PREFACE FROM THE PRESIDENT
As students, faculty and staff work, play and socialize daily, on multiple devices, I find myself
constantly mulling this phenomenon, and how we live today. As hard as our Millennial and
Generation Z students find it to believe—digital natives that they are—it was not that long
ago when we used typewriters for school papers and office documents, and what is now so
quaintly called a “house phone” (rotary, mind you). Thumbing a smart phone was beyond our
imagination as our forefingers circled that dial. While even these devices were themselves far
beyond the quill and vellum, the string telephone and telegraph, that were their predecessors,
today’s technology—and our absorption in it—is pervasive and often total. What, then, have
we gained, and what have we lost?
We have gained a tremendous amount, there is no doubt. Information at our fingertips,
ranging from simple facts to the weather forecast; word definitions to news to entire books; a
text message about dinner to a video of a child’s first birthday party to be emailed to doting,
absent grandparents. We can reconnect through various social media with those with whom
we have lost touch. We can participate in supportive online communities. We can have video
calls and meetings. We can take and teach online classes. There is much more.
And yet, there has indeed been loss. The subjection of us all to a workday far longer than
eight hours, and time away from our families or the risk of intense fatigue with little time for
renewal. The loss of in-person conversation, where we can perceive subtleties of expression
and engagement, of comprehension and clarity, agreement or disagreement. The very
real potential for loss of community. Oddly, the retreat from each other under the guise of
ubiquitous connectivity.
These contradictions are played out every day in education. While technology is a tremendous
asset, it is also incumbent on us to mitigate what can be its tendency to increase distance in
our daily work of teaching and learning, particularly in online courses and degrees. Improving
the success rates of students engaged in online learning is critical. And while our own surveys
demonstrate that most students have smartphones and either tablets or laptops, it is also
crucial for us to recognize the digital divide that remains—a true equity issue. We address this
in part through the provision of well-equipped labs, and in initiating the distribution of tablets
in some cohorts and classes. This Technology Plan, following the lead of the Educational
Master Plan, intentionally focuses on equity issues, as detailed throughout.
Brian Murphy, President
v Last Updated: 7/31/23