Page 6 - index

Voices of Leadership…

On Leadership in the High-Defnition Age

Leadership in the High-Definition Age…sound familiar? In today’s higher education landscape, the discussion
about how to keep up with technology as a means of keeping students engaged, promoting their success, and
preparing them for the workforce is seemingly ever-present. What our spring/summer issue strives to clarify,
however, are the reasons it is essential and the methods with which you, as educators, can facilitate that
initiative. This spring we asked our Academy Facilitation Team to reflect on the significance of technology’s role
in the process of learning, the current perceptions of students regarding how their institutions utilize technology,
and the success and/or failure of our institutions at keeping up with the constantly evolving technology trends
and devices. We share their responses with you in the hope that it will spark discussion and innovation on the
ways in which your institution can utilize technology for the benefit of your students.

Maggie Beers, Ph.D. Director, Academic Technology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, USA

Technology can be a great ally for education. How big is its role in the learning process?
Technology’s disruptive nature forces institutions to rethink established work practices, curricula, and ways of teaching,
which can lead to positive change. For students, technology can be a game-changer since it provides accommodations for
students with disabilities, support for diferent learning styles, fexibility of time and space for non-traditional students,
and online access to impacted courses.
Nearly half of all higher education students do not perceive their institutions using technology effectively. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
Efective use of technology is tied to its implementation, and there are positive and negative examples on every campus.
Successful implementations can afrm all three of these questions: Does the technology support our educational and
business goals? Does it seamlessly integrate into our technical infrastructure? Are the users extremely well supported? If
you notice an example of inefective technology use, revisit these areas until you can say “Yes!” to all three.
Often times, higher education organizations get a bad rap for not keeping up with technology advances/equipment fast enough. Does this really matter? Provide your thoughts.
Innovations do get people’s attention, but their very name implies they aren’t proven practices and can sometimes be a distraction to the
faculty and staf trying to provide core services with limited resources. Te priority is to establish a baseline of fail-proof technology services
that support the institution’s mission. In the case of teaching and learning, this might include audiovisual classroom technology, a learning
management system, and reliable wireless connections. Rather than moving on to the next innovation, students usually want the institution to
take better advantage of the untapped functionality that exists in their current suite of tools.

Scott Geddis, President, Inspired Engagement, Phoenix, AZ, USA

Technology can be a great ally for education. How big is its role in the learning process?
Technology is a force multiplier in education that decreases barriers to access - and without access there is no
education. Students who are disadvantaged in seeking learning opportunities due to geography and physical or learning
disabilities are given access to learning by technology in ways never before possible.
Nearly half of all higher education students do not perceive their institutions using technology effectively. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
Students in the two-year college setting represent a wide diversity of technology users. Many are early adopters and
quite accomplished while others are behind the technology curve due to age or socio-economic status. Two-year
colleges balance the use of technology between these two extremes, engaging the high users but not limiting access to
success for those less skilled and experienced. Tis ofen leaves the perception of inefective use of technology.
Often times, higher education organizations get a bad rap for not keeping up with technology advances/equipment fast enough. Does this really matter? Provide your thoughts.
If it doesn’t matter, it should. A signifcant focus of two-year colleges is workforce preparation, and today’s workforce requires up-to-date
technology skills. Tere are two barriers to “keeping up” with technology in higher education: 1) Colleges are facing dramatic decreases in
public funding ofen used to support the technology infrastructure and 2) Te culture of higher education is not one of early adoption but one
of cautious change. It is time, however, for colleges to fnd a way to anticipate and remain current in technology advancements to serve the
population they are missioned to serve.

4 LEADERSHIP Vol. 21.1 Spring/Summer 2015

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