COMPLIANCE AUDIT REPORTS

Section 3: Comprehensive Standard 3.4.12
The institution’s use of technology enhances student learning, is appropriate for meeting the objectives of its programs. Students have access to and training in the use of technology. 

Statement of Compliance: Dyersburg State Community College (DSCC) is in compliance with Comprehensive Standard 3.4.12. 

Rationale for Judgment of Compliance: 

Dyersburg State Community College (DSCC) is committed to integrating technology into a learner-centered environment as evidenced by the use of various technologies in most aspects of academic instruction.

Of the 69 classrooms and laboratories located on the Dyersburg Campus, at the DSCC Gibson County Center, and at the DSCC Jimmy Naifeh Center at Tipton County, 51 are master classrooms. Each is equipped with a microcomputer, an overhead projector and a 10’ by 10’ screen, sound system, console, Internet access, and DVD and VCR players. These classrooms are used to present instructional videos, slides, Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, and information obtained from the Internet. The subjects taught in the master classrooms include the following: information technology, English Composition, literature, biology, physical science, and physics. The faculty members in Nursing and Allied Health use a scanning system to provide item analysis for tests. Other scanning machines have been purchased to grade objective tests on the Dyersburg Campus, at the Gibson County Center (GCC), and at the Jimmy Naifeh Center at Tipton County (JNCTC).

To broaden the use of technology in student learning, students enrolled in English Composition and developmental writing are able to use word processing applications in a lab environment, allowing interaction with their instructors. Additionally, information technology and administrative office support courses are taught in 25-station microcomputer laboratories which contain the master classroom equipment. Also, the Communications and Information Technology (networking) and Manufacturing Systems Technology courses are taught in specialized laboratories containing file servers, network equipment, and manufacturing equipment.

In addition to DSCC courses offered in the traditional format, students may enroll in a wide variety of online courses in both general education and technical courses in which faculty use WebCT for course delivery [Ref 1]. Enrollment in the 58 DSCC online classes was 11.8 percent of the total credit hours for 2006 Fall. Students may also enroll in the Regents Online Degree Program (RODP) program [Ref 2], which offers four associate degree programs.

To assist DSCC students in determining if online courses are appropriate for their learning style, a Web site has been developed to answer such questions as “What are online courses like?” and “How do I find out if I’m ready for an online course?” To ensure that students have training in the use of the technology needed for the successful completion of an online course, online tutorials are available [Ref 3].

During the 2004–2005 academic year, the success rate for DSCC students taking online classes was 69.0 percent compared to 69.2 percent for students taking traditional lecture classes. Increased enrollment in online courses (DSCC and RODP) is indicative of DSCC students’ enthusiasm for online instruction. During 2006 fall, 174 online courses (both DSCC and RODP classes) were offered with 1,381 enrollments which accounted for 16.6 percent of DSCC’s total credit hours. To aid in academic advising and tutorial services, desk-top video conferencing is being used at the DSCC Gibson County Center and at the DSCC Jimmy Naifeh Center at Tipton County to connect to these services on the Dyersburg Campus.

DSCC makes technology available to its faculty as well as to its students. Faculty members use iPod technology and tablet notebook computers to enhance online classes and to make grading student homework more efficient. All full-time faculty members have computers with access to the Internet and appropriate instructional software to assist them in enhancing learning in their courses.

Another aid in promoting technology among DSCC faculty is the offering of instructional technology workshops at conference days held during the fall and spring semesters [Ref 4]. The Faculty and Staff Development Committee, the Dean of the Learning Resource Center, and the Distance Education Coordinator/Instructional Design Specialist also provide training for faculty throughout the academic year. Furthermore, the Distance Education Coordinator/Instructional Design Specialist provides training for faculty who use WebCT in their courses and for faculty who wish to develop online courses.   

DSCC’s use of technology is appropriate for meeting the objectives of its programs. All academic areas use technology to effect learning outcomes, and the type and level of technology is dictated by the learning outcomes.

Effective 2005 Fall, all DSCC classes were set up in WebCT to provide a class syllabus and other instructional materials. A large number of courses are taught entirely online using WebCT while other courses use WebCT to enhance the learning environment. At the beginning of each semester, the Distance Education Coordinator/Instructional Design Specialist mails an information CD to all students enrolled in online classes [Ref 5]. Many full-time faculty members use WebCT to supplement instruction in traditionally lecture-format courses with synchronous and asynchronous communication, Internet links, tests, and classroom management tools. For at least one class meeting, most faculty members who teach English, study skills, and social science classes take their students to the Learning Resource Center (LRC) for instruction in using technology for research to locate and authenticate information from the Internet and for instruction in using online databases. Writing assignments for these students must be completed using word processing. 

Specific examples of technologies appropriate to program objectives are numerous at DSCC. Nursing and Allied Health faculty use SimMAN, which is a life-size mannequin with a computerized graphical user interface, to teach clinical and decision-making skills during realistic patient care scenarios. Students taking COL 101 – The College Experience, English Composition, literature, speech, and mathematical statistics are required to produce a PowerPoint for a class presentation. Furthermore, students enrolled in mathematical statistics, algebra, and calculus classes are required to use Excel and graphing calculators. Another example of utilizing technology appropriate to program objectives is in HIST 1110 and 1120 – World Civilization I and II in which specialized software from The National Geographic to illustrate the development of different cultures. In one anatomy and physiology class, WebCT is used for all instruction except for laboratories.   

Still another example is the use of an Online Learning Center that accompanies The Art of Critical Reading, which is used for some assignments in DSPR 0800 – Developmental Reading Improvement. Extending technology into the fine arts, Aurelia, Smart Music, and Finale are used in the music laboratory for rhythmic identification and mimicking, for practicing with piano accompaniment, and for creating and printing music in a publishable format.  

The use of technology encompasses one entire academic program at DSCC. The Health Information Technology (HIT) program is taught entirely online using the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)’s Virtual Laboratory, Master Patient Index (MPI), Encoder and Grouper, and Microsoft Office.  

Effective Fall 2004, the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), which regulates DSCC, required that most associate degree programs be reduced to a maximum of 60 hours which includes 41 hours of general education for majors leading to the Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees and 15-17 hours of general education for majors leading to the Associate of Applied Science degree. Prior to this change, many DSCC programs required MIS 111 - Introduction to Computers. Since this course could not be classified as a general education course, it was removed from most academic programs. To assure student access and training in technology, the LRC developed and implemented the “Learning Resource Center (LRC) Information Skills Program.”

This hands-on program is conducted in the LRC Information Skills Lab on the Dyersburg Campus and in the LRCs at the DSCC Gibson County Center and at the DSCC Jimmy Naifeh Center at Tipton County. At each location, the Information Skills Program include the use of word processing, WebCT, PowerPoint, Internet and e-mail. All of these are necessary skills for information literacy and augment the learning experience of DSCC students. The Information Skills Program offers three levels of instruction in information skills: basic searching skills, researching skills, and discipline-specific researching skills. Full-time and adjunct faculty members are encouraged to use the appropriate skill level of instruction for their classes and to adapt the level of instruction to meet the specific needs of the students in their classes.

As indicated in the following table, 3,247 students in 151 classes participated in the program in the 2005-2006 academic year.

The results of the pre and post-literacy survey demonstrate the program’s effectiveness. As indicated in the table below, the literacy rate of incoming students in the 2005-2006 academic year was 15 percent but had increased dramatically to 72 percent by the end of the academic year.  

Another indicator of DSCC’s efforts to assure student access to and training in technology is exhibited in the “Help Desk,” located in the LRC on the Dyersburg Campus. Those staffing the Help Desk provide additional assistance and individual training to students using the LRC. Even though the physical location of the Help Desk is the Dyersburg Campus, students at the DSCC Gibson County Center, the DSCC Jimmy Naifeh Center at Tipton County, and at the DSCC Obion County Training and Education Center can contact the Help Desk by phone or e-mail and receive one-on-one assistance. As a result, all DSCC students are afforded assistance in the use of information resources and technology. Along with the Information Skills emphasis, the Help Desk ensures that DSCC graduates are information-literate. The number of inquiries handled by the Help Desk is indicated in the following table.  

In an effort to assure online students have access to training and technology, LRC staff members have created Online Resource, an instructional CD. This CD is mailed to each online student before classes begin [Ref 5].

The level of computing support provided at the DSCC Gibson County Center and at the DSCC Jimmy Naifeh Center at Tipton County is equivalent to that on the Dyersburg Campus [Ref 6]. Microcomputer laboratories at both Centers have the same level of technology and software support as provided on the Dyersburg Campus. The microcomputers in the major instructional laboratories at these Centers are upgraded at the same frequency as the instructional laboratories on the Dyersburg Campus. The number of hours in which student workers support the instructional labs is equivalent to that on the Dyersburg Campus.

The DSCC Three-Year Information Technology Plan is required by the TBR and defines DSCC’s overall information technology policies as well as the instructional resource policies. Reviewed by the DSCC Teaching, Learning and Technology Roundtable (TLTR) and the DSCC Management Information Systems (MIS) Committee annually, revisions to the plan are made as needed. The annual review is reflected in the minutes of the MIS Committee [Ref 7]. As prescribed in the plan, a portion of the microcomputers used in the major instructional laboratories and the master classrooms are updated annually to ensure that no microcomputer is over three years old. All other student and faculty microcomputers are replaced on a five-year cycle with older microcomputers rotated out of the major laboratories [Ref 8].

At DSCC, the technology available to students is appropriate for meeting the instructional needs. As reported in a 2005 survey conducted by Educause Information Technology, the DSCC ratio of total microcomputers divided by the institution’s Full-time Equivalency (FTE) was 0.45 as compared with the 0.43 average for all U.S. associate degree-granting institutions completing the survey [Ref 9]. Of the 807 microcomputers at DSCC, 499 are dedicated to student use. With an annual fall enrollment of 2500-plus students, the ratio of microcomputers to students is one to five.

Further illustrating the availability of technology to students is the existence of four computer labs with 25 stations on the Dyersburg Campus. At the DSCC Gibson County Center, one 20-station lab is dedicated to instruction while at the DSCC Jimmy Naifeh Center at Tipton County, three 25-person stations are available. At each of these locations, “open lab” time is available to students. More specifically, the lab at the DSCC Gibson County Center is open to students during normal working hours if the lab is not being used for class instruction. At the DSCC Jimmy Naifeh Center at Tipton County, one 24- station lab is available for student use at anytime the Center is open. Furthermore, 24 laptop computers are available for check-out to the students at this Center.

On the Dyersburg Campus, one computer lab in the LRC is primarily an open lab but can be reserved for faculty, staff, or student training or instruction. Additionally, another computer lab designated for the LRC Information Skills Program contains 36 computers. Additionally, there are 24 computers in the LRC’s Technology Resource Lab, and 30 computers in the Information Resource Area. The LRC provides wireless access for personal computer access.

On the Dyersburg Campus, student access to computer labs is available beyond the LRC. Several DSCC instructional and administrative components including the Division of Nursing and Allied Health, Student Support Services, the Student Success Center, the Developmental Studies Program, and the Advising Center have smaller computer lab areas dedicated to the specific needs of the students they serve.

Besides the ground facilities already described, the LRC Web site identifies 36 online databases that are available to students [Ref 10]. Three of these are provided by the Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL), the state library consortium; five are provided by the Regents Online Degree Program (RODP); and 28 are DSCC subscriptions. Access to off-campus users is provided by a proxy server. Additionally, the LRC’s Information Gateway Web site also offers a page of recommended open-access Internet sites.  

Other Web services available to students include the DSCC Web page and the Luminis portal which will be available in the spring or fall of 2008. Luminis will provide students with a single point of access to the Information Gateway, to their email, to online and on-ground courses, and to general information about DSCC and student services.

On the bi-annual LRC Student Satisfaction Survey, students indicated that they are satisfied with the adequacy and accessibility of DSCC computers and labs [Ref 11].

An example of DSCC’s commitment to technology was recognized by EdTech, a magazine focusing on the use of technology in higher education. In the August-September 2006 edition, Bob Phillips, former Dean of Business and Technology received one of three inaugural IT Leadership Awards awarded by the national publication [Ref 12]. A panel of judges from Duke University selected Phillips’ innovative program which provides a Web-based solution to automate examinations and credit processing for high school students who are seeking college credit or advanced placement.

Authored by Dr. John Moore in coordination with the SACS Leadership Team

Documentation: