Leveraging Technology in Your Learning Center: Enhancing Services, Creating New Resources, Getting the Word Out, and Managing & Training Staff

Leveraging Technology in
Your Learning Center:
Presented @
NCLCA Institute
July 2010
Napperville, IL
Dr. Lisa D’Adamo-Weinstein
Director of Academic Support
SUNY Empire State College, Northeast Center
Lisa.D’Adamo-Weinstein@esc.edu
Enhancing Services, Creating New Resources,
Getting the Word Out, and Managing &
Training Staff

Leveraging Technology in Your Learning
Center: Enhancing Services, Creating New
Resources, Getting the Word Out,
and Managing & Training Staff
Emerging technologies such as social networking, multi-media
sharing, collaborative workspaces, and mobile technologies are
significantly changing the nature of learning and learner
expectations for interaction, access, and engagement.
Learning center professionals need to leverage these emerging
technologies in ways that can enhance they ways in which we
deliver services, create resources, market our centers, manage
and train staff, and evaluate our centers.
The focus of the topics I will cover during the institute will be on
how to best understand emerging technologies and how to
choose the technology tools that will help you meet your goals in
managing your learning center.

How “techie” R U? - LOL
• Who owns 2 phones… one for talking and one for texting?
• Who has more than 1 computer at home?
• Who surfs the net from nervous tension when their e-mail is
down?
• Who is on the web right now?
• How many of you paid full price for the iPhone when it 1st came
out?
• Since we started this presentation, who has thought about checking
their email?

ACTIVITY #1 – Wildest Dreams…
For Technology & Learning Assistance on Your Campus
What kinds of technology are you currently using?
What kinds of technology are your students using?
What do you have to support tech at your institution?
What goals do you have for enhancing student learning?
Directions: Don’t be burdened by constraints – what
(related to technology & the delivery of learning
assistance programs & services) do you wish you had,
could learn, has been on your “To Do” list that you
haven’t had the chance to get to?
List 10 things – Your Ultimate Wish List

What is the ONE GREAT PROJECT/IDEA/AREA that can be TECH RELATED
you want to work on when you get back to your campus?

Views from the front lines…
What some schools are doing?
• University at Albany (NY) just instituted a text messaging emergency
system, and was criticized by the students and some administrators that it
took so long. – Response to Virginia Tech (Facebook)
• Purdue and their Boilercast system - audio from class is recorded and
atomically downloaded to students’ computers.
•iTunes U – Public sites – content & orientation
• Students at dozens of colleges, such as Syracuse, American University and
Marist College, can check online whether a vacant washing machine is
waiting downstairs and how much time remains on each machine's cycle.
(Forbes online, 1/2006)
• University of Maryland's Smith Business School is handing a free BlackBerry
to each student — practice makes perfect.
• Students learn to manage the 24/7 access to data and people they'll
be expected to deal with as executives. (Forbes online, 1/2006)
• Ohio University, MIT and others go to 2nd Life.

Second Life
Ohio University Second Life Campus

Who are our students today?
Source:
A Vision of Students Today
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o
A short video summarizing some of the most important characteristics of students today - how they learn, what they need to learn, their goals,
hopes, dreams, what their lives will be like, and what kinds of changes they will experience in their lifetime. Created by Michael Wesch in
collaboration with 200 students at Kansas State University. There is a community college student video in response to this one at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN8GDHZPOvE

RESEARCH on Technology & Students Today
• 98.5% have some type of computer
• 82.2% have personal LAPTOP computers (2008, in 2007 - 75%)
• Average of 19.6 hours a week online for school, work and/or recreation.
– 69% < 20hours
– 7.4% > 40 hours
– Community college students show significantly less time online – 14.8 hrs
• More than 82% have used a Course Management System (CMS), with more than
46% saying that they have use a CMS many times every week
• 85.2% have interacted with at least one SNS - social network service (Facebook,
Myspace, etc…). with Facebook being the predominate SNS. (2008, in 2007 -80%)
• 61% of respondents agree that IT within a course improved their learning
• Over 40% said that they are more engaged in a course requiring IT
Sources: EDUCAUSE Applied Research Center (ECAR)
2008 Study of Undergraduate Students & Information Technology
2007 Study of Undergraduate Students & Information Technology
How’d They & Who’d They?
27, 317 respondents – most “traditional” (under 25 years of age – 78.8%),
Attending 4yr institutions (87.8%)
Most full-time (84%)
Most public (74.8%)
32.2% at schools > 15,000 students.
They have the
technology
& they are using
it, and…

RESEARCH on
Student Engagement & Technology
Sources National Survey of Student
Engagement (Promoting
Engagment for All Students: The
Imperitive to Look Within, 2008
Results)
“For both first-year and senior students, online learners were more likely than
classroom-based learners to:
• Be older, transfer, and first-generation students.
• Very often participate in course activities that challenged them
intellectually.
• Very often participate in discussions that enhanced their understanding
of different cultures.
• Very often discuss topics of importance to their major.” (p. 16)
“Online courses seem to stimulate more intellectual challenge and educational
gains. This suggests that integrating technology-enhanced courses into the
curriculum for all students might have some salutary benefits.” (p. 16)

But, while most
respondents like
information
technology (IT) as
part of their
learning…
Conclusion of the
Executive Summary
of the 2008
Educause Study

Networked Student
Source
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwM4ieFOotA

So, students are online and on computers, they are more
engaged when there is online learning,
and they also want F2F interactions…
• While, colleges are exploring, integrating and infusing technology into every aspect
of the college experience, we need to be mindful that technology is not the only
way that students today want to engage.
• BUT, students expect to have technology be a part of their daily lives, so F2F is not
the only way to engage students.
• When we take this need for blending F2F with technology, many college
professionals don’t have the time, support, resources, nor expertise to infuse
their existing F2F programs and services with technology.
• BUT, professionals in Academic Support and Student Services need to adapt the
ways in which we deliver services in order to better enhance and engage students in
their college experience using a blended approach to service delivery and resource
access.
How can these complicated and
somewhat conflicting needs/concerns be addressed?

Technology Enhancing Learning
What you should consider for academic support and learning assistance…
– BENEFITS to LEARNERS
– BENEFITS to COLLEGE OVERALL & ACADEMIC
SUPPORT/STUDENT SERVICES
– BENEFITS to ACADEMIC SUPPORT/STUDENT SERVICES STAFF
Learning is flexible, accessible, and tailored to a variety of learning
preferences. Students can explore, have choice, & engage/create using
different modalities where and when they choose to access…
Beneficial in both face-2-face and technology enhanced mediums. One
does not necessarily have to replace the other – center and college
missions as well as learner needs drive the blended use of these learning
engagements.
Maximize resources (human and time), training options open up,
F2F interactions can take on depth when students come into a
learning center or seek out student services having gone over the
“basics” online – deeper conversations faster – high touch and
high quality at the same time

Grounding Points:
Quotations to Remember
“The particular characteristics and needs of each
individual institution drive the organization of
[academic support] programs, the format of service
delivery, the overall management and operation of the
program and the methods of program evaluation.”
- Casazza, M. E. & Silverman, S. (1996). Learning Assistance and Developmental
Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. p. 71
“In addition to background, aptitude, ability to learn
quickly, and the desire to learn, students need
persistence, flexibility, and a willingness to cooperate
with instructors’ demands and institutional policies if
they are to succeed in college.”
- Maxwell, M. (1997). Improving Student Learning Skills.
H&H Publishing: Clearwater, FL. p. 135
Student
Success
Academic
Support
&
Learning
Assistance

Successful Academic Support Programs &
Student Services include…
* Proactive interventions,
* Supportive environments,
* Personalized support systems,
* Small group tutorials,
* Development of students’ basic learning skills,
* Teaching of study skills and learning strategies in the
context of academic content courses,
* Opportunities to interact in informal settings and develop
personal relationships with faculty, and
* Opportunities to experience success.
Adapted from:
Maxwell, M. (1997). Improving Student Learning Skills. Clearwater, FL: H&H Publishing.
Casazza, M. E. & Silverman, S. (1996). Learning Assistance and Developmental Education.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Alexander and Serafass’ (1999)
planning model for educational
institutions.
Alexander, W.F., Serfass, R.W. (1999). Futuring Tools for Strategic Quality Planning in Education. Quality Press; Milwaukee.

Great In Theory,
But Where’s the
Practice???

You’ll get some hands on time in the computer lab to explore…
http://nclcainstitute2010.pbworks.com
LRNASST Listserv
http://www.lists.ufl.edu/archives/lrnasst-l.html

ACTIVITY #2 – Focusing on Just One Thing
Directions: Pick from your wish list. What is your number one interest/priority?-- You
can determine this based on your center/college’s constraints, $$$, time (workload,
seasonal demands, etc.), staff desires/access, student needs, access to technology,
etc.
Defining your top priority…
Major idea/goal/priority -
Narrowing it down…
List at least 3 components related to this idea/goal/priority –
1.
2.
3.
What research/people/resources/etc. do you need to connect with to get a start on
making your idea/goal/priority a reality? Outline some of the first steps you need to
take.

ACTIVITY #3 – Making Your Plan
Directions: In Small Groups – review your focus and flesh out what you can
do to take action – develop your action plan with your group.
What new insights and ideas to enact your plan do you have?
CREATING A Detailed “To Do” List for this Project
While at the conference….
Immediately upon my return to the office…
2nd Week after the conference
1st Month – Convo with Group via wiki/Lisa

What Have We Done @ ESC???
• What kinds of technology are WE currently using?
• What kinds of technology are OUR students using?
• What do WE have to support tech at OUR institution?
• What goals do WE have for enhancing student learning?
Our environments – Online & Face-to-Face/Blended

Empire State College
Mission& Commitments
The Mission of Empire State College
• Empire State College enables motivated adults, regardless of geography or life circumstance, to design a
rigorous, individualized academic program and earn a college degree.
The Commitments of Empire State College
• To support self-directed, intellectually curious learners who collaborate with faculty mentors.
• To document, evaluate and award credit for an adult’s prior college-level life learning.
• To offer each student an array of learning experiences through independent study, seminars, short-term
residencies, and online courses.
• To develop, implement and assess new approaches to learning that recognize the strengths and needs of adult
learners.
• To provide access to degree programs at multiple locations in New York state and abroad, and through the
World Wide Web.
• To expand degree opportunities for adult learners through partnerships with employers and unions, government
agencies and the armed forces, and community organizations and educational institutions.

CREATING PROGRAMS & SERVICES
Academic Support = Student Support
• Merging college mission & goals with students’ needs & skills
– regardless of geography or life circumstance – students can have
access 24/7 - ANGEL is available to all NEC students as a community
group
– individualized, self-directed, curious learners – students self-select
what they want or be directed to what they need
– collaborate with faculty, professionals, and mentors in the creation, use,
& assessment of resources
– array of learning experiences – allows for multimedia, interaction,
discussion, & enhancements to workshop content
– new approaches to learning that recognize the strengths & needs of
adult learners – can review at their own time & own pace, access to
resources for unit students is enhanced, & access to self-assessments

WHAT ARE OUR TECHNOLOGICAL PRIORITIES?
• Collegewide
– Centralization of resources
– Culture shift
– Give the power to the content expert, not the designer
• Center specific
– Culture shift
– Center needs drives design
– Center sharing
• DAS based
– What can be customized for students?
– What can we be in control of, or provide feedback for?

ANGEL Community Group - NEC
• How it started… NEC Academic Support
– Online repository of academic support workshop materials and student
services information and website links
• What it is now…
– Comprehensive range of resources, weblinks, presentations, &
discussion forums designed to support & enhance NEC students'
success
– Utilized by students, staff, & faculty
• What it is evolving into…
– We’re not sure…
– What we hope for is all of the above PLUS…
• An interactive meeting place for students, faculty & staff
• Creation of materials by students & faculty

Log into Angel – www.esc.edu/ole
Choose COMMUNITY GROUP - Northeast Center Academic Support

The Good, the Bad, & The Ugly
• The Good
– Students have access 24/7 and are using it when and where they want
– Faculty are using the site to support their work with students
– Usage reports to determine how & who
• Can more appropriately target resources based on demand, ask for feedback, & seek input for other
areas of interest/need
• The Bad
– The ANGEL environment is password protected and some students think of it as only
for online courses. Those students in online courses are comfortable, but others might
not be.
• Therefore, we are expanding into other formats but still linking to this password protected site
• The Ugly
– No instructional design support at the early stages
• We didn’t start with template development & “retro-fitting” – consistency & ease of use – HARDER
after the fact
– Site maintenance is difficult without fulltime support – as we can
• FUTURE – co-creation of materials with students, networking, peer-tutoring,
& so much more…

Moving Beyond CMS to More Means of Blending
• Resource Repositories
– Course Management Systems – ANGEL
– Wiki spaces – Career Services, Non-traditional Student Week
& AcademicEye
• Interactive & Communication Systems
– Smarthinking
– Elluminate
– Instant Messaging
– YouTube & Facebook
• Where we might go (exploring)…
Who knows? ;)

Keeps the conversation going between meetings…

JING
• Example -- Providing video screen capture
feedback to student papers via a free program
http://www.jingproject.com/

Some tutors/estructors are available for live tutorials 24 hours a day and others have set hours.
What is Smarthinking?
Smarthinking is an online tutorial service that is
available to students 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
www.esc.edu/smarthinking
www.smarthinking.com

Northeast Center Learning Coaches
What is a learning coach? A learning coach is someone who provides academic support to students in one-on-one or small group settings
in all areas of the writing process and related study skills strategies including time management, organization, reading efficiency, developing a
study plan, goal setting, critical thinking, library research skills, note-taking, and learning styles.
Office of Academic Support
Dr. Lisa D’Adamo-Weinstein, Director
Northeast Center  21 British American Boulevard  Latham, NY 12110
phone 518 783-6203 ext 5939  fax 518 783-6443
Lisa.D’Adamo-Weinstein@esc.edu
Mary Sanders-
Shartle is located in
Saratoga working
with Saratoga
& Queensbury
students.
Contact Mary to make an appointment :
(518) 587-2100 ext 2827 or
Mary.Sanders-Shartle@esc.edu
Sarah Spence-
Staulters is
located in
Latham working
with Schenectady
& Latham/
Albany students.
Contact Sarah to make an appointment :
(518) 783-6203 ext 5992 or
Sarah.Spence-Staulters@esc.edu
Kate Stockton is located
in Latham working with
Johnstown &
Latham/Albany students
Contact Kate to make an appointment :
(518) 783-6203 ext 5992 or
Kate.Stockton@esc.edu
For students studying in the Plattsburgh, you may contact any of the learning
coaches to work at a distance via phone or computer,
or contact Lisa D’Adamo-Weinstein, Director of Academic Support to arrange
for face-to-face support.
Her hours are:
Mondays – 12pm-2pm
Wednesdays – 3pm-6pm
Thursdays 4pm-6pm
Her hours are:
Mondays - 4:30pm-8pm
Wednesdays - 4:30pm-8:00pm
Fridays - 9am-11:15m
Her hours are:
Mondays - 4:30pm-7:30pm
Tuesdays - 4:30 pm-7:30pm
Thursdays - 4:30 pm-7:30pm

How to Participate in the
NEC Academic Support & Student Services Elluminate Web Conferencing Room
• First time users will need to follow online instructions carefully and download a JAVA script. This will happen on each
computer that you use to access the room for the first time, and it can take 5-10 minutes to complete.
• All users follow this link to access the site:
https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=2008175&password=M.D6A048778D50BF84EDAD9DFB8B8C59
• The following pages are simplified directions for how to navigate in the Elluminate environment. Additionally,
Elluminate provides excellent online training materials accessible at www.elluminate.com/training.
• This webconferencing room provides you with live and archived access to presentations given by the Office of
Academic Support at the Northeast Center. You can participate in the environment in 3 ways – an observer/listener, a
text participant, or an audio participant.
• You do not need special equipment to participate UNLESS you want to participate by being able to speak. If you want
to speak as part of your participation, you will have to have a headset and microphone. If you do not have a headset and
microphone, you will still be able to listen to the presentation and to type in your questions and comments in the CHAT
box. If you do want to participate by speaking, then you will need to purchase a headset. Most stores that sell
electronics will have a set for about $15-$20.
• Due to prohibitive costs, we are not supporting telephone connections at this time.
Academic Support @ NEC

Where the content of the
presentation/class
will appear
Follow link to access NEC Academic Support & Student Services Elluminate Web conferencing Room:
https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=2008175&password=M.D6A048778D50BF84EDAD9DFB8B8C
59
CHAT
Space to type in
comments, ask questions,
etc.
PARTICIPANTS
Where the participants will be listed.
Menu/Tool Bar - Roll your cursor over each icon to see what it does – see next page for detailed view…
AUDIO - Adjust volume for receiving (everyone) & for transmitting audio (only if you have a
headset). If you have a headset, push TALK when you want to speak.

PARTICIPANTS
WINDOW
TOOLBAR
CHAT
WINDOW
Detailed View of Active Participation
Features
WHITEBOARD
TOOLS
AUDIO
WINDOW
Press to talk if you have a headset
Use the slider to adjust volumes for
hearing presenter or your own audio
if you have a headset.

Study Group
Planned Online Only Session

Study Groups
Es: lol! This is fun,
but I like the
interaction of a
"real" class too
Ritch: This is the
best way to do
class that I have
ever seen
Dianae: My joker son has
already embraced Elluminate.
He offered me 10 bucks to turn
on my webcam and use a
puppet to express myself.

Ritch: okay, not finding
the text box, can
someone let me know
how to do that while
Lisa cleans up the page?
sorry I missed that

Melanie: Rich the text box is the
A with the lines in it next to the
box we all just wrote in click on
the box in the upper left with the
A on line paper

Jessica: on the left of the text box
there is an a then an a with line you
click on that and then click a spot
on the page

Study Group
Unplanned &
Blended Participation

Study Groups
Christine:
I love taking
the online
courses
(in Elluminate)

Benefits to Students:
Study Groups
• Increases range of student interaction.
• Easier to regulate talk time.
• Students participate from a comfortable space
of their choice instead of only physical
classroom space.
• Access no matter the weather and/or health
issues.
• Session recording available for review/absence.

Independent Study
Blended Conversations

Working One-On-One
@ a Distance

One-on-One
• Provides convenient options for students who
are juggling busy schedules
• Improves opportunities for students to gain
familiarity with technology
• Increases the number of students who can access
academic support
• Recorded sessions can be viewed at any time

Academic Support
Workshops
Blended Participation

Where the content of the
presentation/class
will appear
Follow link to access NEC Academic Support & Student Services Elluminate Web conferencing Room:
https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=2008175&password=M.D6A048778D50BF84EDAD9DFB8B8
CHAT
Space to type in
comments, ask questions,
etc.
PARTICIPANTS
Where the participants will be listed.
Menu/Tool Bar - Roll your cursor over each icon to see what it does – see next page for detailed view…
AUDIO - Adjust volume for receiving (everyone) & for transmitting audio (only if you have a
headset). If you have a headset, push TALK when you want to speak.

Workshops
• Students become familiar with multiple “faces” of
Academic Support
• Each workshop topic is presented as a “piece of the
academic success puzzle”
• Students who attend feel more comfortable initiating
individual appointments
• Students gain confidence in using technology

Diane: By the way, I did just do a job that would have
overwhelmed me had I not taken your class.
I was hired to moderate a webinar. Those two sessions in
Elluminate had really prepared me for what I was getting
into. We had bases in Albany, Schenectady, Boston, and
somewhere in England (and attendees from around the
globe). You should know we had least half a dozen
tech/support people involved. You do an amazing job
keeping it together in the virtual classroom!
Unexpected Benefits to Students

Leveraging Technology in Your Learning Center: Enhancing Services, Creating New Resources, Getting the Word Out, and Managing & Training Staff

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