Athens State University - Comprehensive Standard 3.4.12

Focused Report

Comprehensive Standard 3.4.12

The institution’s use of technology enhances student learning and is appropriate for meeting the objectives of its programs. Students have access to and training in the use of technology.

Off-Site Committee Comments

The institution’s use of software technology enhances student learning and is appropriate for meeting the objectives of its programs. The institution’s use of technology needs to be documented for classrooms on the campus and at the Off-Campus University Centers. According to the institutional report “…students’ use of technology training is greatly improving” and from the Institutional Summary is the statement that “All Off-Campus Centers provide student support services and instructional resources similar to those provided at the Main Campus to meet the needs of both traditional and distance learning students.”

Both access to and training in the use of technology for students at the off-campus centers, particularly the University Centers, needs to be verified with specific comprehensive evidence.

Athens State University Response

Athens State University (ASU) is committed to providing the technology needed to support student learning, and preparing students for succeeding with the technology. The Blackboard course management system, along with Tegrity and Wimba learning technologies, is available through the Internet by ASU authentication.

The University has three open computer labs in Waters Hall on the main campus, with a total of 36 student computers. The labs are open from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Monday through Thursday. Computers have Microsoft Office, Internet, and Respondus Lockdown Browser. Staffing for the labs is provided by student assistants, with the Computer Science Department supervising one lab and the Department of Information Technology providing supervision for the other two.

In addition, the Athens State University Library has sixteen computers available for ASU students with Microsoft Office, Internet, and Respondus Lockdown Browser. The Library is open Monday to Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; and Sunday from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Wireless access for ASU students and faculty is provided in the Library.

Free printing, up to 150 pages per semester, is available to Athens State students with current ID cards. This service is available in the Library and the computer labs on the main campus.

The Off-Campus Centers have computer labs and open computer areas available to Athens State students.

Beyond the assistance offered on the campus sites, the primary means of providing training and support is via the Athens State University web page. Through the web page, training and assistance are available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of location and time zone. The Blackboard icon on the main University web page allows students to access training and support information for the Blackboard course management system, Tegrity, Wimba, and Respondus LockDown Browser. The Blackboard icon will also take students to information about SMARTHINKING online tutoring services, for which no training is necessary. Additionally, the University has a contract with Perceptis to provide twenty-four hour a day, seven-day a week assistance and support for ASU students and faculty with Blackboard, Tegrity, and Wimba. The toll-free number is available to students on the University’s Blackboard login page.

Almost all ASU Library databases provide extensive help features, with much of it context-sensitive. In addition, the Library has a variety of means to provide instruction and assistance through the web page, including a tutorial and multiple ways to reach reference librarians.

All of the training resources described above are also available to Athens State faculty. The Coordinator of the Center for Instructional Technology, who serves as a faculty member, provides training materials and regularly scheduled technology workshops for faculty. The Coordinator of Learning Systems is the primary faculty service support person for University learning technologies. The University has funded a new position in instructional design for support of ASU classes, and this person will begin employment in October 2010.

New Athens State students are automatically enrolled in a Blackboard Student Orientation Course. This online orientation class, provided at no extra charge, prepares students for online education by guiding them through all Blackboard tools and tasks.

Athens State, as an upper division institution, expects students to have gained basic computer proficiency through completion of CIS 146, Microcomputer Applications, offered by Alabama community colleges. Students transferring to ASU’s College of Business who have not met this requirement must enroll in the ASU class GBA 301, Windows Applications for Business. All students in ASU’s College of Arts & Sciences who have not taken CIS 146 at the lower level must enroll in the ASU class CIS 301, Problem Solving with Computers. All students in ASU’s College of Education are required to take the ASU class ED 305, Technology and Media in Education.

In addition to resources and training provided to students, the institution has developed a survey instrument for new students to assist in deciding their readiness for online education. This self-assessment tool, titled “Should I Take an Online Course?,” is featured on the ASU Academics webpage. The score alerts the student of potential success in distance learning.

Athens State University respectfully finds that it is in compliance with Comprehensive Standard 3.4.12.