Diana Oblinger, vice president of EDUCAUSE

“We are in the midst of a cultural, worldwide shift due to skyrocketing digital technology” that is having a major impact on how students learn and how colleges and universities provide education,” said plenary speaker Diana Oblinger, vice president of EDUCAUSE.

Today’s learners, according to Oblinger, “are digitally savvy and have no fear of anything technological; are constantly connected to each other and to information; and are very experiential (not hierarchical) and learn by doing and asking peers. They use technology to socialize, and are immediate—to them, email is slow; instant messaging (IM) is better.”

This new reality means that educators may not be taking advantage of what students want and need—but it also may provide opportunities. “We are able to connect with students in a variety of ways that allow us to be more engaging and responsive; we can provide students with skills to connect to the vast amounts of electronic information and make sense of what’s real; and we can use the cyber infrastructure to help students work more collaboratively and to bring them real-world experiences,” Oblinger said.

Educators also need to recognize that students no longer expect to learn by sitting in rows and facing forward toward an instructor. She urged campus leaders to redesign spaces so that students can work in teams and around tables. “We need to harmonize space with learning theory—by creating flexible, comfortable rooms with no central focal point.” Libraries are changing too, she noted, providing access to integrated resources and space for interaction and exchange, where food and talk is encouraged rather than forbidden.

Students should be involved in creating these new learning environments, Oblinger concluded. “They are consumers with a choice, and they have a unique perspective on what they need in order to learn.” Educators should consider providing a visual, mixed delivery that is engaging, manageable, social, and that aligns technology with pedagogy. “Don’t mistake use for integration—understand what you want students to do, and consider the strengths and weaknesses of specific approaches.”

During a subsequent session, Oblinger set about dispelling myths about information technology (IT), among them:

1. IT will make us more competitive—Just having technology won’t change your situation; it’s what you do with the technology that makes a difference. Strategic questions that should be asked include: Who are our competitors and on what basis are we “losing” to them? What are the options for improving competitiveness? What is the role of IT in closing the gap?

2. IT investments will save money—Investing in IT without investing in process redesign rarely yields savings. Strategic questions: What outcomes are we looking for? How can they be measured? Is the purpose to save money, increase capacity, or enhance core functions? What is the cost of doing nothing?

3. Networks are secure because we already have a firewall—Half of colleges and universities reported network attacks in 2005. Security hinges on more than just technology—education and awareness is the key. Strategic questions: Does everyone consider that security is their responsibility? How do we ensure academic values without ensuring security? Are we engaging in ongoing risk analysis? Are the institution’s policies on security up to date? Who is involved in the policy development process?

4. If I could find a good chief information officer, these problems would go away—Executive involvement in IT is critical because IT enables strategic choices of the institution; executives must make these choices. Strategic questions: How do we ensure the entire executive team is on board with IT initiatives? How do we align expectations with reality?

5. We can handle our own IT issues internally—This is increasingly hard to do; gaining an external perspective may be the most valuable thing you can do. In addition, shared service centers can save each campus 20–40 percent. Strategic questions: What price are we willing to pay to do it ourselves? What mistakes might we avoid if we look outside the institution?

Both of Oblinger’s presentations are available here.