Responses To Recommendations

PAGE 6 OF 10

Recommendation Six

Committee Membership

Dr. Tom Kimberling, Co-Chair, Vice President of College Services
Dr. Robert Renger, Co-Chair, Dean of Arts and Sciences
Kathryn Schoenrock, Co-Chair, Adjunct Professor of Reading
Vic Belinski, Associate Vice Chancellor of Information Technology
Susan Bricker, Registrar
Lester Tong, Computer Specialist, Arts and Sciences Division
Dusty Tubbs, Adjunct Instructor, Cisco Academy

Recommendation Six

The College should create a single comprehensive institutional multi-year technology plan that will provide the framework for systematically meeting its needs in technology. (1996 Standard 4A.4, Standard 6.7, Standard 8.4, 8.5)

Response

A. Background
Although at the time of the 2002 team visit the College had not yet formalized a comprehensive institution wide technology plan, it has not ignored the technology issue. Several departmental plans have been developed and implemented and the College has made substantial strides in upgrading its technology infrastructure and expanding access to students, faculty, and staff as documented in the draft plan (R 6.1).
The following documents substantiate the progress that has been made during the past several years:

• Ventura College Instructional Divisions and Student Services Technology and Equipment Plan, September 1996 (R 6.2). This comprehensive plan identified instructional equipment technology needs, prioritized the procurement of the equipment, presented a phase-in infrastructure strategy, a staff development plan and technical support plan and a strategy for on-going needs assessment and evaluation of the College’s instructional technology requirements. This plan was partially implemented utilizing Instructional Equipment, Block Grant and operating resources.
• Planning for Future Technology Infrastructure Staff Survey, Spring 1998 (R 6.3). This project was completed through a grant from the State Chancellor’s Office and identified the major technology needs, issues, and concerns of the College’s staff and faculty.
• Ventura College Campus-wide Assistive Technology Plan, April 1998 (R 6.4). The plan outlines the requirements for implementing assistive technology throughout the College.
• TTIP Technology Training Expenditure Report, May 1998 (R 6.5). This report documents the technology training plan and outcomes from training provided by TTIP funds.
• Ventura College Final Telecommunications Plan Mini-Grant Project, July 1998 (R 6.6). This project resulted in the assessment of the College’s infrastructure for telecommunications/network systems and connectivity capabilities to external networks.
• Ventura College Library Technology Master Plan 1997-2002, September 1998 (R 6.7). This plan established the framework for technology initiatives for implementing and enhancing the library’s role as an information delivery center, and the plan for technology’s role in the new LRC.
• Student Services Technology, Steps to Technology Advancement, March 2000 (R 6.8). This report documents the current status of Student Services technology initiatives and presented several projects proposed for implementation.
• Ventura College Technology Staff Development Report: A Plan for the Decade, July 2000 (R 6.9). This comprehensive report develops the framework for the necessary support system to assist the College in moving forward with its technology initiatives including specific objectives and resource requirements.
• Ventura College Distance Education Plan, Fall 2002 (R 6.10). This plan provides direction for incorporating distance education into the mainstream activities of the College. The plan presents primary goals for 1) institutional support, 2) instructional support, 3) technical and administrative support, 4) funding support, 5) research and development, 6) faculty support services, and 6) student support services.

In addition to these planning efforts, throughout the period from 1995 through 1999, the College had standing committees that were charged with planning and managing campus-wide technology issues. The Computer Concerns Committee was organized in November 1995 and served until February 1997. This committee was reorganized in March 1997 and became the Technology Task Force that continued in existence until September 1999. Minutes, materials and discussion notes from these groups are presented in R 6.11, R 6.12, and R 6.13.

The following two paragraphs are from the Response to Recommendation Five, and are specifically pertinent to this Response as well:

Beginning in 1998 and continuing, the College has made great strides in institutionalizing technology training for faculty, in providing a Staff Multimedia Resource Center and in equipping smart classrooms so that instructors can readily integrate technology into their instruction, thereby meeting the diverse needs of their students. These accomplishments are outlined in detail in the 2002 VC Progress Report (see R 5.18) and were commended by the WASC Team in their report of April 17, 2002 that stated, “there has been special attention given to activities designed to train staff in new technologies.” The team continued by saying, “the College has responded effectively to the portions of the previous recommendation regarding the writing of a staff development plan and the staff training in new technologies (R 5.19).

For the past three years the Liberal Arts and Learning Resources Division, realizing that many of today’s students learn best interactively, sent 8 faculty to a Tech Ed conference to learn about interactive software to teach reading and writing. This resulted in faculty initiating experimental projects which infuse instruction with technology for interactive learning in composition and reading courses, using interactive programs such as Plato, Academic System’s Interactive English, Successful College Writing, Skillsbank, and Daedalus. All of these projects have been institutionalized and will be supported by the College’s new high tech Learning Resources Center. The Department also formed a Daedalus User’s Group that meets monthly (See R 5.27).

In Summer 2000, after extensive consultation with the District’s Information Technology department, the focus on the general management of technology shifted to addressing several critical projects.

1. It has become apparent the College’s data wiring required significant upgrading and Scheduled Maintenance funding was available from the State.
2. Many classroom computers had not been replaced for several years, and State Instructional Equipment and Block Grant funding was available.
3. The College’s Web site had become obsolete and required immediate attention. TTIP-TCO funding was available to assist with this measure.
4. The College had recognized for some time the need for additional computer maintenance support and made the decision to hire at least one additional Computer Maintenance Technician and Computer Specialist.
5. The College had made a decision to initiate both CISCO and Oracle programs and a considerable amount of effort and funding was directed to implementing these programs.
6. The College committed to an emphasis on expanding its Distance Education offerings and sought new direction in that regard.
7. The College sought to provide all faculty members desiring a computer for their office with internet and e-mail access.

B. Current Status

1. Although much of the data wiring effort has been completed, there remains a need to finalize the project through a network-wide evaluation of the current configuration and upgrading of those areas judged as remaining deficient.
2. Most critical computer classrooms have been refreshed and several new “smart” classrooms and specialized computer labs have been installed. There remains a need to implement a plan for the systematic replacement of computers and servers to ensure these labs provide current technology support.
3. The Web site has undergone two major revisions and has received general acceptance from the campus community and public. There remains an on-going concern that resources be made available to maintain the site.
4. The computer maintenance staff has been augmented through the hiring of a new maintenance technician, the increased service assignment of a computer specialist and the establishment of an assistive computer specialist. Although the support staff has been increased, the general service level is still evaluated as seriously deficient. To date the technical support positions have been primarily assigned to individual departments with only one position available to serve the overall campus. There is a growing need to expand the general support staff and provide some supervisory oversight to assist in the proper prioritization of service requests.
5. The CISCO and Oracle programs have been successfully implemented. The popularity of these programs has resulted in constrained facilities that have limited enrollments and required many of these courses to be offered on the weekend. The passage of the District’s bond issue Measure “S” last April includes an Advanced Technology Complex for the College. Once completed, these programs will be relocated. However, the building is not planned for construction for several years.
6. The Distance Education initiative has been addressed by providing reassigned time for a full-time faculty member to pursue this effort. Further, the College received a multi-year Title V grant in October 2002 that in part will assist with the development and institutionalization of Distance Education and has resulted in the recent completion of the Distance Education Plan (R 6.13).
7. Finally, all faculty members desiring computers for their office use with internet and e-mail access have received either new computers or refreshed recycled units. Print capability remains an issue.

C. Plan
To address the gaps in the College’s current technology environment and to refocus on a more comprehensive, participatory multi-year process, a planning effort has been initiated which has resulted in a Framework plan which remains under development. The draft Technology Plan Framework is presented as R 6.1.

The Technology Committee will be reconstituted in early Spring 2003 and charged with the responsibility of finalizing the planning document and identifying those objectives that the College needs to address during the following 18 months.

Recommendation Six List of Documents

R 6.1	Draft Technology Plan Framework
R 6.2	Ventura College Instructional Divisions and Student Services Technology�� and Equipment Plan, September 1996
R 6.3	Planning for Future Technology Infrastructure Staff Survey, Spring 1998
R 6.4	Ventura College Campus-wide Assistive Technology Plan, April 1998
R 6.5	TTIP Technology Training Expenditure Report, May 1998
R 6.6	Ventura College Final Telecommunications Plan Mini-Grant Project, July 1998
R 6.7	Ventura College Library Technology Master Plan 1997-2002,September 1998
R 6.8	Student Services Technology, Steps to Technology Advancement, March 2000
R 6.9	Ventura College Technology Staff Development Report:� A Plan for theDecade, July 2000
R 6.10	Ventura College Distance Education Plan:� Fall 2002
R 6.11	Computer Concerns Committee meeting minutes and materials
R 6.12	Technology Task Force meeting minutes and materials
R 6.13	Technology Task Force meeting minutes and materials

 

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