programs, etc.) while idea technologies include particular
instructional strategies (e.g., simulations, the "virtual
campus", etc.). In this document the term technology is used in
a broad, rather than a narrow sense.
