Name: Dr. Roger Von Holzen
Aud_Level: All Length: 30 minutes Description: In its Mission Enhance proposal to the state of Missouri in 1997, Northwest Missouri State University expressed as its vision that the university is to become Missouri's center for the testing and development of personal computer applications for the enhancement of learning. Under this vision, the Center for Information Technology in Education (CITE) was established in 1998 to increase Northwest's engagement and leadership in the application of information technology to learning. One major focus of CITE is to facilitate and enhance the educational opportunities of students at Northwest by identifying and testing learning packages already available and to develop new ones where there are important gaps with its students on campus and with learners enrolled in programs in other Missouri institutions. But a more immediate goal of CITE is to assist faculty in developing learning materials for distribution through web-based courses. The World Wide Web will be used for the enrichment of information available to the student and for communication between the learner and the faculty member. Secondary to this goal is an effort by Northwest to take the lead in utilizing the full potential of information technology to modularize learning. Using computer technology, such as multimedia tutorials, learners can enter the curriculum where they need to, move through it at their own pace, and actively pursue their learning at a time and place that suits them. To achieve the above stated goals, the Center for Information Technology in Education was established in the spring of 1998 with an initial budget of $800,000. Besides salaries for the center's director, curriculum design specialist, computer specialist, and secretary, funds were set aside to continue providing notebook computers for all Northwest faculty members. After establishing the center in facilities located in the university library, hardware and software purchases were made totaling approximately $50,000. The items purchased were based on hardware and software platforms that are widely used on campus--PC computers, Office 97 and Toolbook II Assistant and Instructor. The Toolbook II Assistant and Instructor software was used in conjunction with the offering of web courses through Real Education. The initial $30,000 cost of signing up with Real Education also came out of the CITE budget. Beyond that, additional funds have been made available for both faculty training and for the funding of faculty projects to create both modularized and web-based course materials. A key element in the creation of the center was the strong support provided by the administration in terms of both budget and status. The center quickly became a critical component in several of the university-wide initiatives. To aid in establishing strong ties with the faculty, a comprehensive survey of every faculty member was undertaken. This provided the center with the opportunity to clearly explain to the faculty the role of CITE, determine the technology needs of the faculty, and to establish a baseline measurement of the faculty's technological skills. As development of course materials in association with faculty members continues, and as more courses are offered on the web, the role of the center will become more central to the mission of the university. It is in light of this role that the center must maintain strong ties to both the administration and the faculty in order to further the goals of the university and to best serve the needs of the students of Northwest Missouri State University. Abstract: In the spring of 1998, Northwest Missouri State University established its Center for Information Technology in Education (CITE). The focus of this presentation will be on the process involved in staffing the center, determining hardware and software needs, budgetary considerations, and other issues a college or university interested in establishing such a center may encounter. Key considerations related to faculty and administration relations, training, and the production of technology-based learning materials will also be discussed. Preferred Track: Track 5 Session Type: Lecture/Presentation Address: Owens Library 254 Maryville, MO 64468 Affiliation: Northwest Missouri State University Equipment: Internet connection to the web, PC computer, Infocus projector Email: rvh@mail.nwmissouri.edu Phone: (660) 562-1532 Audience: General Fax: (660) 562-2153
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