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Future of IT education
    Education and informtaion technology
 

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Article #3: Future of IT education

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Through her 10 years of experience at so they're hard to remember. A refresher
IBM, her previous position as vice can be very useful in teaching and
president for information resources for learning environments, as well as in
the 16-campus University of North staff support situations. The use of IT
Carolina system, and her current role as in such situations may change the way we
an independent consultant, Diana Oblinger conceive of learning. People learn best
is familiar with the interaction between when they need information. IT systems
higher education and information deliver information when it is needed, so
technology (IT) from both a business and that it can be put to use immediately and
an educational standpoint. We took learned more effectively.
advantage of a break in the recent Also, there is a growing enthusiasm for
EDUCAUSE conference in Indianapolis to learning communities. We can put together
discuss where U.S. institutions were in online learning communities that
the use of IT tools in higher education complement face-to-face environments. You
and what the future holds. start by creating bonds and establishing
James Morrison [JM]: Where are we in connections between individuals within
using IT tools to enhance the educational the face-to-face environment, but a
process? tremendous amount of learning—sharing
Diana Oblinger [DO]: Although we've come information, challenging ideas, and
a long way in using IT tools to enhance constructing new paradigms—can take
education, at present we're hampered by place in an online setting.
our fragmented approach to incorporating In addition to knowledge management and
them. In almost every institution you can learning communities, we are also seeing
find islands of innovation, but we have significant change in what businesses
yet to integrate the pieces into a often refer to as customer relationship
seamless enterprise. For example, some management. The notion is that you manage
institutions excel in online student the relationship between institution and
services by offering a 24/7 operation to learner across the multiple ways that you
students with great customer service, contact people or connect with them.
access, convenience, and a fast response Think about our admissions process: we
time. Yet the same institutions might have face-to-face recruitment activities,
still rely on a traditional classroom we have phone contact with students, and
model when it comes to teaching and we have Web contact with students. We are
learning. Such internal variations just beginning to develop integrated
parallel those existing between systems that will allow us to bring
institutions; for example, other records of those student contacts
institutions might be wildly successful together. Customer relationship
in such areas as distributed learning, management offers a way of thinking
distance learning, and partnerships with holistically about an institution's
e-learning companies. Administrative relationship with a learner. It will
systems vary as well. We see some provide a huge improvement because
institutions with fully implemented ERP colleges and universities really are all
(Enterprise Resource Planning) solutions, about relationships; we've simply lacked
while others are still processing the tools to integrate the various touch
financial aid by hand. points with our students and strengthen
Despite the fragmentation, institutions our relationships.
continue to find ways of using IT to help Finally, we are going to become much more
them better manage the "business" of data-driven. We are putting IT systems in
higher education. Institutions, place to collect data that will generate
particularly those in state systems, are insights. If we step back and look at
facing a greater demand for this information, we may discover things
accountability. In response to this that help us capitalize on student
expectation, a new generation of learning and improve student retention.
university presidents is looking to IT JM: What should educators be doing now?
tools for help in operating from a DO: First, be prepared. Before
data-driven basis. incorporating IT tools, it is critical to
So there are pockets of innovation and a ask, "What is distinctive about my
lot of wonderful things happening, but at institution?" and "What do I want to
this point, very few institutions have deliver to my students?" Then
been able to integrate those pieces into institutions can apply IT tools to
a seamless educational enterprise. enhance that distinctiveness. There is
JM: What are the forces driving the use always a strong temptation to take a
of IT tools in education? plunge and pursue the latest, greatest
DO: There are a number of significant thing that another institution is doing,
drivers. One is technology itself. but that achievement may not be
Technology challenges people's appropriate for your institution.
assumptions about what it means to be Second, be supportive. IT tools can
educated. Technology and globalization improve job satisfaction as well as job
have changed the way we do business; as a quality. As we better automate and
result, we have seen the emergence of a integrate the information flow, employees
lifelong learning culture, one in which have more time to do the very human kinds
education allows us to keep pace with of things that they excel at and that
change. Moreover, it goes beyond probably drew them to the college
extending our notion of education from environment in the first place. Rather
four years to a lifetime. In fulfilling than pushing paper, staff can interact
the expectation for lifelong learning with students, for example. Perhaps more
that it created, technology changes both importantly, IT makes it possible to
the ways in which we learn and the ways better inform educators about their
in which we conceive of the learning students, which is critical in areas such
process. IT tools provide just-in-time as advising.
learning, knowledge management, Lastly, be forward thinking. Educators
simulation, and visualization. Through need to rethink how they value IT. In
the use of these tools, we have grown business, we initially said that IT was
increasingly aware that learning facts is not improving productivity at all. But we
not enough. Knowledge management in were measuring from the old industrial
particular is leading us to question our mode; we were looking at the wrong
focus on explicit knowledge, gained from things. At present, institutions face a
textbooks, and our relative neglect of similar situation. We are being asked to
tacit knowledge, gained from experience. determine the value of IT, but in order
Tacit knowledge consists of knowing how to do that effectively we must redefine
to get things done, wisdom acquired the means by which value is attributed.
through years of practice. Most of our We have to step out of the box if we want
existing IT tools are oriented toward to find the real value of IT; I suspect
explicit knowledge; emerging ones such as that its ultimate value will be located
knowledge management are directed toward in the ways that it helps us strengthen
capturing tacit knowledge. lifelong relationships rather than in the
I think that people are a second way that it automates student records.
significant driver. Twenty-five years JM: What do you see as obstacles to these
ago, educators dealt primarily with goals?
traditional students in terms of age and DO: Time and money are at the top. There
residential status. Now, the bulk of is not enough time to do all the
students are commuters. The "traditional" wonderful things that are possible, and
college student no longer exists. We have funding is a challenge. In dealing with
many more first generation college budgets that have changed incrementally
students; we have older students; and we over the years, it is difficult to shift
have students attending college without a resources to IT that have traditionally
degree as their ultimate goal. As a been allocated to other institutional
result of the diversity of students, needs. In many respects, IT is the new
institutions face increasingly divergent kid on the block. In the past, new kids
student expectations and are using IT to have had to find their own funding before
customize services in order to meet those enjoying institutional support, but
expectations. today's economic environment makes that
Still, there is a common theme: everyone approach difficult as well.
wants their needs met quickly. Younger Another obstacle lies in changing our
students have never known life without definitions of who we serve, what level
technology, yet older students are also of responsibility we assume, and how we
accustomed to the speed and define success. We are trying to enable a
responsiveness we see in IT-enabled holistic experience for
services. students—getting connected to the
JM: How will we be using information institution, learning, and starting a
technology tools to conduct the business career. But our internal institutional
of education in the future? definitions of what we are trying to
DO: In the next three to five years, I do—admit, enroll,
think we will see a great deal of effort matriculate—conflict with this
put into integration and the creation of enterprise. While students relate events
a seamless educational enterprise. A lot to the broader context of their entire
of information is still being transferred experience, institutional offices most
manually from department to department or often view their operations as discrete
office to office; we need to move to a transactions. How can we get these two
point where all the systems talk to each viewpoints to coalesce? How do we move
other. Fifteen years ago, institutions from "that's not my job" to "what can I
invested substantially in creating do to help"? In part, the answer is
networks. Each department had a separate attitude, but technology also applies. We
e-mail system; however, the separate lack a technology layer that will
systems could not exchange information. recognize Jane Doe as maintaining a
So, in spite of the technology, we were changing yet steady relationship with the
isolated from each other. A similar institution throughout such roles as
problem exists today. Colleges and student, employee, or alumnus. In
universities have lots of Web sites and addition to recognizing the various
portals, but one portal does not relationships that people have with them
necessarily interface with another. over time, institutions also need to
Instead, you have to log on with a recognize the many constituencies that
different ID and password at each portal. they serve: students, faculty, staff,
When performed under the rubric of a alumni, and local communities. As
single institution, this inconveniences institutions increasingly imagine
users and erodes institutional coherence. relationships in terms of customer
By updating systems and integrating IT satisfaction, they face the challenge of
tools, we can make management more figuring out how to satisfy which
efficient, facilitate navigation and customer and when. Who comes first?
information retrieval, and convey a Second? These are all drivers of a very
unified institutional image. complex puzzle for higher education right
Another area that IT tools will continue now.
to influence involves learning. Already, We face change on a variety of fronts:
our focus has shifted from teaching to integrating technology, adapting to
learning, and our next step is to technology, increasing enrollment, and
redefine the IT-enriched learning dealing with rising costs. In many
environment. Much of what we have done in respects, the need and potential for
the past has been constrained by the change outstrip our ability to change.
prevailing conception of the classroom, For instance, there is more technology
but the lecture and the lab are only two than we can capitalize on, but our
ways to learn. Now we are getting into inability to integrate it impedes
visualization, simulation, and electronic progress. Change affects human resources
performance support systems. The next as well. People are being forced to
step may be the integration of knowledge redefine their skills in the IT
management and e-learning systems to environment. Is their value to the
augment current practices. This organization the same as it was before
represents a more radical revision of the this environment emerged? We have to
classroom since knowledge currently being continue to move organizations forward,
developed within an institution could but we cannot change so quickly that we
serve as the material for its classes, damage the very things that have made the
which would break down barriers between institution valuable. We are trying to
research and learning. find a good balance between where we
JM: Can you elaborate on ways in which might move with the technology and where
advances with IT systems can enhance the we need to move with our human resources.
educational enterprise? The two actually go hand-in-hand. Time is
DO: Well, let's return to the issue of a key factor here; we are driven by the
knowledge management. IT systems can help tension between needing to change and
us both archive information and make it needing time to absorb change.
instantly available to those who need it. Ultimately, the information revolution is
Think about remediation or a situation not about technology; it is about what
where someone needs a refresher. If I happens to people as a result. We have to
haven't taken chemistry for 20 years and remember that education is a very human
need to use some of it in a basic endeavor and that students are terribly
physiology class, I can pull up a important people. Although technology
reminder of how to titrate an acid. We plays a central role, people still come
often learn things that we never apply, first.






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