One of my favorite articles in recent memory from the Chronicle of Higher Ed, written by Audrey Williams June, identifies several factors among administrators that measure success in academia. Some of the common themes, include fundraising endowments, faculty achievements, student graduation rates and job placement, networking, professional development and presence at conferences. The recurring themes of creating a team of support, instead of focusing on bringing in star faculty by themselves demonstrates a shift in culture of higher education from individual achievement to a more cosmopolitan effort focused on students needs, aligning research interests and generating a collaborative presence online for enrollment and recruitment.
However, one of the glaring omissions from the article includes the role of technology in higher education departments and the importance of building a strong online/web/mobile presence to meet student needs in the 21st century. While all of the factors mentioned in the article are important and generally conform to a paradigm shift focusing more on the whole rather than the sum of its parts, in terms of faculty development and course-building, the lack of technology initiatives listed as accomplishments is alarming. If administrators measure success by revenue streams, team building and conferencing, why is technology not central to each of these performance standards?
Moreover, if administrators are serious about meeting the demands of students and providing students with skills needed in the academic workforce, then technology initiatives must be at the top of the to-do list. Establishing an online or continuing education program at a college of education remains a vital component to future success and survival. The time is now for administrators to realize the power of technology to transform education and provide faculty with the technology tools necessary for grants, research and content delivery.
1 comment:
Interesting Blog topic! My largest take away from this class is, how many (myself before) underestimate the amount of time building online informal and formal learning platforms and communities require. I think that many of these services get taken for granted because the level of detail and time necessary to incorporate technology is not commonly known.
Post a Comment