Unit Plan for Technology



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Reliability:  Within the past school year, Chadron State College has been constantly improving the reliability of our distance learning program with upgrades and improvements to our campus learning management system, Sakai.  The majority of these upgrades took place on the technical, hardware side of things.  This included working with our hosting provider, rSmart, to determine how to best address certain issues.  Ultimately, it was decided that the hardware set-up our instance of Sakai was running on was insufficient for our current (and future) demands.  Over the course of a week, rSmart worked to move our instance to upgraded hardware.  Since this transition, the reliability, stability, responsiveness, and performance of Sakai has improved for all users – the exact goal of the project.

  • Also, Chadron State College worked with rSmart to address a concern involving the maximum number of concurrent users available at one time.  While Chadron State College continues to offer more of an online presence, the need to handle this request became a top priority.  That being said, we can concurrently operate with 2,500 users with no ill effects.  This improves the reliability of Sakai by ensuring that each user can access, function, and excel within the learning management system with no bumps.

  • Speed:  In regards to speed, Chadron State College’s instance of Sakai is performing as expected.  Certain variables make keeping a constant speed for all users impossible.  However, we work to ensure that stability of the system is in place for heavier workload times and increased demands.  It does not matter if the user is sitting in front of a computer with a 100 mbps connection or working off of a satellite Internet source, the speeds associated with Sakai response time are adequate for the tasks at hand.

  • Confidentiality:  The confidentiality of Sakai is based around a password protected approach.  Each user is given a unique user ID and password combination. 

  • Math department has calculators, SmartBoard Sympodium, and manipulatives

    Assessment of Educational Unit’s Technology Needs:

    Comments from the technology survey done in February, 2012 on needs for the departments:

    Specific to the area of Physical Education and Health Education:


    • Wireless head microphone and portable speakers

    • Used dual DVR

    • Pedometers

    • Heart rate monitors

    Specific to the area of Teacher Education:

    • Adobe e-learning suite

    • Hypersnap products

    • Google mail/Docs/Websites

    • iPad 2, Iannotate, readers

    • One note Windows, Tablet PC’s

    • Smart Products

      • Presentation software (math)

      • SmartBoard

      • Interactive Monitor

    Specific to the area of Science Education and Math Education:

    • TI Inspire CAS graphing calculator

    • Vernier probes/LabQuest/Logger Pro

    • National Instruments LabView 2011

      • Integrates all sorts of equipment

      • Lego Mindstorms 2.0

      • Stem Experiments

    • End Note, reference software for Word

    • More TI-84 calculators

    • More Manipulatives Spec. applications students learn

    • To use Excel for descriptive

    • A inferential data analysis

    • A regression graph


    Staff Development Strategies

    A thriving learning community focuses on improving learning for all of its members. In order for staff members to create powerful learning experiences for students, they need to be engaged in the same. The CSC Educational Unit describes a system which “promotes continuous inquiry and improvement embedded in the daily life of the educational process and which focuses on individual, collegial, and organizational improvement. The professional development strategies for improving learning and teaching with technology are a part of strategic plans of the institution and also of the Educational Department.


    Targeted Areas for Implementing Technology Goals

    PRODUCTIVITY:



    • Increase teaching time by using management programs to streamline grades and attendance via TK-20. Begun in Spring of 2012. Ongoing training until complete implementation by April, 2013.

    • Increase use databases, and spreadsheets to manage student data. (Ongoing)

    • Increase preparation of high quality teaching materials at the desktop. (Ongoing)

    COMMUNICATION:

    • Use electronic mail systems to communicate throughout the learning community. Completion implementation Fall 2011.

    • Use network access to link up with other educators on specific topics through online discussion groups and professional listserves including participation in campus Faculty Learning Community’s (FLC)(Ongoing)

    • Increase communication with learners by phone and email exchanges, and by posting information on course and CSC websites. (Ongoing)

    • Collaborate with distant learning partners via online national/international projects and distance learning opportunities. (Ongoing)

    INFORMATION:

    • Access current information to supplement teaching resources with electronic sources and online services. (Ongoing)

    • Access professional journals and information online.

    ASSESSMENT:

    • Evaluate individual work and class progress with reporting options available on software programs. (Ongoing)

    • Report student achievement through online software (currently SAKAI).

    • Review portfolios of student work and writing saved on the network. Implementation is increasing and should be complete by April 2013.

    INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES:

    • Use a variety of multi-media materials to more effectively differentiate instruction to reach students with diverse learning styles and needs. (Increasing)

    • Increase student motivation with expanded multi-media resources for classwork and assignments. (Ongoing)

    • Provide opportunities for students to work collaboratively and actively. (Ongoing)

    • Guide student use of the Internet by creating and using integrated curriculum. (Ongoing)

    • Guide students to deeper investigations by collaborating with other educators and students to create online student research projects. Working in collaborative groups, students are challenged by an intriguing question which prods them to seek information, display it, process it, and produce a presentation of their solution. (Ongoing)



    Staff Needs Assessment

    Since the outset of the technology implementation staff have completed several Technology Skills Self-assessment. The results are used to plan for staff development opportunities.



    Building a Culture of Continuous Staff Learning

    Peer Experts



    • The Educational Unit has identified “experts” or “lead learners” who assist colleagues with new programs or ongoing learning.

    • Library Media Specialists, Educational Technology Committee (ETC) campus-wide, the Educational Unit, and the IT Department offer support and in-service, including the “just-in-time learning” and “Lunch-box” in-service opportunities.

    • To increase literacy and improve student learning, faculty members are creating FLC’s teams to study student learning and their own teaching.

    Campus-wide Support Strategies

    Network Services Support



    • The Information Technology (IT) (Network Services) Department supports staff and students with phone and email Help lines.

    • The IT Department has application support specialist answer specific questions and designs and offers workshops on applications such as desktop management, using email, and using Microsoft Office applications.

    • The Teaching and Learning center has trained specialist to support student and faculty in the development and use of SAKAI.

    Library/Media/Technology

    • The Library/Media staff coordinates courses and workshops. Courses are offered in a variety of formats and times.

    • Staff members coordinate in-service and learning activities conducted via videoconferencing.

    • LMT builds a professional library of books, videos, and resources to support student and staff learning.

    Learning and Presenting

    Faculty regularly attend and present at conferences such as the annual. See appendix Exhibit B for list.

    Clear Expectations Tied to Professional Practice

    As part of the National Technology Standards published by ISTE, educational technology foundational skills have been established for pre-service and in-service teachers. The standards fall in six areas:



    Technology operations and concepts

    Planning and designing learning environments and experiences

    Teaching, learning, and curriculum

    Assessment and evaluation

    Productivity and professional practice

    • Social, ethical, legal, and human issues


    Funding for Professional Development

    Funding for staff development has been understood by the Educational Unit to be critical to the successful implementation of technology. To date the Unit has primarily funded staff development through Chadron State’s allotted Professional Development contractual agreement. However, CSC also has funded Technology Trainers in SAKAI and TK-20 and some provided for release time for faculty trainers. Also:



    • All faculties receive funding for professional develop via contractual agreement of $500.

    • All faculties have the opportunity to receive funds from a Faculty Senate Professional Development committee who distributes money through a competitive process.  The amount is generally $450 per faculty.

    • The College funds institutional initiatives for faculty training and development through campus based trainings and conference based trainings.  Some examples are the operation of open source courses and text, online teaching techniques, and information and data management system training.

    • The College funds technology training and development through the Teaching and Learning Center activities.

    • The College has discretionary travel funds set aside for faculty and student group travel for training and development purposes.  Proposals are required to acquire these funds.


    Benchmarks and Timelines
    Timeline developed by the campus-wide CSC Educational Technology Committee

    The ETC meets on a monthly basis to evaluate and make recommendations to CSC administration. These recommendations are done annually in March or April.

    Academic Technology Initiatives Fall 2011


    1. Academic Advisement/Degree Audit Update

    Description: Provide students and faculty/advisors access to a current on-line degree audit academic advisement module in MyCSC. Update the academic advisement PeopleSoft module with the 2011-2013 program/plan information. This will eliminate the need to request a manual audit through the Registrar’s Office, resulting in more effective advising and degree completion planning.

    Leads: Dale Williamson/Michele Rickenbach



    1. DoE Clearinghouse Online Transcript Request Implementation

    Description: Provide students with an on-line transcript request process. This will streamline and speed up the request process.

    Lead: Dale Williamson



    1. Mediated Classroom Technology Upgrade

    Description: Provide faculty with updated, consistent, well supported classroom computers by upgrading software and establishing a predictable, budgeted replacement cycle of equipment. This will support the April 19, 2011 Faculty Senate ETC recommendation “…to provide the latest versions of system and application software to support the preparation of students for the workforce of the future”.

    Lead: Ann Burk



    1. Faculty Email/Groupware Research

    Description: Research the possibility of outsourcing faculty e-mail/groupware, as per the April 19, 2011 Faculty Senate ETC recommendation.

    Lead: Ann Burk



    1. Application of Technology by Faculty

    Description: Utilize an all faculty meeting for faculty technology use demonstrations. Set up 3-4 ten minute parlors providing faculty the opportunity to rotate through each demonstration.

    Lead: Ann Burk



    1. Sakai Oversight Committee

    Description: Establish a venue for Sakai related operational issues to be presented, discussed, and resolved. Work with rSmart to research and implement new features and procedures. Communicate progress/status updates to the ETC. Team members will be process aware, and include faculty experienced users of Sakai and personnel responsible for supporting the learning environment.

    Leads: Malinda Linegar, Elizabeth Ledbetter


    Academic Technology Initiatives Spring 2012


    1. IT Help Desk Enhancements

    Description: Provide students and faculty with an IT help desk which offers expanded service hours in a centralized campus location and access to a web based software service.

    Team: IT Staff



    1. Computer Lab Technology Upgrade

    Description: Provide students with updated, consistent, well supported lab computers by upgrading software and establishing a predictable, budgeted replacement cycle of equipment. This will support the April 19, 2011 Faculty Senate ETC recommendation “…to provide the latest versions of system and application software to support the preparation of students for the workforce of the future”.

    Lead: Ann Burk




    1. Faculty Computer Upgrade

    Description: Provide faculty with updated, consistent, well supported computers by upgrading software and establishing a predictable, budgeted replacement cycle of equipment. This will support the April 19, 2011 Faculty Senate ETC recommendation “…to provide the latest versions of system and application software to support the preparation of students for the workforce of the future”.

    Lead: Ann Burk



    1. ITV/Video Conferencing Classroom Technology Upgrade

    Description: Provide faculty with updated, consistent, well supported ITV/video Conferencing technology by upgrading software and establishing a predictable, budgeted replacement cycle of equipment. This will support the April 19, 2011 Faculty Senate ETC recommendation “…to provide the latest versions of system and application software to support the preparation of students for the workforce of the future”.

    Lead: Jereme Patterson


    Academic Technology Initiatives are recommended and reviewed by the CSC ETC. See Attachment 7 for Fall 2012 and Spring 2013 recommendations. The ETC meets monthly to monitor and make recommendations during the Academic year and in March/April will make recommendations for Fall 2013 and Spring 2014.
    Budget

    The Institutional Budgets for the academic programming are collectively administered through the Academic Council of Deans under the leadership of the Academic Affairs Vice President. Core operational needs are established through a collective account and include equipment (hard and soft) and repairs.  Annually the departments submit proposals for the equipment money based on learning enhancement need and replacement need. 


    A collective account covers the paper, copy, electronic transmissions, phones, postage, state vehicle usage, student assistants, and assessment costs.  Above this collective operational budget each department receives a set amount for office supplies and instructional needs. These budgets are spent at the discretion of the departments. 
    The computer laboratories and the faculty/staff computers are funded through collective funds and not the direct responsibility of the departments, unless the laboratory is a specialized laboratory.  This equipment is replaced on a scheduled rotation plan.
    When a department or program has a specialized project, the faculty group prepares a proposal and submits this to the Council of Deans for funding consideration.
    Thus for this technology plan to be continuously funded, the department will need to annually develop a budget need and set a timeline which is submitted to first the department, then the evaluative academic dean, and then the council of deans for consideration in the annually institutional budget development.

    This budget request could include items such as:



    • Planning and consulting fees and expenses

    • Hardware and peripheral equipment

    • Application and network software

    • Cabling and telecommunications

    • Library database conversion

    • Security

    • External data bases and systems

    • Training


    Evaluation

    a.    The Educational Unit’s (EU) Technology Plan will be reviewed every fall and updated every three years.


    b.    The EU Technology Committee will be responsible for updating the plan in conjunction with the ETC and IT Services.
    c.    The EU will determine if the technology plan was successful in meeting the goals of our institutional plan through strategies such as interview/survey staff, patrons, other stakeholders; measuring progress made towards the benchmarks which are set out in the EU goals; and through observations.

    Indicators below will be reviewed to evaluate the achievement and expansion of implementation by at least 10% of Goal 1 objectives each year:

    • Provide high-speed access to the Internet for distance learning, communication and research-based activities.

    • Model, maintain and share lesson plans demonstrating the infusion of technology and 21st century skills into daily school activities.

    • Include in planning at the curricular levels the following concepts:

      • Implement a means for ongoing assessment of student progress in the use of technology literacy skills.

      • Demonstrate and assess student progress with the Curriculum Content  Standards through activities such as:

        • Student interviews

        • Student portfolios

        • Observations

        • Standards-based scoring guides

        • Surveys

        • Ongoing performance-based assessments

    • Embed technology into the learning experience in all curricular areas.

    • Further implement student centered, problem-based learning environments

      • ISTE: (http://cnets.iste.org/students/)

      • Partnership for 21st Century Skills Http://21stcenturyskills.org

    Indicators below will be reviewed to evaluate the achievement and expansion of implementation by at least 10% of Goal 2 objectives each year:

    • Ensure that the Educational Unit’s existing professional development plan includes the following activities that support integration  of 21st century skills across the curricula:

      • Assemble a list of current professional development activities.

      • Evaluate current professional development related to curricula to assure it models and instructs in the effective use of technology.

      • Evaluate the effectiveness of the professional development activities

      • Address future professional development opportunities that support ongoing, effective and relevant staff development programs that are based on evaluation results.

    • Develop learning environments that promote higher order thinking skills and are supported by the Unit’s technology plan.

    • Integrate the use of 21st century skills to enhance higher order thinking in curricular activities as documented in lesson plans.

    • Include peer reflection on implementation of technology into instructional practices.

    • Model the effective use of technology.

    • Establish a mentoring program for teachers and students in developing and supporting the infusion of technology across the curriculum.

    • Collaborate with all Nebraska Department of Education offices in order to promote the utilization of data tools to facilitate data driven decisions.

    Indicators below will be reviewed to evaluate the achievement and expansion of implementation by at least 10% of Goal 3 objectives each year:

    • Provide access to the Internet and multimedia content in all learning environments for students, teachers, and staff.

    • Form strategic partnerships with school districts, educational institutions and the business community to share fiscal and programmatic resources.

    • Continue to provide and update:

      • high speed LANs (Local Area Network)

      • high speed WANs (Wide Area Network)

      • E-mail use

      • Technology-infused lesson plans

      • Productivity software

      • Inventory of hardware and software

      • Monitoring network use and end user needs to target technical support activities

      • Administrative software

      • A safe Internet environment

      • Acceptable Use Policies (AUP) for all users

      • Education of educators and students in the ethical use of computers.

    • Review Unit’s web sites in relation to accessibility statements.

    • Facilitate communication between informational technology, educational technology, assistive technology and curriculum professionals so that the Educational Unit’s technological resources can be used to support the learning and achievement of all students.

    Indicators below will be reviewed to evaluate the achievement of Goal 4:
    Provide and maintain:

    • High-speed connectivity to global and local resources through:    

      • High speed WANs (Wide Area Networks).

      • High speed LANs (Local Area Networks)—wired or wireless.

    • Multimedia computers and mobile devices.

    • Current productivity software (administrative, staff and student).

    • Access to e-mail.

    • Access to Internet.

    • Access to E-learning opportunities for students and staff.

    • Adequate annual technology budget.

    • Technical support for both infrastructure and personnel.

    • Maintenance and support to keep the current infrastructure fully operational.

    • Timely replacement of obsolete equipment.

    • Evaluation of work station ergonomics.


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