Technology Across the Curriculum

July 19, 2006

On November 2^nd, 2005, the Provost’s Office approved the Technology Across the Curriculum Resolution*. The Technology Across the Curriculum (TAC) Committee was as yet unaware that this resolution had passed when, on June 5^th, 2006, TAC met with the Provost, Ed Weil, to determine direction and how it might best work with faculty to integrate technology across the curriculum. He clearly charged us to come up with a plan. He suggested we meet with Faculty leadership and others to help determine ways in which we could move ahead. When we met with the Faculty Senate leadership to discuss how to implement this resolution, TAC learned that this resolution had already been passed. Although this resolution dates back to 1998, its spirit and basic concepts are very sound. Neither TAC nor the Faculty Senate leadership saw reason to start again.

It was generally agreed that we share it with the Learning Literacy Strategies Team (LLST), the General Education Committee, the Basic Skills Committee, and the Center for Teaching Excellence. We did so with the express intention of resolving the issue of how to implement this resolution in light of the fact that it aligned completely with the LLST’s purpose of integrating learning literacies (information literacy, technology literacy, critical thinking and numeracy literacy) into the curriculum. It is ironic that all of these had already been discussed in this resolution long ago. However, technology is often the catalyst for integrating these types of competencies.

Technology provides unique opportunities for student engagement with information literacy, numeric literacy, and critical thinking. Giving our students these hands-on capabilities empowers them with the confidence for post-graduation job interviews and lifelong skills. Student success becomes more attainable. The LLST team has developed an assessment strategy to ensure that our students are graduating with these abilities. It is up to Technology Across the Curriculum to ensure that technology is integrated into the curriculum. There is a meeting of the minds here that simply needs to be fleshed out in greater detail.

The original document was looked at from today’s viewpoint, but with the consideration that passing a new resolution is not really necessary, especially considering how lengthy the process can be. New wording includes the importance that Middle States places upon information and technology literacy. Many of the suggested technologies have been updated, but otherwise, the basic resolution remains the same. The point is not to go back to the table, but to go forward with what we know we need to do – integrate these competencies into our curricula. Granted that many of these technologies may be incorporated into some of our courses already (certainly Blackboard has grown tremendously since the inception of this resolution), the problem remains that these are still not sufficiently designated as such, we still need to surface those courses and make students aware of the need to take at least two of these courses in order to be successful. The idea is to clearly have our students demonstrate these competencies in the final analysis.

Implementation requires that:

- Technology-oriented courses be designated by the General Education Committee in consultation with the Department Chairs and/or Deans

- Discussion needs to begin with the Registrar about how to list technology-oriented courses for registration purposes and how to get it on the degree audit

- Inform the Advisement Center and all Advisors of technology-oriented courses and the importance of this initiative

- Begin the assessment with the LLST

TAC would like to work very closely with the designated Faculty Senate ad hoc committee, the General Education Committee and the Departments, to develop the list of the designated courses that can be counted on to ensure our students are encountering the types of technologies that can be integrated into their coursework that will lead them to evaluate information, think critically and logically and collaborate well with others. Both TAC and IRT will assist in the implementation and in whatever training faculty and/or students may need to achieve the desired results.

Assessment:

- Ultimately, the assessment rubric proposed by the LLST team should result in students showing the desired result of greater technology skills as defined by the technology learning literacy competency

- The audit trail for each student will show if students are fulfilling their requisite two “technology-oriented”

*Attached are the original documents outlining the Information Technology Across the Curriculum Resolution that is referred to earlier in this paper. They clearly indicate the process that the Resolution went through and the resulting “Technology Across the Curriculum” Resolution passed through the Faculty Senate on April 14, 1999.

Information Technology Across the Curriculum
General Education Committee, April 7, 1998
Revised May 7,1998

Technology has permeated many aspects of our world and impacts education in a multitude of ways. Computer programs and the internet are important tools and resources which can expand opportunities for communication, research, information retrieval and storage, and dissemination of knowledge. Computer programs and the internet can be used to help our students learn at many levels. Students are attracted to learning via technology, especially since there are so many attractive software packages pertaining to learning skills and discipline-specific software for applications within the discipline. The World Wide Web opens up a wide world of information (some valuable, some of questionable value) to faculty and students to use for research.

General goals and objectives for our students include ability to "express themselves in written and oral form", "ability to think critically", "locate and use information", "ability to integrate knowledge and ideas in a coherent and meaningful manner", and "work effectively with others". Since technology has become so critical in the workforce and in our every day lives, it is reasonable to expect that our students be able to attain the goals and objectives in the context of the high tech society in which we live. A discerning student will have to be able to think critically when navigating through the blizzard of information on the web. Once the voluminous information is accessed, researchers must critically evaluate it, and integrate it into coherent and meaningful structure. Even in cyberspace it is necessary to know not only how to apply logic for effective searching but how to work effectively with others, communicating clearly and appropriately.

The Middles States Commission on Higher Education now requires institutions to demonstrate that information literacy skills are successfully integrated into the curriculum. The importance that Middle States attaches to this goal is evident by the prominent placement of the topic in Standard 11 (Educational Offerings) and Standard 12 (General Education) of its revised Characteristics of Excellence in Higher Education (2002).

In light of the above, the General Education Committee requests that Departments and Programs recommend General Education courses to be considered as "Technology oriented" based on the extensive inclusion/application of one or more of the technology dependent pedagogical methods and approaches described below. Individual instructors may offer one section of a multi section course as technology oriented, or all sections of a course may be offered as such. Designation of a course or courses will be at the discretion of the department/program or the individual instructor. The General Education Committee recommends that the IRT (Instruction and Research Technology) and or the (Computer Science Departments work cooperatively with the General Education Committee to implement future programs for faculty development.

THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THAT EVERY STUDENT TAKE A MINIMUM OF TWO COURSES WHICH HAVE BEEN DESIGNATED AS "TECHNOLOGY ORIENTED". Those courses may be taken in the major or in the General Education program

Examples of ways that technology can be used in the discipline include (but are not limited to) the following. A technology oriented course will make use of at least two of these applications as an essential element throughout the course:

Technology for Local/Domestic Communication:

- Use of e-mail to communicate between and among students and faculty. Send and receive assignments

- Set up Listserv to communicate in virtual learning communities, and establish dialogs in the context of the course and the discipline

- Set up Web Page with information (possibly on Euphrates)

- Present information with multimedia presentation program such as Powerpoint

- Communicate with students from other sections, courses, colleges and universities

- Set up course web site in a course management system such as Blackboard (Post syllabus, assignments, course materials, participate in discussion board, virtual chats, etc.)

Technology for data collection (1nformation/research):

- Communicate with other experts in the field via e-mail; queries and interviews of experts via e-mail

- Communicate with other students doing research on similar topics

- Critical use of Internet Search Engines to collect data/information on the discipline

- Electronic libraries and databases

- Online News/Blogs/Wikis

- Use of content management system such as Blackboard’s Content Management System

- Desktop videoconferencing/Chat/Streaming Video/Teleconferencing

Technology for data analysis:

- Spreadsheets, graphs using software such as Excel

- Statistical analysis using software such as SPSS or SAS

- Use of Computerized equipment: analysis of data from a database such as Access

Technology for Global and Collaborative outreach:

- Use of e-mail, Listservs, Blogs, Wikis, desktop videoconferencing, etc. in global academic community. Establishing relationships with other students and researchers abroad

- Sharing of ePortfolios and/or Learning Object content with others

- Communication with others in the discipline in other geographical areas, especially internationally

- Use of Internet to access data from other regions of the world. Evaluation of databanks, sources, and validity of data/information

Resolution on Technology Across the Curriculum
April 7, 1998
Revised May 7, 1998

Whereas technology has permeated many aspects of academia and impacts on education in a multitude of ways.

Whereas information technologies are important tools and resources which can expand opportunities for communication, research, information retrieval and storage, and dissemination of knowledge.

Whereas information technologies can be used to help students learn at many levels, students are attracted to learning via technology, as new software and the World Wide Web opens up a wide world of information (some valuable, some of questionable value) to faculty and students.

Whereas critical thinking and evaluation of information will be a particularly important aspect of a technology oriented society.

Whereas general goals and objectives for our students include ability to "express themselves in written and oral form", "ability to think critically", "locate and use information", "ability to integrate knowledge and ideas in a coherent and meaningful manner" and "work effectively with others". Since technology has become so critical in the workforce and in our every day lives, it is reasonable to expect that our students be able to attain the goals and objectives in the context of the high tech society in which we live.

Whereas computers can help students learn how to express themselves and a discerning student will have to be able to think critically when navigating through the blizzard of information on computers and the web. Once the voluminous information is accessed, student researchers must critically evaluate it, and integrate it into coherent and meaningful manner. And even in cyberspace it is important to know how to work effectively with others [it's a whole new level of cooperative learning and collaboration].

Whereas the General Education Committee strongly recommends that every undergraduate student takes a minimum of two "technology oriented" courses.

Be it resolved that every undergraduate student take a minimum of two courses which have been designated as "technology oriented". Those courses may be taken in the major, or in the General Education program. Some models for "technology oriented^" courses may involve team-teaching within disciplines with faculty of the Computer Science Department. A "technology oriented" course will be defined as using at least two of the following applications as essential elements throughout the course:

Technology for Local/Domestic Communication:

- Use of e-mail to communicate between and among students and faculty. Send and receive assignments

- Set up Listserv to communicate in virtual learning communities, and establish dialogs in the context of the course and the discipline

- Set up Web Page with information (possibly on Euphrates)

- Present information with multimedia presentation program such as Powerpoint

- Communicate with students from other sections, courses, colleges and universities

- Set up course web site in a course management system such as Blackboard (Post syllabus, assignments, course materials, participate in discussion board, virtual chats, etc.)

Technology for data collection (1nformation/research):

- Communicate with other experts in the field via e-mail; queries and interviews of experts via e-mail

- Communicate with other students doing research on similar topics

- Critical use of Internet Search Engines to collect data/information on the discipline

- Electronic libraries and databases

- Online News/Blogs/Wikis

- Use of content management system such as Blackboard’s Content Management System

- Desktop videoconferencing/Chat/Streaming Video/Teleconferencing

Technology for data analysis:

- Spreadsheets, graphs using software such as Excel

- Statistical analysis using software such as SPSS or SAS

- Use of Computerized equipment: analysis of data from a database such as Access

Technology for Global and Collaborative outreach:

- Use of e-mail, Listservs, Blogs, Wikis, desktop videoconferencing, etc. in global academic community. Establishing relationships with other students and researchers abroad

- Sharing of ePortfolios and/or Learning Object content with others

- Communication with others in the discipline in other geographical areas, especially internationally

- Use of Internet to access data from other regions of the world. Evaluation of databanks, sources, and validity of data/information

Be it further resolved that the General Education Committee be charged with reviewing and approving all courses for listing as "technology oriented". Individual courses and/or individual sections of multi section courses could be so designated. It will be at the discretion of the instructor whether to offer a section of a course as "technology oriented".

Be it further resolved that, due to the continuously evolving nature of computer science and technology, the Faculty Senate shall appoint an ad hoc committee to continue to examine the faculty and student needs in this area.

300 POMPTON ROAD ● WAYNE, NEW JERSEY 07470-2103

To: Virginia Overdorf, Chair, Faculty Senate

From:

General Education Committee: Peter Applebaum, Neil Grant, Vernon McClean, Helene Nemeth, Jeanne Nutter, Richard Pardi, John Peterman, Paul Swanson, Robert Wolk (Chair), and Miryam Wahrman (Director of General Education)

Re: Senate Resolution on Technology Across the Curriculum Date: December 1, 1998

The General Education Committee has approved the enclosed "Resolution on Technology Across the Curriculum" and is hereby submitting it to the Faculty Senate for review. The Committee recommends approval of this resolution.

Resolution on Technology Across the Curriculum
December 1, 1998

Whereas technology has permeated many aspects of academia and impacts on education in a multitude of ways.

Whereas information technolo^gies are important tools and resources which can expand opportunities for communication, research, information retrieval and storage. and dissemination of knowledge.

Whereas information technologies can be used to help students learn at many levels, and students are attracted to learning via technology, as new software and the World Wide Web open up a wide world of information to faculty and students.

Whereas critical thinking and evaluation of information will be a particularly important aspect of a technology oriented society.

Whereas general goals and objectives for our students include ability to: "express themselves in written and oral form", "think critically", "locate and use information", "integrate knowledge and ideas in a coherent and meaningful manner" and "work effectively with others". Since technology has become so critical in the workforce and in our every day lives, it is reasonable to expect that our students attain these goals and objectives in the context of the high-tech society in which we live.

Whereas computers can help students learn how to express themselves and students will need critical thinking skills when navigating through the blizzard of information on computers and the web. Once the voluminous information is accessed, student researchers must critically evaluate it, and integrate it in a coherent and meaningful manner. And, whereas, even in cyberspace it is important to know how to work effectively with others.

Whereas the General Education Committee strongly recommends that every undergraduate student takes a minimum of two technology intensive courses.

Be it resolved that faculty be supported and facilitated in developing technology intensive courses.

Be it further resolved that every undergraduate student be encouraged to take a minimum of two such courses.

Technology intensive courses should be offered in the major, elective courses and in the General Education program. Departments and programs should recommend courses to be listed as technology intensive. Individual courses and/or individual sections of multi-section courses should be so designated. It will be at the discretion of the instructor whether to offer a section of a course as technology intensive.