University of Central Arkansas

1. University of Central Arkansas Virtual Case Study 2008 Daniel Sheets (Team Leader) Holly Rehner Thomas Bruick Crystal Henry

2. Greetings from Conway, Arkansas, We are a small consultant committee of student affairs professionals from the University of Central Arkansas (UCA). We have recently been employed by McApple College, located in Boston, Massachusetts, and we are responding to the agenda set forth by MC’s Vice President of Student Affairs. We believe we have prepared a program that effectively identifies and describes five main issues, programs or services within the student services realm where technology has radically changed how we, as student affairs professionals, deliver programs and services to our students.

3. We will explore in depth the following five areas: Communication Technology Information Technology Systems Student Health Services Assisted Technology Professional Development

4. Within the presentation, you will find each area divided into three sections: Introduction- provides an overview of basic knowledge needed in each area. Innovation- examines technology’s contributions to each area. Impact- displays how these technological developments affect student affairs professionals and our abilities to meet the needs of our students.

5. Communication Technology

6. Introduction • Telephone technology involves the increased use in: • Voicemail • Direct Long Distance • Fax Machine • Cellular Phones Student affairs administrators are quite aware that communications technology is having a profound influence on the way we live and work. These changes can be seen in the following three areas: telephone technology, personal computers and the Internet. Professionals and students are able to connect with each other even if they never speak to each other directly. Students, staff, and faculty can call overseas– as long as they remember what time it is in the other country. Enables constant communication between offices, speeding the transmission of paperwork, from office to office within the same building or among other offices on campus. Offers flexibility and accessibility as professionals are allowed to remain in constant communication with students and each other.

7. Introduction Student affairs administrators are quite aware that communications technology is having a profound influence on the way we live and work. These changes can be seen in the following three areas: telephone technology, personal computers and the Internet.

8. Introduction The Internet have gone on-line compared with (Jones, 2002, p.1) Students are now able to complete research, communicate through e-mail and Instant Messenger service with friends, family, classmates and professors. Personal Computers “Students today weren’t necessarily raised on paper communications” (Moneta, 2005, p.4) In a survey completed by the Higher Education Research Institute, of college students report using a personal computer on a frequent basis compared to “Eighty-six percent of college students 59% of the general population” in 2004 85.7% 27.3% in 1985.

9. Innovations “Students are becoming harder to get a hold of. Fewer are checking—or even activating their campus e-mail or voicemail accounts (Student Affairs, 2006, p. 6).” Text Messaging Pod Casts Interactive Websites and Virtual Tours So how do reach the students? we Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio uses text messages to reach prospective students. Fitchburg State College used pod casts featuring the FSC President announcing the good news of students’ acceptance. Self-paced online campus tours with interactive maps are becoming more popular.

10. Impact On Departments: Frequent functional users must have a level of technical skill which requires continuous training. On Professionals: “The quality of our services to students and others is directly associated with the efficiency and effectiveness of our business transactions (Montea, 2005, p. 10).” On Students: “We serve a student body that is used to around-the-clock access to services and students who are remarkably awake and electronically active throughout the night (Montea, 2005, p.5).” New programmatic philosophy on reaching students “where they live” requires departments to invest in laptops, PDAs, cell phones and other devices. Personnel costs increase as frequent functional users must possess a level of technical skill that requires continuous training. Students presently demonstrate an on cell phones, entertainment devices and transactional technologies, including credit cards. overwhelming dependency Staff is expected to possess technological competency or expertise. Staff must continuously attend training sessions to stay abreast of FERPA, HIPAA, and other institutional, state, and federal regulations and policies. Some institutions are finding it necessary to create a new department to handle technical advances.

11. Information Technology Systems

12. Introduction Information Technology Systems are the electronic database systems a university uses to collect and maintain student information. Many universities referred to these as Student Information Systems or SIS. But a new option was on the horizon… Universities would create their own systems, which are known as legacy systems. Many departments within a university would often have their own system that was to other departments. not compatible or connected

13. Innovation Why ERP? Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, which are Information Technology Systems originally created for large business corporations, began to be used by universities. “Multiple in scope, tracking a range of activities including HR, student, and financial systems… Integrated, meaning that when data is added in one area, information also changes in all areas and related functions… ERP systems also resolved Y2K problems that made legacy administrative systems difficult, if not impossible, to modify” (King 2002).

14. Impact Student Services as a whole is able to run more efficiently because departments across campus are connected. In a recent study, 88% of universities that recently implemented ERP systems would buy ERP systems again versus 7% that would choose to build their own system, and 5% expressed no opinion (King, 2002). To illustrate the impact of switching to ERP, the following slides compare the daily activities of a University of Central Arkansas (UCA) Bear student under UCA’s old legacy system versus UCA’s Banner (ERP) system, which was implemented in 2006.

15. A Day with UCA Legacy 9:00 am Leave Residence Hall Return to Residence Hall 11:45 am Change Address at Registrar • To Do List • Change Address • Appointment with Advisor • Request private room • Price Textbooks • Purchase Symphony Tickets And Financial Aid Office Setup Appointment With Academic Advisor Purchase Symphony Tickets at Performance Hall Box Office Price Textbooks $$$ Request Private Room and Change Address at Housing Office

16. A Day With UCA Banner (ERP) Select “My UCA” Tab Select “Resources” Tab Log into student account 9:00 am Change address across entire campus Select Self-Service Tab Logout at 9:30 am Price Textbooks $$$ Schedule appointment with Academic Advisor Purchase Symphony Tickets Request Private Room

17. Health Services

18. Introduction Sax (1997), reports four pressing health issues for college students: Student Health Services is far more than treating the sore throat at an on-campus clinic. Substance Abuse Mental Health Physical Health Sexual Health Alcohol, drugs, tobacco. In 2005, 30% of college students used tobacco at least once a month. “An estimated 80% to 90% of all underage college students drink alcohol, and estimates of the college rate for alcohol abuse have been as high as 40%” (Fisher, Fried, and Anushko, 2007, p. 1) Mission of Student Health Services is…. Promote optimal student academic performance, personal development, and life-long healthy behaviors by providing students with essential healthcare and the knowledge and skills needed to sustain a healthy lifestyle. Depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and many other issues inhibit college students today. Lack of physical activity, poor diet, and poor sleeping habits are leaving a lasting effect on the health of today’s college students. AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, and rape are all areas today’s students need to be educated on.

19. Innovation Communication with Students via Internet: Communication with Students via Internet: Web-based Triage University of South Florida 24/7 WebMed Ask Alice- Columbia University where students can ask and receive feedback on health related issues. www.goaskalice.columbia.edu Txt messages via cell phone to assist students in stopping smoking. Web-based alcohol intervention. Technology within on-campus clinics. WebMed 24/7: Ask Alice Is a web-based triage system implemented by University of Central Florida early 2004. Triage is an organized process to separate individuals who need immediate care from those with less threatening situations. Students complete triage on 24/7 WebMed and are then assessed into 6 levels of urgency: Health promotion website launched by Columbia University. Students are able to ask questions and receive feedback on a wide-range of health issues. www.goaskalice.columbia.edu “A survey of 89 student health centers found that 64% used some form of electronic communication with patients” (Sole, Stuart, and Deichen, 2006, p. 289). 4. Seek care within 2-3 days 5. Seek care within 1-2 weeks 6. Self-care recommended • Call 911 • Seek immediate care • Seek care within 12-24 hours

20. Innovation Promoting healthy behavior using technology: Obermayer, Riley, Asif, and Jean-Mary (2004) developed a stop smoking prototype program, which utilized web and cell phone technologies Students in the program fill out their typical schedule on a website, which sends text messages about smoking during the participants anticipated most “at-risk” or stressful times. Study performed by Thombs, Olds, Osborn, Casseday, Glavin, and Berkowitz (2007) in two residence halls as a large public university in Ohio using a social norms intervention to deter alcohol use. “The use of computer technology was a central aspect of this project” (p. 327).

21. Impact Health Service professionals are able to meet the needs of students when and where they arise with the use of technology. Health Service professionals use technology to bring health information to students in new effective methods. 24/7 WebMed The web-based triage system was used by students on 1,290 occasions in the first 4 months of operation. After the triage process, 143 students requested an appointment by e-mail as recommended by the system. “He, who has health, has hope; and he who has hope has everything.” Arabian Proverb As a whole, vital health information and programs are more accessible, applicable, and effective in promoting health in today’s students.

22. Assistive Technology

23. Introduction • Acts and Titles • Rehabilitation Act of 1973 • American With Disabilities Act of 1990 • Title II • Title III No otherwise qualified person due to disability may be denied the participation in, be denied benefits of or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal funding assistance. Before 1973, only the 14th amendment protected the rights of people with disabilities. Prohibits public entities from denying qualified persons with disabilities the right to participate in or benefit from the services, programs, or activities that they provide, and from subjecting such individuals to discrimination if the exclusion or discrimination is due to the person having a disability. Prohibits entities that operate places of public accommodation from discriminating against persons with disabilities by denying them full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations they provide.

24. Introduction Assistive Technology (AT) Defined in the Technology-Related Assistance of Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988 as: “Any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially or off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.”

25. Innovations An estimated of American college students have disabilities. The number of college students with disabilities has grown fivefold from three decades ago, when it was estimated at . This number increased greatly due to the advancements of Assistive Technology. 11% Imagine you are a college student carrying a full course load. Each of your classes require you to keep up with considerable amounts of weekly reading assignments, problem sets, labs, quizzes, and tests. Now imagine that you have a significant visual impairment, you have a hard time hearing, or you can’t even hold a textbook. (Berkeley, D., Kressin, L., & Oberlander, C., 2007, p11). 2.3%

26. Innovations Helping with Coursework • Keyboards • Keyguards • Mouses • Trackballs • Switches • Pointing and typing aids • Eye Tracking devices • The PHANToM • Word predictions • Abbreviations • Electronic magnification • Refreshable Braille/ printers • Talking word processors • Voice recognition technology Device that allows students who are blind to “feel” computer icons by putting their finger into a thimble-like object and moving it across a plane. Can space out the keys, or reduce the number of keys so the student presses a few keys to produce characters. Keyguards are designed to stabilize and position the user's hand directly over the computer keyboard, and to promote accuracy in keypressing for single finger, headstick, or mouthstick typists. Prompts computer to predict words that a student is typing thus improving typing speed of students with limited mobility. Computer creates words based on abbreviated versions typed by a student. Can be controlled by mouthsticks or by the movements of a student’s head. Standard device that replaces the conventional mouse. Its advantages are a stationary position with no cords and easy dragging. Magnifies text to aide students with visual impairments Paddle, wobble, lever, light beam, and puff and sip designs that allow students to operate a computer. Allows Braille to change as information changes through a keypad device. Each line is refreshed as the student presses a switch. Used to activate keyboards or switches. Used with head, mouth, chin, hand, foot, or any other site with adequate motor control. Student does not have to look at the screen because keystrokes are confirmed by an echo from the computer. Tracks eye movement to activate computers and other devices. Student must have enough head control and ability to gaze directly at a camera. Recognizes student’s voice and enters the corresponding keystrokes. Student needs a clear and consistent voice to operate this device.

27. Innovations Helping around the Residence Halls • Fire alarms • Bed shakers • Remote devices Now with flashers to alert students who are deaf or hard of hearing that there is a fire. Vibrating beds to wake residents up, let them know when someone is at their door, notify them when there is an emergency, and more. Allows students to open doors and operate devices from afar which gives them independence from requiring aides at all times.

28. Impact • Our roles as Student Affairs professionals is to be familiar with the new technology available for students with disabilities. • Find the right fit for the student and there will be more retention success and lower technology abandonment rates. • Good communication between IT departments and Disability services. • Always meet the special needs of your students by asking if there is anything you can do to enhance their college experience. • Ask if they have aids that need help and access. • Make sure all students with disabilities are aware of emergency procedures and discuss their needs during those times. Too often IT does not have access and knowledge about the specific needs of the student body, while Disability Services are well aware of needs, but have difficulty keeping up with emerging technology.

29. Professional Development

30. Introduction Professional Development…what is it? Maintaining and updating career skills. Offers continuing education and personal development. Enables lifelong learning. And for our purposes, we’ll focus on… Keeping professionals up to date with evolving technological world.

31. “Managing and using IT in student affairs has become difficult since there is no tradition of practices and policies, nor of staffing and technology. Student affairs professionals on many campuses are addressing policy issues, and others are focusing their energies on staffing, while front line student affairs practitioners are using IT in new and challenging ways (Barratt, 2000, para. 1).”

32. Policy Staffing Technology Practice Policy IT in student affairs can be seen as composed of four elements: Staffing Technology Practice • ... is the work accomplished. • Practices involve: • Both our interactions with students and with ourselves. • Web page designs. • The ways in which student organizations use technology to provide forums or gain membership. • Services for distance education students. • Web based undergraduate and graduate applications. • Alumni e-mail accounts are some of the practices found on campuses. • Office management practices, word processing, record keeping, communication, conferencing and calendaring are integral parts of IT practice and affect how we work together. • ...for IT is a new endeavor in student affairs. • Some staff engage in developing new IT uses, and some staff use IT to increase efficiency of current practices. • IT staff in student affairs will need to do more than fix machines and install software. • They will need to: • Support and help develop our practices. • Help us with policy development. • Aid in connecting practices to missions and goals. • Assist with staff development as the IT demands on current staff change. At this point in the development of IT in student affairs there is often a marked disparity in practices between offices. Typically the offices with more advanced practices have identified people who are capable of merging practice and technology. The idea of best practices cannot be used yet, since there are not yet any benchmarks. IT practices in student affairs should be grounded in values, theory and research. • ...is yesterday's, today's and tomorrow's hardware and software. • Some important aspects are the appropriate uses of: • Technology • Planned growth • Investigations of emerging technologies • Integrating student affairs systems into the campus technology infrastructure New staff will have to be identified as IT developers and designers who have as their main assignment addressing student services needs using IT. New staffing partnerships are being formed as distance education staffs become engaged in the student service business. Managing IT within student affairs, and managing the new partnerships will require new types of managers who can join the staffing, technical, policy and practice elements. On most campuses, technology plans seldom articulate student development and learning goals, and policies have not kept pace with practices. Policies are enacted often as remediation; solving current problem, and are not often seen as preventative, nor as developmental. • ... is the collection of formal statements about all aspects of information technology. • Within the division, this consists of: • Codes of student conduct. • Guidelines for student E-mail use. • Restrictions on the uses of college owned computers and networks. • Guidelines and standards for web pages. • Legal issues and constraints. • Mission and goal statements that connect student development and student learning to IT. New applications software, and new types of software are arriving on the market at a fast pace. Proactive approaches to identifying and using new and appropriate technology needs to be utilized, and staff members need to be working to discover what might help students. (Barratt, 2000)

33. Innovations Online commons for SA professionals. Blogs, podcasts and forums. Online Journal/article access. Conference dates, times and other information. Compilation of tools/resources for Student Affairs (SA) professionals. Online courses, workshops and competitions for professional skill development. Databases for professional organizations and hiring others. List-serves for updated SA information.

34. Impact The impact of technology has dramatically changed professional development. As a result of these innovations, SA professionals have been able to: Centralize a multitude of internal information. Spur competition among each other. Create more specific SA jobs while eliminating more general SA positions. Provide an outlet for SA professionals’ creativity and curiosity. Ultimately, cultivate and develop all areas of SA professional development, with the exception of interpersonal communication skills.

35. Technological advances may have decreased human contact, but student affairs professionals must steadily create innovative ways to maintain student-staff contact. Insight Students demand access to The acceptance of information technology has become a necessity for colleges and universities. in order to compete in the job world. As these technologies to gain the knowledge needed student affairs professionals,we have the responsibility to meet this need.

36. A closing thought from: Larry Montea, VP of Student Affairs, Duke University “The pressure to succumb to the latest and greatest technology can be overwhelming—and expensive! It is ever more critical that student affairs staff focus on the outcomes intended by our various services and let technology follow—not lead.” But bear in mind…

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