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The wired university
From the Winter 2009 Parent Newsletter
Douglas Adams, best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,
explains his philosophy on technology:
- Anything that is in the world when you're born is normal and ordinary and
is just a natural part of the way the world works.
- Anything that's invented between when you're 15 and 35 is new and exciting
and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
- Anything invented after you're 35 is against the natural order of things.
 When
we stop and look back at the advances in technology that have occurred in our
lifetime, we can see that technological developments have changed the way we
work, play, and communicate. Technology also has rapidly and radically shifted
the way higher education does business. College classes are taught differently
than they were a generation ago. Online lecture notes, class blogs, clicker systems
that instantly check students' understanding of a topic, and e-mails between
students and their instructors have changed information delivery and classroom
relationships.
Campus services have gone high tech as well. Parents may remember waiting in
long lines to register for college courses by pulling registration cards, or
younger parents may have gone to a central location to use a campus computer
programmed specifically for registration. But today's online registration means
students can choose classes from their residence hall room at 7 a.m., still dressed
in slippers and pajamas. They can then order their textbooks, check the breakfast
menu in the dining center, and find out if the washing machines in the laundry
room are in use, all without leaving their room.
Just because everything can be done online, however, doesn't mean everything
should be. The challenge for students and the University is to blend high tech
and high touch so that students have quick and easy access to the information
they need, but also have the personal support and motivation that promote a sense
of belonging, community, and self-worth.
Engage!
The University introduced a new online tool earlier this year that exemplifies
this mix of technology and personal engagement. Engage! leads
students to on- and off-campus activities, events, and volunteer opportunities,
based on their individual interests, career plans, and skills.
The University developed Engage! in response to evidence showing that learning
is holistic, and that students learn most when they apply their education to
real-life situations. Being actively and intentionally involved in an experience
allows students to build on classroom learning, test career interests, clarify
goals, and gain understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.
Grad Planner
Students who wake up in the middle of the night, suddenly inspired to add a second
major or change their career plans entirely, can check the online graduation
planner. The Grad Planner will
quickly show if their current courses count toward the second major or if their
new plan will require an extra semester or more.
Personal contact, however, is part of the process. Students can receive feedback
on their new plan from their academic adviser to ensure that potential problems
are not overlooked or to see if an alternative option might work more successfully.
GoldPass
The contemporary internship or job search typically includes a review of online
job postings. At the University of Minnesota, that search is facilitated by GoldPass,
an online database that lists thousands of jobs from around the country. It does
not replace in-person career services but is integrated into the advising offered
by career offices in the colleges across campus. Students are still asked to
make an appointment with a career adviser to assess employment plans, review
resumes, and practice interviewing skills.
Carlson School of Management students have access to a separate but similar resource:
the Carlson
Automated Recruiting System.
Scholarship search
Students can search for U scholarships related to their major, demographics,
or year in college at One
Stop and receive a personalized list of scholarships for which they
may qualify, a brief description of the scholarships, and Web links to more information.
myU portal
Students can organize their online life through their myU portal. With their
username and password, they link to a Web site that provides announcements from
their college, identifies their academic adviser, gives access to course information
and Gophermail, shows their student account balance, and updates them on campus
events.
The portal is also a way to access the U
Libraries Web site, where students can research a subject, read
journal articles, and map out an assignment calendar. Library support, however,
may be more personal than ever with the SMART
Learning Commons, a physical space where students can get one-on-one
help with study skills, research, specific academic topics, and test preparation.
SMART Learning Commons has locations in Wilson Library on the West Bank, Walter
Library and Klaeber Court on the East Bank, and McGrath Library
on the St. Paul campus.
Parents online
Like students, today's parents expect 24/7, Web-based information. The U's Parent
Program Web site is among the most comprehensive college-parent
sites in the country. Parents can register to receive bimonthly e-mail messages
with timely information and talking points for helping their student. (To sign
up, send your e-mail address to parent@umn.edu.)
This year, the University developed a Parent Portal for members of the Minnesota
Parents Association, a joint project of the Parent Program and U
of M Alumni Association. It provides con-tinuing education opportunities for
parents, access to some U Libraries services, a discussion board, and announcements
about campus activities. |
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