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Section IV. Programs
SACS Comprehensive Standard for All Educational Programs

IV-13.  The institution's use of technology enhances student learning, is appropriate for meeting the objectives of its programs, and ensures that students have access to and training in the use of technology.

JUDGMENT OF COMPLIANCE

Yes, East Tennessee State University is able to provide a portfolio of evidence supporting compliance.

STATEMENT OF RATIONALE FOR JUDGMENT OF COMPLIANCE 

East Tennessee State University can demonstrate more than adequate levels of performance in using technology to meet program objectives and in ensuring that students have access to and training in the use of modern technology.  The ETSU Information Technology Strategic Plan is based on the primary objective of expanding and enriching student learning and is focused on students, instruction, and the teaching-learning process.  The plan recognizes that the technology needs of all ETSU faculty and staff must be included in our strategic goals in order to ensure that student learning and program objectives are met.  Our primary objective is supported by the following specific goals (ETSU Information Technology Strategic Plan):

• provide the hardware, software, and network access required to support the teaching and learning process,

• provide support and training for students, faculty and staff,
  

• provide universal access to information from any location, at any time,
  

• use technology to extend learning opportunities and activities beyond the classroom,

• enhance the use of instructional technology within the classroom,

• support the use of technology to facilitate community-based learning, and

• support the transition of faculty, students, and staff who are attempting to use technology to enable change within the university.

 The ETSU Information Technology Strategic Plan is evaluated, updated, and revised every year through a participatory planning process that involves representatives from the entire university community.  Major implementation of the strategic plan is, in part, under the supervision of the Technology Access Fee Advisory Committee (TAFAC).  This committee, which includes student representation, is charged with allocating student-generated funds for technology (ETSU Undergraduate Catalog, Tuition and Fees, General Access Fee; ETSU Graduate Catalog, General Expenses; Quillen College of Medicine Catalog, Tuition, Fees & Other Expenses) specifically to benefit students and support the learning process.  Over the past three years, major initiatives completed through this process include the following:

• expansion of the university network system, including dormitories,

• new and updated student computer labs (both open and discipline-specific),

• enhancement of other discipline-specific technologies,

• new and updated library technology resources,

• construction of multimedia classrooms,

• continued upgrade and repair of all available technology, and

• employment of student workers to assist in student labs across campus.

 In spring 2000, students rated (Noel Levitz^® Student Satisfaction Inventory, Preliminary Results) the adequacy and accessibility of ETSU's computer labs as 5.16 (average; highest score = 7), as compared to a mean of 4.78 for peer institutions.  The importance of this item to ETSU students was 6.28 (average; same scale), as compared to 6.26 for peers.  Comparison of 1994 and 1998 enrolled student surveys shows a 12.2% increase in the numbers of students who reported that they had gained quite a bit or very much familiarity with the use of computers.  The 1998 value (58.4%) is 5% higher than the national norm (The Real Student Affairs, spring 1999).

Student Learning

 Required Proficiencies in Technology

Since fall 1995, all students at ETSU have been required to demonstrate proficiency in use of information technology as part of their general education program (SACS Standard IV-15).  Acceptable levels of basic proficiency are demonstrated by successful completion of a computer literacy course (CSCI 1100, Using Information Technology) or a proficiency examination.  In addition, students are required to complete two courses designated as intensive in Using Information Technology (UIT).  These UIT courses are specifically designed to provide advanced and/or discipline-specific technology skills and are subject to special initial and ongoing review processes (SACS Standard IV-15).  Currently, over 80 courses are designated as intensive in information technology (ETSU Office of the Registrar, Intensive Courses; ETSU Schedule of Classes).  The ETSU General Education Advisory Council is responsible for conducting ongoing assessment and improvement of the general education program.  An evaluation of information technology requirements in general education is currently being conducted (spring 2001).

E-mail and Web Space Access Students

All ETSU students are automatically assigned an e-mail account at the time of their first registration.  Accounts are activated electronically, at which time students are informed of, and must agree to abide by, the ETSU Information Technology Code of Ethics.  Students are required to activate their ETSU e-mail accounts, if they have not yet done so, in the computer technology foundation course (CSCI 1100), but many other courses across campus also require students to use e-mail.  All students have the option to forward e-mail from their ETSU account to any personal, off-campus e-mail provider.

Beginning in fall 2000, a dedicated server is available for student access to personal web space (ETSU Student Request for Web Space).  Any student who has activated his or her email account may submit an electronic request for space for a personal web page.  The server also provides space for course-related web use. 

Support for Web-enhanced or Web-based Courses

A centralized campus course management system (Blackboard^© Course Information) provides faculty and students with a standard environment for both web-enhanced and web-based courses.  The system was made available in June 2000 and over 400 course sections, serving over 6000 individual students, were available by January 2001.  This system also supports faculty access to departmental servers and to web courses supported by the ETSU Office of Information Technology.

Use of Technology for Program Objectives

At ETSU, appropriate uses are defined as uses of technology that directly support the university's mission, and are:

• designed for specifically defined purposes or uses within academic programs (i.e., as opposed to the use of technology for its own sake);

• integrated within and across the curriculum;

• pertinent to learning in the disciplines; and

• modern and as good, or better, in quality than what students will encounter outside the university.

The uses of technology are rapidly increasing at ETSU and include efforts in three major areas---direct academic instruction, increasing student access to education, and increasing student access to university services and information. 

Academic Instruction

A large number and broad diversity of courses and degree programs are enhanced by web-enhanced instruction and assignment activities, which are facilitated by our multimedia classrooms and student web space access.  The implementation of a university-wide software agreement (Microsoft^© Software Campus Agreement) ensures student and faculty access to standard software for instruction and for completing assignments.  Numbers of both online courses and degree programs continue to increase.  At the ETSU Quillen College of Medicine, students are required to have a computer in order to meet requirements in the uses of technology that are dispersed throughout their curriculum.  These medical students now take their national board examinations online.  In addition, technology at ETSU includes efforts to increase student access to courses and programs.  The following descriptions provide examples representative of the uses of technology to meet program objectives and learning outcomes across the ETSU curriculum.

Many academic degree programs have developed courses dedicated to providing students with the specialized technology skills and experiences now considered essential to the discipline (e.g., Computer Applications in Education; Computer Methods in Psychology; Computers, Writing & Literature).  A course on web page design and data management is required for the Master of Business Administration program at ETSU.  The Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) program offers Using Information Technology in General Studies designed specifically to support and improve the skills of its adult students, many of whom have been out of college for a number of years. In the same program, two new courses (Successful Online Learning, Presentation Technology for General Studies) were offered experimentally in spring 2000 in support of the planned online BGS degree program.

The numbers of web-enhanced and online courses also continue to increase.  The ETSU College of Arts and Sciences currently offers four online courses (programs of english, criminal justice, mass communication, and music) and 33 web-enhanced courses (e.g., art, biology, english, psychology, sociology).  The ETSU College of Nursing has four full online courses and 12 web-enhanced courses.  In health sciences, Human Physiological Systems (HSCI 3022) is one of the longest running online courses at ETSU.  Some courses also use specialized, computer-assisted instructional modules and web-based exercises available in departmental computer labs (e.g., Human Physiology; Introduction to Microbiology).

The ETSU Department of Dental Hygiene (College of Public and Allied Health) has developed an online program for holders of the A.S. to complete a B.S. degree.  The ETSU College of Business utilizes distance education (ITV) to offer both the MBA and the final two years of the Bachelor of Business Administration degree in management to the extended campuses.  The ETSU Office of Distance Education also coordinates the institution's participation in the newly established Regents  Online baccalaureate degree programs (Interdisciplinary Studies, Professional Studies).

Findings from program accreditations and formal program reviews are given high priority in ETSU's planning and budgeting processes.  The following examples illustrate university responses to discipline or profession-specific recommendations arising from standards for accreditation or program review:

• Recent program reviews in the departments of criminal justice & criminology, mathematics, and political science resulted in suggestions for technology-related improvements, especially upgraded student and faculty computers and additional software (ETSU Criminal Justice Program Review; ETSU Mathematics Program Review, ETSU Political Science Program Review).  All suggestions have been implemented.

• The ETSU departments of Communication; Art and Design; Geography, Geology, & Geomatics; and Computer Science received computer labs in 2000-2001, specifically to meet accreditation or professional standards.

• In response to a 1998 review by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the ETSU Quillen College of Medicine (COM) has developed a virtual library system†between its library and those of each of the community teaching hospitals' libraries, which has resulted in an increase of almost 30% in holdings and has provided electronic journal access from the teaching hospitals.  In addition, classrooms have been upgraded for computer access and multimedia presentations, and faculty development in multimedia and web-based instruction has resulted in innovative web-based instructional programs in anatomy, histology, and pathology.
  

Student Access to Educational Opportunities

The emphasis on increased access to education through distance education supports ETSU's mission as a regional university.  Multiple modern technologies are used to increase students' access to courses and programs at ETSU (SACS Standard IV-2).  Interactive television technologies (including full-motion fiber optic networks and compressed video networks) are used to connect Johnson City, extended campuses, and off-campus classrooms for synchronous instruction.  Through ITV technology, ETSU teaches classes at Bristol, Kingsport, Greeneville, Morristown, and Oak Ridge and also allows for the involvement of experts at other institutions in ETSU classes.  Internet technology is used for complete courses and for enhancements to traditional and ITV.  The university's effort in assessment of web-enhanced courses, online courses and programs, and various distance education technologies are provided in SACS Standard IV-2.

Student Access to University Services

The main academic processes and support services for students are increasingly accessible online or are enhanced by online materials.  For example, the entry page for the university's online registration system, ETSU Goldlink, also presents links to ETSU offices of Student Services, Financial Aid, and Admissions, as well as the course catalog and available course sections.  Students may apply for admission, register for courses, pay fees, and check their final course grades online.  Students without internet access may register, drop/add courses, pay fees, and check final grades by telephone through interactive voice response technology.  The university also has established a computerized testing facility for the COMPASS examination (basic skills assessment in reading, writing, and mathematics; required for all students with low scholastic exam scores and first-time students over 21 years of age).  

Student Access to Technology

Easy access to technology for students at ETSU is our goal, and a variety of facilities, resources, and services are now available to students---student computer labs, campus-wide network availability, facilitated availability for software, special library resources, and access to modern multimedia classrooms.

Student Computer and Software Accessibility.  The main campus has 10 open computer labs for students (ETSU Computer Services, Student Computer Laboratories) and 48 departmental (discipline-specific) labs(University Profile System, Academic Departments), with a total of 1050 computers reserved for student use.  Each extended campus site has a studentcomputer lab with full network capabilities.  All computers for student use in the open labs are managed by the ETSU Office of Information Technology and are equipped with current hardware and software.  At the present time, most of the computers for student use in departmental labs are current and most labs are equipped with specialized software appropriate to each discipline.  The future of both the open student computer labs and the departmental computer labs is assured by a three-year replacement cycle of hardware and software (ETSU Computer Services, Inventory of Student Computer Labs, Replacement Cycle); software in open student labs typically is updated at least once a year.  To ensure that the software available in our open student labs is accessible, the university entered into a campus-wide software agreement with Microsoft^©, which provides standard software packages to students, faculty, and staff at greatly reduced prices (ETSU Microsoft^© Campus Agreement). 

Network Accessibility.  All of ETSU's residential facilities (dormitories and apartments) have full network access.  Network jacks and/or computers also are available in the common areas of most dormitories, the lounge and all meeting rooms in the D. P. Culp University Center, and throughout the ETSU Sherrod Library.  All ETSU offices and classrooms are equipped with at least one network jack, and many have four or five.  

Library Resources.  Accessible network ports throughout ETSU's Sherrod Library provide students with convenient, mobile access to intranet and Internet.  Twenty-five laptop computers are available for student checkout and use in the library.  This service appears to be especially useful to students---1, 842 circulation transactions for laptops were registered between the opening of the new Sherrod Library in January 1999 and the end of fall semester 2000.  Students and faculty have online access to Sherrod Library from either on or off campus, including access to catalogs and online databases.

Multimedia Classrooms.  Every classroom on the campuses at Johnson City, Bristol, Greeneville, and Kingsport has at least one network jack.  Five new multimedia classrooms provide connectivity to power and Internet for every student.  Seven medium-to-large multimedia lecture halls are heavily used for instruction.  Portable multimedia equipment is distributed throughout the university for use in smaller classrooms.  All current multimedia facilities and equipment are well used.  Plans for additional multimedia classrooms of various capabilities and for upgrades of existing facilities are continually being developed and implemented under the supervision of the TAFAC.  For example, the building vacated by the library (Old Sherrod) will be renovated to include nine new multimedia classrooms and one large multimedia auditorium.  Every effort is made to standardize multimedia classroom equipment for ease of use and maintenance.

Training in the Use of Technology

In addition to classroom instruction provided by courses in the general education program (SACS Standard IV-15), specific disciplines, and via distance education (SACS Standard IV-2), ETSU provides a variety of training programs for students, faculty, and staff.  Special tutoring services are available for students, including those enrolled in technology-intensive courses in the general education program (SACS Standard II-10).  The importance of adequate training for faculty and staff to the educational, service, and research-related activities of the university mission is recognized and supported at ETSU.

One major training resource provided for everyone at ETSU is the National Education Training Group^© system, commonly called NetG.  The university provides access to NETG SkillVantage^®, which makes 300+ online technology courses available to ETSU faculty, staff, and students.  Topics accessible in this system are wide ranging, and include all Microsoft Office applications, programming, and system administration systems.  There are currently 3,252 active users of NetG.  The success of this resource is currently under evaluation, which will be reviewed in spring 2002 by the TAFAC.

Immediate technical support for students is available through the open student computer labs and a special Student Help Desk, both managed by the ETSU Office of Information Technology.  The open labs are staffed during all hours with trained student workers.  In addition, a Student Help Desk is provided from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., Monday through Thursday; 8:00 a.m. to midnight, Friday; noon to midnight, Saturday, and noon to 2:00 a.m., Sunday.  The Student Help Desk is staffed with trained, experienced student workers and graduate assistants, who may be contacted in person, by telephone, or by e-mail.  The Student Help Desk provides support for software for all students, and for cable television, telephone, and networking for students in residence.  In addition to these services, the ETSU Office of Distance Education maintains an online web site from which students may submit problem reports or request technical assistance with courses supported by BlackBoard^©.

Faculty and staff development on the main campus is coordinated by the ETSU Academic Technology Support (ATS) of the ETSU Office of Information Technology. An academic technology computer lab (117 Gilbreath Hall) is available for faculty and staff training in instructional uses of computer and multimedia technologies.  ATS also provides open enrollment workshops, one-on-one coaching, and programs for cohorts of faculty and staff.  The ETSU Office of Distance Education provides training for all faculty teaching through interactive television technology and web-based courses.  These efforts in faculty development have contributed to the increase in instructional uses of technology and in faculty's ability to support students in using technology.

Beginning in fall 2000, an ETSU Faculty Technology Leadership Program was initiated with the support of the offices of the provost, information technology, teaching and learning center, and others.  Twenty faculty members from across the university enrolled in a two-semester course (six credit hours total) to develop their skills in using information technology, incorporating technology in their instruction, and acting as technology leaders and trainers in their disciplines.  The participants received free tuition, a laptop computer, and all expenses for a conference on educational technology.  The first year of the program was highly successful and a second cohort of faculty members will start the program in fall 2001.

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