Despite resistance from faculty, staff, and students, and the sheer magnitude of the effort from a technological and management point of view, some campuses are shifting electronic portfolios away from department-specific initiatives to become institution-wide programs. The move seems to be driven by institutions wanting to focus more deeply and…

High school students spend much of their educational journeys immersed in "old" literacies of paper, pencil, and print books. But outside of the classroom, they are exposed to information and communication technologies--such as blogs, wikis, Internet browsers, multimedia, social networking sites, and a wide range of software--each of which demand…

To date, over one-fifth of all U.S. higher education students are now taking at least one online course. The Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C) recently surveyed more than 2,500 colleges and universities to reveal that over 3.9 million students were taking at least one online course during the 2007 fall term. This number is a 12% increase from fall 2006.…

Higher education institutions struggle with planning for future needs, growth, and, sometimes, contraction. As student populations expand and as faculty members adopt new technologies, universities struggle to support these needs. To the casual observer, it may seem that the technology planning process is haphazard. This article details a process…

Implementing an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is a major undertaking for any higher education institution, with many challenges along the way. More than three years ago, Roane State Community College began a journey to implement an ERP system. Roane State recently completed a very successful implementation of the SunGard Banner Student…

Many university officials recognize the need to upgrade their older analog video surveillance systems. In a 2010 survey by "Campus Safety" magazine, half of university respondents expressed dissatisfaction with the quality and coverage of their current video surveillance systems. Among the limitations of analog closed-circuit television…

The National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) presents a model of 21st century learning powered by technology, with goals and recommendations in five essential areas: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity. The plan also identifies far-reaching "grand challenge problems" that should be funded and coordinated at a…

Why is a generation of teachers more knowledgeable about technology than any before it arriving in classrooms with little understanding of how to teach with it? It's a debate that, according to Ann Thompson, director of Iowa State University's Center for Technology in Learning and Teaching, has K-12 and higher education engaged in mutual…

When asked to weigh in on what might be the next best thing in educational technology, the author scanned the horizon for the next gizmo or software advance that would eventually grow legs, rise up, and utterly transform the library profession. But what he saw was more about evolution than revolution. Sure, Windows Vista will become Windows 7, USB…

Faced with rising demand for information about early childhood programs, states need to find tools and strategies to monitor the progress of and to identify high-quality early childhood programs. In response, REL Mid-Atlantic convened a regional workgroup for state personnel who work with the systems containing early childhood data. The workgroup…

With the rushing in of new technologies, facilities must be more flexible and adaptable to a variety of learning approaches. As personalized learning plans emerge with technology, new designs make learning possible anywhere at any time. In addition, the change from print to Web-based materials is creating an environment that focuses on…

China is a huge country with a large population. Providing equitable and quality "e-education" or use of ICT (information and communications technologies) for teaching and learning in elementary and secondary schools across the country is a national priority. This article briefly sketches the context in China and the challenges relating…

A "carbon footprint" is the "total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by an (individual, event, organization, and product) expressed as CO2" emissions. Since CO2 emissions are indicative of energy use, the higher the associated CO2 emissions, typically the greater the associated costs. A typical desktop PC system…

E-learning is becoming increasingly prevalent in educational institutions throughout the world. There is a growing awareness of the need to assess the impact of this new type of learning on the educational system and on the students who participate in these programs. In May 2008, following 4 years of research, iClass held a conference to discuss…

Since laptop programs extend instruction beyond the campus, it is then a must for schools to try a variety of solutions to protect their machines--and their users. Combining high-tech safeguards with face-to-face user education is a must for schools whose laptop programs allow students to take the computers off-site. For a cautionary tale on the…