Bowie State University Policy on Technology Fluency
(Draft 5)
PURPOSE: It is the policy of BSU that every graduating
student is technologically fluent and fully capable of
staying in step with the increasingly dynamic
technology culture. In its commitment to prepare
lifelong learners, BSU shall cultivate technology
literacy and fluency opportunities for all its students
through the following activities and initiatives, many
of which the University plans to fulfill by AY 2005-
2006.
1. BSU will emphasize the importance of technology
literacy and fluency by exposing students to the integral
role of technology within the University life. BSU shall
integrate information technology (IT) throughout the campus
by:
- Annually increasing by a minimum of three to five per
year the number of Web-enhanced and web-based modalities.
- Developing IT-based delivery of services available to
all students, including admissions applications, class
registration, library research, account balances.
- Infusing technology into at least 80% of teaching and
learning activities through increased availability of
online course modules, email communications with
faculty and classmates, chat room discussions within
courses, and online resources.
- Enhancing training of students in the use of IT-based
word-processing, spreadsheet, and presentation materials by
charging disciplines to include in the advisement process
the referral of identified students to technology tutorials
and technology mentoring programs.
- Providing faculty and student support for at least one
course management system (e.g., Blackboard, WebCT) that
encourages student use of IT-related software for
communication with faculty, submission of course
requirements, taking of exams.
- Enhancing student development of IT skills related to
researching information for in-class and out-of-class
assignments in at least 85% of courses.
- Assessing the outcomes and quality campus-wide
integration of IT through satisfaction surveys,
questionnaires, and student/faculty usage.
2. BSU shall provide and maintain an infrastructure
conducive to developing and producing a technologically
literate and fluent student and graduate.
- BSU shall provide at the minimum the necessary
resources and management of state-of-the-art hardware and
software in 100% of its electronic academic and research
support facilities.
- Additionally, BSU will continually enhance the campus
community technologically through properly wiring 100% of
the areas pertinent to academic activities, including
dormitories, classrooms, and administrative offices; will
annually increase by 2005 a minimum of seventy-five
networking ports for laptop usage; will annually increase by
2005 a minimum of four Smart Classrooms so renovated
as well as new buildings will have them; will biennially
upgrade library computer systems and its electronic
resources; and increasing interactive connections,
such as email accounts, among on-campus and off-campus
sites as needed.
3. The University recognizes the need to continually
support the training and development of faculty and staff in
their ongoing role as primary and integral conduits of
students' education in technology literacy and fluency. As
such, BSU shall
- Continue to use the MHEC-funded Center for Excellence
in Teaching in Learning (CETL), or a comparable entity, as
the central unit for coordinating annually at least two
general and one discipline-specific training activity for
faculty and staff in the subject of incorporating technology
fluency into pedagogy, programs, and courses.
- Ensure that 90% of faculty (including library faculty
and staff) will engage in training in state-of-the-art
software or programming languages by establishing an off-the-
shelf training program that promotes the use of outside
technology vendors to train faculty in software and
programming languages.
- Introduce faculty and staff rewards that annually
encourage and recognize faculty and/or academic departments
demonstrating the effective integration of pedagogical
innovations that help students develop technology literacy
and fluency.
- Encourage and support faculty and staff who link the
use of the laptop computer in developing technology fluency
through curricular and co-curricular activities.
- Encourage 100% of campus-wide collaborative efforts
addressing technology fluency, which manifest themselves in
discipline-specific initiatives and innovative academic
activities.
- Support 100% library faculty and staff in information
literacy development and campus-wide instruction.
- Employ the nationally known Teaching and Learning
Through Technology (TLT) Flashlight Program, as well as
academic program reviews and assessment plans, as guides for
assessment.
4. As students move throughout various areas within BSU,
they will be constantly exposed to a variety of
technologies. The University shall strategically plan for
student training and development in technology literacy and
fluency by
- Continuing its development as a laptop university by
ensuring that all entering students have a laptop computer
and know how to use it as a learning tool.
- Continuing to enhance students' basic computer literacy
by implementing within the General Education sequence at
least one required technology course that addresses
technology fluency as well as literacy skills.
- Ensuring that 100% of all new proposed programs of
study include technology learning objectives and outcomes.
- Ensuring that all program reviews contain data on
technology fluencies.
- Requiring academic departments to articulate at the
minimum 10% specific goals and objectives regarding
students' development in technology literacy and fluency.
- Ensuring the use of various general and discipline-
specific technology applications in programs as seen through
90% of course assignments, activities, tutorials, and
research.
- Ensuring that 100% of all new proposed programs of
study include technology emphases and outcomes.
- Ensuring that all program reviews contain data on
technology fluencies.
- Seeking 100% new hires with cutting-edge working
knowledge in general and discipline-specific technologies.
- Supporting all departmental and discipline-specific
technology tutorials.
- Employing as guides for assessment the nationally known
Teaching and Learning Through Technology (TLT) Flashlight
Program, as well as academic program reviews, syllabi
reviews, capstone course reviews, and faculty/course
evaluations.
