Lessons Learned: Balancing the Costs and Benefits of Technology University of Calgary, May 26, 1999

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Lessons Learned Balancing the Costs and Benefits
of TechnologyUniversity of Calgary, May 26, 1999

• By David G. Brown
• Vice President, Wake Forest University
• Dean, International Center for Computer Enhanced
  Learning

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• 3600 undergrads
• 92 residential
• 500 each Med, Law, MBA, PhD
• 800M endowment
• Winston-Salem NC
• Baptist Heritage
• Tim Duncan (ACC)

• 1300 avg SAT
• 29th USNWR
• Top 35 Privates in Barrons Guide
• Rhodes Scholars
• 1997 National Debate Champions

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THE WAKE FOREST PLANF96 IBM 365XD, 16RAM,
100Mhz, 810MB, CD-ROM, 14.4 modemF97 IBM 380D,
32 RAM, 130Mhz, 1.35GB, CD-ROM, 33.6 modemF98
IBM 380XD, 64 RAM, 233 Mhz, 4.1GB, CD-ROM, 56
modemF99 IBM 390, 128RAM, 333 Mhz, 6 GB,
CD-ROM, 56 modem

• 75 CEI Users
• 15 Tuition
• 4 Year Phase In

• Thinkpads for all
• New Every 2 Years
• Own _at_ Graduation
• Standard Template
• IGN for Faculty
• Keep Old Computers

1999 Software Load Netscape 4.5, Dreamweaver 2,
SPSS 9, Maple V 5.1 Windows 98, MS Office Prof 97
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Consequences for Wake Forest

• SAT Scores Class Ranks
• Retention Grad Rates
• Satisfaction Learning
• Faculty Recruitment

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With Ubiquity---The Culture Changes

• Mentality shifts-- like from public phone to
  personal phone.
• Teaching Assumptions shift-- like from readings
  are on reserve to everyone owns a copy of his/her
  own.
• Timelines shift-- like from our class meets MWF
  to we see each other all the time and MWF we
  meet together
• Students sense of access shifts-- like from I
  can get that book in the library to I have that
  book in my library.
• Relationships shift-- like from a family living
  in many different states to all family members
  living in the same town

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8 BASIC MODELS OFUBIQUITOUS COMPUTING(Ordered
by total cost, starting with the most expensive)

• All Powerful Laptops Annual Refresh
• Refresh Less Frequently
• Substitute Desktop Computers
• Provide One Computer Per Two Beds
• Specify Threshold Level
• Substitute Network Computers
• Provide Public Station Computers
• Teach with Explicit Assumption of Access

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WAYS TO REDUCE START UP COSTS

• Annual Lease
• Phase in by classes
• Phase in by programs
• Phase in by type of program
• Phase in by category (faculty, students, staff)
• Hand me down
• Loaner Pool

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WHY COMPUTERS?the institutional answer

• Communication!
• Level Playing Field
• After College Use
• Faculty/Students Demand Them
• Customized/Personalized
• Digitized Scholarship

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WHY COMPUTERS?the faculty answer

• Interactive Learning
• Learn by Doing
• Collaborative Learning
• Integration of Theory and Practice
• Visualization
• Communication
• Different Strokes for Different Folks

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Computers Enhance My Teaching and/or Learning
Via--
Presentations Better--20
More Opportunities to Practice Analyze--35
More Access to Source Materials via Internet--43
More Communication with Faculty Colleagues,
Classmates, and Between Faculty and Students--87
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Lessons Learned
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LESSONS LEARNED

• PCs are only 10 of the Challenge
  (support/networks/policies/train/expose)
• Most sunk costs can be ignored
• Expectations need management
• Develop a comprehensive plan first, and quickly
  match it with a multiyear financial plan

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LESSONS LEARNED

• Standardization pays rewards well beyond those
  anticipated non-standard configurations require
  3-4 times support
• Students/Faculty want specific computer training
  that is centered around a task-at-hand general
  classes dont work well
• Be prepared to outsource challenges
• Dont wire to every seat
• Use the internet for course materials

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LESSONS LEARNED

• Reliability is critical, especially the
  Help Desk
• Provide academic units staff of their own
  plenty of equipment without hassle
• Improve communications weekly rumors fly faster
• Spread the gains from ownership of innovation
  throughout all units

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Lessons Learned

• Contact becomes Continuous.
• Students expect messages between classes
• Team assignments increase
• Papers Talks often include visuals
• Departmental clubs thrive
• Student Portfolios Emerge
• Students teach faculty

ICCEL -- Wake Forest University, 1999
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Lessons Learned

• Computer knowledge is a boon to student
  recruitment, retention, self-confidence.
• Computer knowledge is highly valued by students
  prospective employers
• Computer availability throughout the student body
  attracts new faculty
• Computer challenged students learn basic skills
  quickly, without special classes
• Disciplines use computers differently

ICCEL -- Wake Forest University, 1999
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Lessons Learned

• Greatest benefits are what happens between
  classes, not during classes.
• Greatest gains from computing come from the big
  three.
• Standardization speeds faculty adoption and eases
  the pressure upon support staff.
• Standardization saves class time.
• Student groups are larger and more active.
• Faculty migrate to the student standard very
  quickly

ICCEL -- Wake Forest University, 1999
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BIG ISSUES

• Laptop vs Desktop vs Network
• Standard vs Threshold
• Single Vendor vs Multiple Vendors
• Buy vs Lease vs Student Buy
• CourseInfo vs Web Course in Box
• Cold Turkey vs Pilot

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BIG ISSUES

• Communication vs Presentation vs Analysis vs
  Access to Internet
• Virtual Courses vs Hybrids
• Academic vs Administrative
• Consortia vs Going It Alone
• Todays Students vs Alums Also
• Mandatory vs Optional

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Positioning for the Future

• What are the appropriate delivery technologies
  next year? 5 years? Etc?
• What is a realistic staffing plan? Outsourcing?
  Support personnel? Executive leadership?
• What institutional partnerships make sense?

• What are your institutions strengths
  weaknesses
• How do you determine your place in an electronic
  world?
• What will be your primary student
  markets--program areas? Degree credit? Geographic
  span? Age?

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