Hey Prof, Let's Chat About That Smart Classroom

Posted by Kenneth Ronkowitz on


study slide via CDW-G

Yesterday, I read the press release from CDW-G (a subsidiary of CDW Corporation, the IT solutions company that many schools use) about a study they did called "The 21st-Century Campus: Are We There Yet?." (Sounds like a conference theme.) They surveyed 1,000 college students, faculty and IT staff members. I take all studies done by vendors with a few grains of sea salt, but the results are still interesting.

No big surprise that regardless of their major, students say campus technology was a key factor in their school selection. Ditto that most students lack exposure to common workplace collaborative technologies, such as videoconferencing, Web conferencing and podcasts. That faculty and IT staff agree that lack of technology knowledge among faculty is the biggest barrier to technology on campus can't be news to anyone who sits in on an ed tech committee meeting.

"While students are incorporating technology into nearly all aspects of their higher education experience through laptops, the Internet, social networking sites and online course management, the on-campus technology experience is not keeping pace," said Julie Smith, director of higher education for CDW-G.

But the two findings I did find interesting are:

"More than 80 percent of faculty teach at least some of their classes in 'smart classrooms,' yet just 42 percent of those faculty use the technology during every class session."  EVERY class session? I want to know how many never use the technology. As we continue to try to equip every room with at least a projector, if not more smart tech, we are not keeping up on getting faculty to use them in pedagogically savvy ways. (I'm not talking projecting your PowerPoint slides or a web page.)

"Topping students' technology wish list is online chat capability with professors; just 23 percent of higher education IT staff say their campus offers it."  Students want to chat? That seems right. I'm not sure "chat" is the right word. My online grad students are always messaging me in Moodle, posting to the forums, and emailing. But the "virtual office hours" optional chats I scheduled were not big hits.Maybe my students are too old. Do your undergrads (or high schoolers) crave chat?

And what's a study without a call to action -

  1. Assess campus technology: Identify how faculty use technology in class as well as student technology expectations, and use the results to pinpoint challenges and opportunities. (Their 21st-Century Campus Online Assessment Tool is available at www.21stCenturyCampusIndex.com to assist institutions in making this assessment.)
  2. Monitor what's relevant after graduation: Identify technologies and provide training
  3. Train professors: Ensure training meets professors' needs and accommodates their schedules
  4. Connect with Web 2.0 tools: Leverage chat, blogs and social media tools to connect students and faculty; build community within and beyond the campus

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