keeping pace with the net generation: a student affairs perspective

Leslie Dare, Ed. D. - DirectorDistance Education & Technology ServicesDivision of Student AffairsNC State University

Student AffairsDivision of

Keeping Pace with the Net Generation:A Student Affairs Perspective

ELI Fall 2007 Focus SessionBoulder, CO

August 16, 2007

About This FileContent: This file is not quite the same as what was presented at the ELI event on August 16, 2007. I’ve taken my presenter comments (the notes section) and added them as actual slides so as to give full context for the content. This is why there are slides which have lots of seemingly random text – which is not typically part of what I display during an actual presentation. Also included are source references and links, which were deliberately omitted in the display version for the conference in order to reduce the visual clutter that can sometimes be distracting. My intent here is to provide all the detail associated with the presentation in this one document. The result is a document with much more content than would normally appear on the screen during the actual presentation.

Copyright Leslie Dare, 2007. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

Student Affairs NC State University

ELI Fall 2007 Focus SessionAugust 15-16, 2007

Presentation Agenda• Survey Results• Audience Poll• Student Affairs Professionals - We Really Do Care• What We Are Doing• Challenges for You• Wrap UP



Survey: What is Twitter?



I was very inspired by the student videos we’ve been watching, and so last night after supper, I conducted some rigorous research to see if student affairs professionals are net savvy.

So posed the question: What is Twitter?

Here are some of the responses.




Now, granted, you might question my research methods, but I can guarantee you that if I did indeed conduct an informal survey of my SA colleagues, and asked this same question, the faces would be the same.

I would be shocked if any of them had ever heard of Twitter.

Summary of Survey Results



Most student affairs professionalsare not very net savvy.

(But we want to be.)

Summary of Survey Results



In truth, we do have individuals here and there who are truly net savvy and understand our current generation of college students. I think this true for the faculty as well, with the evidence being very robust “TLT” or “teaching and learning with technology” workshops, listserv discussions and scholarship.

But generally speaking for those of us in student affairs, this summary is supported by research in the field of student affairs, and by my own extensive observations.

Audience Poll



Raise your hand if you knowthe name of the

chief student affairs officeron your campus.

Audience Poll



If you don’t know the name of the chief student affairs officer at your institution, don’t feel so bad.

Most folks in our Division of Student Affairs don’t know the names our technology leaders.

My point here is that there certainly there is lots of room for further collaboration. More on that soon.

Student Affairs Perspective



Just what do wecare about?




What is student affairs? Who are we? Most folks think of student affairs staff are those warm and fuzzy people on campus. We are the people that care about all the learning that happens outside the classroom. We are the people who value the development of the whole person and responsible citizens. We are the people that help them cope during their time on campus.

We provide the traditional services you might think of: dining, housing, campus recreation…as well as developmental programming to help students grow in all aspects of their lives.




But we do think about these technology issues from time to time. We may not be very tech savvy ourselves, as a profession, but this whole “internet” thing has caught our attention. So what do we care about?




What do we care about?Impact of Technologyon Student Behavior

Observe this photograph carefully.

The male student is making a rather rude gesturethat he probably would not want his parents to see.

And just what is in those red cups?

All in all, it makes us want to ask - what were you thinking in posting this?




What do we care about?Impact of Technologyon Student Behavior

Internet addiction in general, as well as online gambling as a specific addiction, are very much a

concern for student affairs professionals.

Our folks in the counseling center continue to see students with these problems, and these behaviors

are observed by resident advisors, peer mentors, and others in student affairs. We often see

students who are suffering academically andin their personal relationships because of

this type of addictive behavior.




What do we care about?Decision Making

And our friend here has made quite a questionable decision in posting this photograph in her Facebook account.

Does she understand that there are no “take backs” in the digital world, and that this photo might be viewed by a potential employer?




What do we care about?Ethics, Academic Integrity

Plagiarism is a major concern. I’m so glad to see Rick Satterlee’s work in this area, which is one of the project parlors available this afternoon. Again, cheating and plagiarism have been around since the earth cooled. Technology has made it - some say - easier. And we’ve had conversations around this question: are students more likely to engage in cheating and plagiarism because it’s easier to do so? When it is so easy to cheat (or for that matter, post a video of you and your girlfriend having sex), are students less likely to consider the consequences? Some recent research suggests that is the case.




What do we care about?Policy, Ethics

Illegal file sharing is a hot topic right now, of course.Campuses are scrambling to respond to what some would call

“extreme” legal action being taken against college students by the RIAA and MPAA for sharing music and movies in violation of

copyright law. Our IT folks tend to have concerns about bandwidth issues, and our legal folks have concern about possible legislation

that would hold institutions liable for these violations.

And for those of us in student affairs, this is a behavioral issue. Stealing is stealing, and in this case, the internet is just the latest

tool being used to engage in illegal behavior.




We in Student Affairs are especially concerned about serving our students, and serving them well. Sometimes we

even figure out how to do that new-fangled stuff.

Here’s an example from our University Career Center. They’ve developed a series of podcasts for students. They

are short and sweet, focused on very specific, tangible topics. For example, one podcast reminds students to wear deodorant and not eat an onion burger before an interview.

We would hope this would be obvious, but clearly the experiences of our career counselors are that

students need this reminder.

What do we care about?Effectively delivering student services

and developmental programs.




What do we care about?Multitasking, Communication

A concern I hear a lot is regarding a student’s ability to be engaged in so many activities at once. Or as I like to ask - Are our students Plugged in (which has a positive

connotation), or plugged up (and thus unavailable to the rest of the world).

There is concern that communication skills are stunted since online technology has reduced the use of in-

person meetings with faculty and administrators, and even other students. I’ve heard several stories about

students IM-ing their roommates - while both are in the room - about roommate issues (country, rockroll).




• The Good• We share many of the same concerns.

• The Bad• But we aren’t quite sure what to do about it.

• The Ugly• Despite our good intentions, we are not very net

savvy, nor do we fully understand what makes a student net savvy or how to help a student achieve that status.

• Our Saving Grace• This is an area of growing interest. More resources,

more scholarly work. And we are doing some things!




So to summarize, it is a bit like a Clint Eastwood movie – the good, the bad and the ugly.

We share the many of the same concerns you have about the lack of “savviness” our students have with technology.

We really want to do the right thing, but just have a hard time keeping up with all the technology. That is what keeps me busy - making sure our student affairs staff have a better understanding of the net generation and what it means to be net savvy.

What We Are Doing (at NC State)



• The Facebook Phenomenon• Initiated by Student Affairs• Panel - Student Conduct, local researcher, student body president (Pirate Captain), TLT Chair, IT educator

• New Student Orientation • Academic Integrity and Copyright• Initiated by IT educators; collaboration with SA/others

http://www.ncsu.edu/facebook/



• Illegal File Sharing• Initiated by Student Affairs• Taskforce to look at education for students (and staff!), technology alternatives, policy considerations, legal response (institutional, and student legal services)

• Podcasting• Within Student Affairs

• Online Social Networking• Within Student Affairs for our LGBT community


http://www.ncsu.edu/student_affairs/podcast



• Using LMS in SA• Step 1 - “PBJ 101” for Department Heads• Step 2 - Workshops for SA staff to introduce LMS• Step 3 - Units using LMS to deliver services/programs

• LMS in SA Examples• International Students at NC State• Women at NC State• LGBT 101


http://www.ncsu.edu/student_affairs/webctvista/



More LMS in SA Examples

• Counseling Center• Stress Management workshop

• Campus Recreation (Intramural Sports)• Schedules• Game Manuals• E-Reports




Even More LMS in SA Examples

• University Career Center• Career Fairs• Interviewing• Job Search

• Center for Student Leadership, Ethics & Public Service• Leadership Development Series




Yes, I Have More LMS in SA Examples

• Student Conduct• Judicial Board Training• Faculty Training• Facilitating educational consequences

• Student Health• Healthy Habits workshop• Health minor (academic, with PE)




Last Ones, I Promise: LMS in SA Examples

• Student Organizations• Training for leaders of Student Orgs• Training for Faculty/Staff Advisors

• Greek Life• Training for leaders on Risk Management• Training for members on same




• Improving Tech IQ for Staff• Workshops and Demonstrations• Web and print resources

• Improving Tech Infrastructure• Dedicated technology leadership for Division • Deliberate Technology Planning• Move away from “hat” staffing to trained staffing• Participation with campus-wide committees• Partnerships across campus


http://www.ncsu.edu/student_affairs/techplan/



• Scholarly work (contact me for examples – there are many)

• Impact of technology on student development and student behavior• Policies, legal issues

• Workshops, articles, presentations• Local campuses• Regional and national professional development orgs

What We Are Doing (as a profession)

mailto:[email protected]



• NASPA• Technology Knowledge Community

• Improving Individual Tech IQ• Workshops for staff• Personal productivity resources

What We Are Doing (as a profession)

http://www.naspa.org/

http://www.naspa.org/communities/kc/community.cfm?kcid=27

Your Mission (Should you choose to accept it…)



MISSION:IMPOSSIB

LE

Your Mission: Improve Your Tech IQ

Observe A Student(Class of 2029)



Improving your Tech IQ needn’t be painful!

Ask a student to show you their Facebook account, or explain how a gadget works. Students love to show us

old fogies how it is done!

Pick a technology tool and explore it, or participate in a workshop

On my campus, I send out specific challenges like this on a regular basis, and call it “Dare to Be Geeky.” I

provide a quick starter guide on setting up RSS, how to set up a Facebook account, and so on.


What is Tech IQ?

• Rough, informal indicator of a person’s experience, skill and/or comfort with technology. (Basically, something I made up!)

• Sometimes I call it “Geek IQ”• Scale of 1 through 10.

• 10 = High comfort; early adopter; embraces “Geek” label• 1 = Inexperienced, unskilled, or even afraid of technology

• In a workshop, participants share their Tech IQ and discuss.• Goal: Improve your Tech IQ in workshop and/or over time.




Fun Notes on “Geek” versus “Nerd”

• Widely disputed definitions• Some claim it is important to differentiate• My take:

• Geek: Technology enthusiast• Nerd: Knowledge enthusiast

• Some fun sources:•http://www.geekstudies.org/•http://portal.wikinerds.org/nerds-and-geeks-definition



http://www.geekstudies.org/



http://portal.wikinerds.org/nerds-and-geeks-definition



Your Mission: Find Student Affairs Partners

Take a Student Affairs Partner to Lunch(We love to eat.)



Find your student affairs partners and make a connection with them. • Learn the name of the Chief Student Affairs Officer. • Find out who has responsibility for technology for the entire Student Affairs organization.• Invite them to attend a meeting with your department heads. • Ask if you can sit in on one of their SA meetings. • Talk specifically about how you can collaborate.• Invite them to serve on campus-wide committees.

If you are lucky, you’ll find someone who works with University Dining and who will treat you to a delicious meal in the Dining Hall.

Your Mission: Collaborate



This is a roughly drawn graphic, but you will still get the idea.

1. Students are at the center of higher education.

2. They are surrounded by these various issues associated with becoming net savvy.

3. And providing the layer of support for the students are all of us…those of us in various positions across the campus who should be intersecting and interacting.

Your Mission: Collaborate



STUDENTS

PRIVACY SAFETY

LITERACYIDENTITY

ETHICS

IT

LIBRARIES

FACULTY

STUDENTAFFAIRS

ADMIN

OTHERS

ACADEMICAFFAIRS

Thank you. Please contact me if you have any questions.



Leslie Dare, Ed. D. - DirectorDistance Education & Technology ServicesDivision of Student AffairsNC State UniversityCampus Box 7301Raleigh, NC 27695-7301

919.515.1329 phone919.515.1428 [email protected] IM: LeslieDareNCSUYahoo IM: ladareNCSU

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