EdTech 501

Boise State University

Pete Surgent

School Evaluation Summary- College of the Bay

EdTech 501 Pete Surgent April 29, 2013

EdTech 501

Boise State University

Pete Surgent

Introduction
The College of the Bay receives funding from federal, state and local government. The other primary source of income comes from tuition and fees. For these reasons, Information Technology and Educational Technology are funded well. There are multiple well-paid administrators whose duties are dedicated to the infrastructure and implementation of technology on and off campus. In addition, many other administrators and faculty members serve on committees dedicated to technology. Clearly the role of technology at the college is a priority and many resources are available. The potential advantage the resources provide, however, is not always met..

College of the Bay: Demographics

The College of the Bay has five campuses and had a total enrollment of over 70,000 students in the fiscal year of 2012. This includes all credit students (part time and full time) as well as continuing education students. The school has seen a steady increase in enrollment of the past few years and that enrollment is now levelling out. The graphics below display total enrollment numbers, as well as Full Time Equivalent enrollment.

EdTech 501

Boise State University

Pete Surgent

Some demographic data is displayed below.

EdTech 501

Boise State University

Pete Surgent

Maturity Benchmarks

Administrative

Policy Behavioral- INTEGRATED Appropriate technology use is clearly defined and formalized. The most common use is that of a course management system used in all courses, including lecture. It is embraced but most, but not all of the school. Resource/Infrastructure- INTELLIGENT Various comprehensive policies exists that specifically outline use and are constantly governed by college sent and IT committees. Planning Behavioral- INTEGRATED Some informal review is applied and some formal review is applied to the various plans and policies for the college. Resource/Infrastructure- INTEGRATED School does have a formalized technology plan. It does seem to change frequently due to the dependence on the tech budget which depends on enrollment, and government funding. Budget Behavioral- INTELLIGENT Very comprehensive budget made available to the entire college. Line-by-line entries including server costs, licenses, contractor cots, etc. Resource/Infrastructure- INTELLIGENT The budget is very specific in nature and is planned annually. The committees do an excellent job of in addressing long term budget needs, and rarely do we see items cut from the budget. Additionally, work done on the budget is surprisingly transparent. Administrative Information Behavioral-INTEGRATED Some paperless systems remain administratively and within some of the departments. The transition for placement testing has long-ago been moved to computer, but some departments (like the math department) rely on paper testing for highly enrolled developmental courses that could greatly benefit from a move to computerized assessment and data collection. Resource/Infrastructure- INTELLIGENT The systems exist for almost the entire college, but some are not utilized.

EdTech 501

Boise State University

Pete Surgent

Curricular

Electronic Information Behavioral- ISLANDS Resources are available, but only some students and staff rely upon and utilize these systems often. Resource/Infrastructure- INTEGRATED Access to resources are available to all, and are fairly comprehensive. The access leaves a little to be desired, but the bigger problem remains to be the use. Assessment Behavioral- ISLANDS Technology could play a large role in self-assessment, and many of the educators (and students) make use of these tools, but not all. Resource/Infrastructure- ISLANDS The tools are available, but much of the assessment concentrates only on passrates and the completion (graduation) agenda. Curricular Integration Behavioral- ISLANDS Only some educators are integrated technology into the curriculum. It is a policy that BlackBoard be used in every class taught in any delivery method. It is ignored by many. Resource/Infrastructure- INTEGRATED There are vast amounts of technology and related resources available, and the staff is constantly encouraged to take full advantage. Teacher Use Behavioral- ISLANDS It is difficult to determine how many of the teachers integrate the technology daily into their teaching. In the math department, I would consider it regular, but not daily. Resource/Infrastructure- INTELLIGENT Every class has high speed internet, and a smart computer. These have the ability to run many programs, displayed from a projector. Additionally, the computers have touch screens, allowing faculty to write on them and software to record video and voice of the lecture.

EdTech 501

Boise State University

Pete Surgent

Student Use Behavioral- ISLANDS Often student use depends on what the teachers are assigning. This is directly tied to teacher use, but would be somewhat less. Teachers use technology for demonstration, but may not require any use from their students. However, projects are required for many courses, and each project has a minimum technology use requirement. Resource/Infrastructure- INTEGRATED All students have access at the college, although lab space is limited. Not all students have access while off-campus.

Support

Stakeholder Involvement Behavioral- INTEGRATED At monthly meetings, all departments are updated on planning and implementation. Many are involved in the process (but few faculty are involved). Resource/Infrastructure- INTEGRATED All groups are solicited to serve on committees that do the planning. Most are represented. These committees are made up of full time IT professionals, administrators throughout the college, and faculty members from various departments. Administrative Support Behavioral- INTELLIGENT Much money and time is spent on implementation and planning by the various parties mentioned above. Resource/Infrastructure- INTELLIGENT Support is offered in numerous ways. There is a 24-hr. help desk for individual technology issues, which is very dependable. The support for planning and implementation is also extensive. Training Behavioral-EMERGENT It is not many that receive training, but also not few, but somewhere in between. There is constant opportunities for training, but it is the minority that take advantage of the opportunity. Mandatory training is in place for certain responsibilities (like teaching online courses), but not for use of more basic tasks (like learning to use the course management system.

EdTech 501

Boise State University

Pete Surgent

Resource/Infrastructure- INTEGRATED Sufficient training available. Full time professionals hired whose task is dedicated to training. One computer lab on each campus exists only for faculty/staff training.

Technical/Infrastructure Support Behavioral- ISLANDS Many staff do make use of the support system in place. Some seem to avoid the problems rather than seek support. Resource/Infrastructure- INTELLIGENT Twenty-four hour help desk solves problems or send issues to other professionals to address. This system is very reliable.

Connectivity

LAN

Behavioral- INTELLIGENT Staff/faculty constantly use the high speed broadband in place, with little to no limitations. Resource/Infrastructure- INTELLIGENT Extensive LAN with high speed broadband in place.

WAN Behavioral- INTELLIGENT Staff/faculty relies heavily on the network. Resource/Infrastructure- INTELLIGENT Networking services are contracted to Comcast, which provides a very fast and reliable network. Internet Access Behavioral- ISLANDS Most faculty/staff regularly use the internet, however, most do not integrate into the classroom. Resource/Infrastructure- INTELLIGENT Internet access in every building, every office every classroom, wired and wireless. Communication Systems Behavioral- ISLANDS Email is used frequently among staff, but not as a primary or efficient way to communicate with students. Resource/Infrastructure- INTELLIGENT

EdTech 501

Boise State University

Pete Surgent

School email accounts are provided for all.

Innovation

New Technologies Behavioral- ISLANDS New technologies are available and accepted by many staff members, but not all embrace them . Most cite time to learn as the biggest concern. Resource/Infrastructure- INTEGRATED New technologies are readily available, but the implementation can only be considered moderate at best. Comprehensive Technologies Behavioral- INTEGRATED Comprehensive technologies are available to all, including the ability to record a classroom lecture with video. These are instantly uploaded to the Blackboard site for that course. Resource/Infrastructure- INTEGRATED Sophisticated and comprehensive technologies are readily available, but not always used.

Evaluation Summary The overall score for the school should be INTEGRATED. The strengths are certainly with the infrastructure, administration, support and administration. In other words, the access and support are there and function well, it is the use that is lacking. The lowest scoring category is clearly curricular. The theme remains that many do not take advantage of the excellent technological resources available.