Educause: Evaluating Information Technology on Campus

You will be joining a community of people devoted to creating and sharing information-activities that can be enhanced by information technology. Finding answers to the following questions can help you understand how technology is used to support learning and collaboration in your areas of interest or possible major(s).

How does the campus use technology to enhance teaching, learning, and access to information in your areas of interest? Examples include online syllabi, Web-based discussion groups and project teams, and electronic portfolios.

• All of the above apply at Wittenberg. Professors choose a range of optins when it comes to communication, including WebCT (online courseware) to provide additional study materials and web pages that contain information for the rest of the semester. Many professors find that the areas available for student collaboration outside the classroom enhance what goes on during the regular class session. Semester or year long portfolio creation help students gather their work for capstone courses. Management and Art are examples of departments who use the online courseware for senior capstone projects. Any of the electronic resources available to students on campus are available from anywhere in the world through several methods of access.

Are classrooms technology-enhanced?

• Professors have technology enhanced classrooms available to them in each academic building as well as the option of using a computer lab as a classroom. Currently the Barbara Deer Kuss Science Center and Hollenbeck Hall have large numbers of classrooms with PC's, network, overhead projection and media devices such as DVD players and VCR's. The university is working to retrofit classrooms in older buildings to match this standard.

In both introductory and specialized courses, what opportunities are there for you to collaborate with other students using technology on project teams?

• Online courseware is available to every professor for use in each class for such discussions; instructors also come up with other creative ways to put together project teams.

Does the school give credit for courses taken electronically (online/at a distance) from other institutions and sources of instruction?

• There is no distinction made regarding online courses. Coursework from any accredited school regardless of the means of delivery is generally accepted. Correspondence studies are usually not applicable toward a degree. See the Office of the Registrar's Transferring Credit page for more information.

How does the campus provide access for students to work with multimedia (audio and video)?

• All classroom, lab, and residence hall lab computers are multimedia capable for sound and video.

Are library collections and resources-such as catalogs, research databases, special collections, course reserves, full-text electronic journals, books, and streaming media-available online and accessible off-campus?

• With your Wittenberg identification, you can access the full range of the library's databases, indexes, class web pages, and course specific electronic reserves from on or off campus.

Can the library deliver documents to you electronically, either via e-mail or through Web posting? Does the library charge a fee when information resources that you need are not available in its collections?

• Thomas Library's staff make every effort to provide course materials required by professors in an online format to save time for students. There is no fee for obtaining materials through OhioLink. The Ohio Library and Information Network, OhioLINK, is a consortium of Ohio's college and university libraries and the State Library of Ohio. Serving more than 600,000 students, faculty, and staff at 85 institutions, OhioLINK's membership includes 17 public universities, 23 community/technical colleges, 44 private colleges and the State Library of Ohio. OhioLINK serves faculty, students, staff and other researchers via campus-based electronic library systems, the OhioLINK central site, and Internet resources.

Does the library provide research assistance in a variety of ways, such as in person, by phone, by e-mail, and through Web services? When are these forms of assistance available?

• Yes; reference librarians are available in person, by phone. via e-mail, and internet chat during normal library operating hours. For a schedule, click here.

Does the campus offer general or profession-specific training programs that will ensure you are fluent in current information technologies when you graduate?

• Beyond the technical competency required by the general education program, academic departments also provide additional training in each discipline. To check the information available for each department, check out the Academics web page.