>From owner-trad-l@LISTSERV.VT.EDU Wed Mar 26 04:11:01 1997 Received: (from mailadm@localhost) by sable.cc.vt.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) id EAA09545 for fox@fox.cs.vt.edu; Wed, 26 Mar 1997 04:11:00 -0500 (EST) Received: from listserv.vt.edu (listserv.vt.edu [128.173.4.9]) by sable.cc.vt.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id EAA13440; Wed, 26 Mar 1997 04:10:58 -0500 (EST) Received: from listserv.vt.edu (listserv.vt.edu [128.173.4.9]) by listserv.vt.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id EAA24242; Wed, 26 Mar 1997 04:10:57 -0500 Received: from LISTSERV.VT.EDU by LISTSERV.VT.EDU (LISTSERV-TCP/IP release 1.8c) with spool id 828092 for TRAD-L@LISTSERV.VT.EDU; Wed, 26 Mar 1997 04:10:56 -0500 Received: from sable.cc.vt.edu (sable.cc.vt.edu [128.173.16.30]) by listserv.vt.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id EAA47082 for ; Wed, 26 Mar 1997 04:08:43 -0500 Received: from [128.173.40.198] (tuxedo.cs.vt.edu [128.173.40.198]) by sable.cc.vt.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id EAA26095 for ; Wed, 26 Mar 1997 04:08:40 -0500 (EST) X-Sender: fox@vt.edu (Unverified) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Message-Id: Date: Wed, 26 Mar 1997 04:11:37 -0400 Reply-To: "Edward A. Fox" Sender: trad-l Discussion List From: "Edward A. Fox" Subject: start of intro and 1st part of recommendations - 3/26/97 draft To: TRAD-L@LISTSERV.VT.EDU Notes by eaf for recommendations discussions on 3/26, 3/27 of self study, trad-l: Part of Introduction Our subcommittee focuses on traditional learners who spend much of their time in a learning community whose aim is to ensure that they have the best possible educational experience. That community has evolved over 125 years, bound together by its core values, constrained by a number of circumstances, with particular policies and priorities. We seek to re-focus on our primary aim, reviewing constraints that may have shifted, reconsidering priorities that may need alteration and revising policies that may need replaceing. In particular, we explore how information technology (IT) may impact our constraints, priorites and policies, leading to radical or subtle changes. We seek to institutionalize this process, as well as to identify specific recommendations that follow from our current situation, plans, and clear trends. Our first driving question concerns how to ensure that we apply IT optimally so our residential learners have the best possible educational experience. Our second question concerns how to institutionalize this effort of applying IT optimally so our residential learners have the best possible educational experience. In particular, it explores how to involve students as effectively as possible in this process. Our third question concerns how to transition or bridge between residential activities and those where learners are elsewhere in: Blacksburg, the region, the state, the region, or the world. To answer these qustions we must characterize the current situation, explore various trends, consider a variety of change processes, and relate IT to our values, goals and plans. Since we have imperfect insight, we must foster an atmosphere of inquiry and reflection, of innovation and evaluation, of revolution and evolution. In the academic tradition we must apply education theory and IT together, according to the state-of-the-art in both, and base future plans on an unbiased analysis of each experiment undertaken, considering not only economics but also quality, long-term as well as short-term benefit, faculty time as well as capital expenditure. Part of Recommendations Related to Question 1: 1. In their first semester, students should achieve a basic level of information literacy. 1a. Admission requirements may include something regarding information literacy. 1b. There may be a university-wide statement of basic information literacy requirement, which should be supported by university activities (e.g., by library, computing). 1c. There may be college and/or department statements of information literacy requirements, which should be supported by college and/or department programs. 2. A suitable financial plan should be in place to accommodate the needs of students for adequate access to computing facilities. 2a. Where appropriate, financial aid should consider any university, college or department requirements for purchase. 2b. Where appropriate, computer lab fees should be charged, according to the cost of maintaining state-of-the-art laboratories for those served. 3. A process should be put in place to review frequently how IT can provide cost and time-savings for students, leading to priority deployment of those with the greatest benefit, especially for learning, and when negative effects can be easily addressed. (more later) Professor Edward A. Fox, Ph.D. Department of Computer Science 660 McBryde Hall Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA 24061-0106