27 computer labs are open to students with both Windows and Macintosh environments.
The downtown campus houses six of these labs with 232 available work stations.
Most classrooms on the downtown campus, including those in the Eberhard Center, have overhead projectors, ceiling mounted data/video projectors, projection screens, remote control systems, and instructor workstations with PC, VHS, VCR and DVD.
The Eberhard Center houses an interactive television (ITV) classroom with documentation camera and rear screen projection.
Available for classroom use are additional items such as movie and slide projectors, cassette and cd players, digital cameras, laserdisc players, and camcorders.
Students each have 50 MB of personal server file space; faculty each have 100 MB.
Assistive technology workstations are available in 18 computer labs offering screen magnification, speech reading, writing assistance, headsets, alternate keyboards, pointing devices, adjustable tables, and wheelchair access.
In 2002, the unit served as a pilot site for a $78,000 mobile computer lab project. The mobile lab contained 24 laptop computers with wireless networking, print capability, MS Office software, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Windows Media, DVD/writeable/CD-ROM drive, and software to create CD/ROMs. The unit now has the use of two mobile labs, one on the Allendale campus and one at the Eberhard Center. The equipment allows the unit scheduling flexibility and the opportunity to model best teaching practices.
Between 2001 and 2005, unit expenditures on technology equipment totaled almost $154,000 to supply hardware and software to new faculty and update technology for existing faculty. The unit's goal is the replacement of every faculty computer on a three-year rotation schedule.
Major credit for helping faculty use technology in teaching goes to the unit and the university for increased support for technology seminars and training. In the 2006 winter semester alone, Information Technology will offer approximately 35 seminars and brown bag sessions, each with multiple sections. A review of faculty activity from Education faculty reveals that most faculty participate in at least one technology seminar a year, and many participate in several. In 2004-05, every faculty and staff member participated in technology trainings during monthly College Assembly meetings; several also participated in specially tailored workshops requested by small groups.
Finally, it should be noted that the College of Education consistently ranks at or near the top of Blackboard usage among the professional schools across the university. In the 2005 fall semester, for example, the College of Education used Blackboard's web-enhanced instruction in 179 courses serving 4,137 candidates.
Library Resources
Excellent library services ensure that Education candidates have ample and ready access to curricular and informational materials. The Zumberge Library on the Allendale campus has more than 664,000 volumes, 8000 periodical subscriptions in print and electronic format, and is a United States Government and State of Michigan Depository Library. The Steelcase Library on the downtown Pew Campus features an automated retrieval system that can accommodate 250,000 volumes, printers, computers, and a library instructional center with computers for database access. The library system has 215 separate databases covering all subject areas and lists 209 full text e-journals under the heading of "Education" alone. Interlibrary loan is available to faculty and students at no cost, and an entire library function is devoted to off campus services, materials for course reserve, e-reserve, next-day delivery, electronic delivery, and classroom instruction on site or via ITV. Every department also has its own library liaison. (See University Library)
Of special interest to the unit is the K-12 Curriculum Resource Center (KCRC) which provides K-12 curriculum materials in the form of recent textbooks, 2000 videos, 25 children's magazine subscriptions, 8 computers with 150 educational software programs installed, and teaching aids, games, manipulatives and audio-visual equipment. It is expected that the KCRC, currently housed on the Allendale campus, will move to the downtown campus when the Education building renovation is complete in 2007. Between 2001 and 2005, the unit allocated $79,000 to purchase KCRC materials.
Assessment System Resources
During this accreditation cycle, the unit devoted considerable resources to developing and maintaining a data-based, unit-wide assessment system to further improve candidate preparation and program quality. Each year saw a major landmark in the development of the system: analyzing technology needs in 2001, designing databases and assessment systems in 2002, launching the two-year assessment timeline in 2003, and in 2005 analyzing the findings from at least a half dozen evaluators, 16 different programs, and 1600 candidate assessments. This listing outlines some of the financial and human investments that supported the assessment project:
- Established Administrative Services with two professional staff to oversee the system
- Hired a full time trained Data Coordinator to coordinate the system
- Retained the part time services of a professional Database Consultant for four years and a professional Web Designer for one year
- Provided funding for faculty to attend NCATE and SPA training over a four-year period
- Provided course release for faculty members most heavily involved in the assessment effort
(For a complete description beginning with needs assessment and hiring, see Assessment Technology Resources)
The unit believes that the results of the assessment system will enable us to make valuable recommendations for program improvement. The unit-wide assessment system played a significant role in this self study and will continue to do so in the future. Already, in fact, a preliminary assessment system has been designed for future use and is currently being used on a pilot basis. It features several elements from the existing system but also allows for web-based access, electronic submission, more timely analysis, and more efficient sharing of data with program faculty and candidates.
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