Bridging the digital divide in higher education

Citation

Wilder, R. (2001), "Bridging the digital divide in higher education", Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 18 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/lhtn.2001.23918bac.004

Bridging the digital divide in higher education

Rayette Wilder

Bridging the digital divide in higher education

This presentation dealt with the issues of adaptive technology for persons with disabilities. The move to more digital campuses and online learning provides new opportunities for people with disabilities. However, the speakers also recognize the potential to increase the "digital divide" for the disabled within higher education. The speakers caution that we must pay attention to issues of access for the disabled. They also provided several resources for adaptive technology. The speakers each discussed several initiatives that reduce barriers and advance educational practice.

Professor Norman Coombs defined a disability as a mismatch between the individual and the interface. According to Coombs, adaptive technology falls into two basic categories: alternate input devices and alternate output devices. His section of the presentation focused on the motivation for incorporating adaptive technology into education. One of the main motivations should be that it is the "right thing to do." He expressed through his personal experience the ability of adaptive technology to empower. The example he cited was being able to use a computer to read text and having access to an encyclopedia.

He further discussed various adaptive technologies for education and pointed out that distance learning is an area of concern for many campuses. The organization EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information) primarily deals with computer and information technology. EASI is part of the Teaching, Learning and Technology affiliate of the American Association for Higher Learning. The mission of the organization is to serve as a resource to the education community by providing information and guidance in the area of access to information technologies by individuals with disabilities.

Coombs also discussed the current legislation in effect in the United States regarding equal access to education. He cited the Vocational Rehabilitation Act (1973), which specifies that students with disabilities must have equal access to educational programs. Although computers were not specified in the legislation, Coombs points out that computers were irrelevant in 1973; the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights has stated that providing adaptive technology is similar to providing ramps to buildings.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) is civil rights legislation that established the requirement to provide alternative communication that is "as effective as" traditional communication with others. This legislation has been interpreted to include access to electronic documents and Web pages. Coombs also noted that Section 508 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act was reauthorized in 1998. This reauthorization mandates that federal agencies purchase only equipment, software, and such that is accessible or can be made readily accessible to persons with disabilities. Although the official regulations have not been finalized it is probable that this legislation will include public colleges and universities. It will also require that Web pages be designed according to universal design principles.

Jutta Treviranus described a number of projects at the Adaptive Technology Resource Centre (ATRC) at the University of Toronto. She focused on the points of disengagement in the learning process. For those with disabilities these points of disengagement may be amplified. The speaker went on to suggest that with computer-mediated learning we can prevent or work around the mismatches. The message of the lesson can be transformed into different modalities and connect to other resources.

Some of the basic principles of access are the same as the principle of inclusive learning. First, the content needs to be separated from thepresentation. Treviranus suggested that content and the structure of content should be decided without a decision about presentation. It is important to use a format where the information is available without specifying for everyone how it is to be presented. Information could be visually presented, auditorally presented, or some other method used. Second, the function should be separated from the input method. She suggested that instructors need to allow students to be flexible in how they interact with the material. Another principle is that redundancy is good ­ especially in terms of presentation modes and control modes.

Advantages to creating learning tools in an accessible fashion are that they are easily reusable and accessible courseware is interoperable and device-independent. Making the course accessible should be a natural part of creating a course. One project at the ATRC is to insure that accessibility is built into courseware packages.

The speaker went on to discuss how information is presented on Web pages. An area of difficulty is access to science and mathematics. One possible solution to this dilemma is the use of MathML. MathML is a markup language that allows math notation on a Web page to be expressed in an editable form, which can be deciphered by text readers, or Braille displays. The ATRC at the University of Toronto has secured funding from the Telecommunication Access Partnership Program of the Ontario government to expedite the development of MathML.

The ATRC is also involved with a project to add haptics to interactive courseware. Haptics is the incorporation of the sense of touch and tactile manipulation and audio. The speaker gave the example of the Periodical Table that illustrates the relative properties of elements, such as weight, through the sense of touch.

Both EASI and ATRC are useful resources for adaptive technology in education. Although the presenters seemed to be knowledgble about adaptive technologies, the presentation was a bit disjointed. Fortunately, the presenters made their paper available on the EDUCAUSE Web site. Reading the paper on which the presentation was based greatly aided the learning process. This was a clear illustration of the benefits of providing information content in alternative formats.

The Learning Village: Connecting Homes, Campuses and People

The Learning Village at the University of Dayton (UD) is a project that moves technology out of the campus and into the surrounding community. The goal of this two-pronged program, according to the presenters, is to "enhance learning within and beyond the classroom" by extending network connections into the neighborhoods surrounding the University of Dayton campus. In this way, this $6.1 million project will strengthen connections throughout the community. The program is designed to encourage and sustain new and existing learning communities via technologies that enhance communication and collaboration.

The infrastructure for the "Learning Village" was begun in 1994 with the installation of a high-speed data and video installation completed on the core campus. This infrastructure included traditional residence halls as well as academic buildings on the campus. In 1999 this data, voice, and video network was extended to 420 University-owned houses in the surrounding 25-block area. This system included an extensive in-ground conduit system with hubs in every house at an average cost of $10,000 per house. University of Dayton worked with local contractors and the city of Dayton to allow construction of the network. The university wholly owns the conduit and the cost of the connection is amortized into the student rents.

In order to gain buy-in from students the campus instituted a "modified strong form" of student computer requirement. Those involved in the project felt that if the network was being built it was important that students get full use of it. Therefore, students are required to have university-specified computer systems. Students are given some choice with three computer models from which to choose. Computer purchases were required to be made through the university, which allowed for easier set-up and insures that the university is able to support equipment. Once students became clear on the purpose of requirements for purchase they were understanding. The speaker also mentioned that this "modified strong form" of computer requirement was a political choice as well. They needed to assure faculty and students that the equipment specified would be able to meet educational needs. The speaker also felt that the computer requirement enhanced universal and equal access to the technology and gave faculty motivation to change curriculum. The other piece is that the university is able to support and control the system. It is interesting to note that the campus does all of the maintenance of student computers for the four years. This is no easy task for a campus with approximately 6,500 students on the network.

Once the infrastructure was in place and the computer requirement implemented, Learning Village administrators realized quickly that synergies were being built among students, faculty, and staff. These synergies needed to be leveraged to capture and create a learning environment. The speaker discussed four areas of synergy: bandwidth/policy, cyber synergies, physical space, and human synergies.

Bandwidth management is a huge issue on most college campuses. For the learning village project three types of solutions were put in place to manage the increased demand of the network. The solutions included a financial commitment to grow the Internet bandwidth budget by $15,000 per 3Mb. Financial solutions are hard to maintain, as higher demands are placed on bandwidth. Educational solutions and engineered solutions were also put into place. The educational solutions include a policy on fair use, effective communication of policy and expectations, as well as enforcement and action. The engineered solutions were quality controls and content control applications to build a smart network. The information technology department can use new applications to manage bandwidth.

An educational piece exists at most campuses. The speaker stated that there are three Ps in the education solution: people, policy, and process. The first critical piece is the people. It is important to have buy-in from students. In order to succeed with bandwidth management, network administrators need to make students and faculty part of the education solution. Policy must be written and disseminated. The campus must also have a process to enforce the policy, and educate students as to what is proper use of bandwidth. Putting together an educational and engineered solution has been successful for the University of Dayton. Students often don't understand the impact of individual use on access to bandwidth; however, with education problems have been minimized.

The speaker also suggested that buy-in can be increased by moving critical student functions to online applications, which he refers to as "killer applications". These killer applications are used to leverage human synergies. The example given was moving the student housing process online, which changed the four-day process to a four-hour process. Students can select housing and team up with roommates online. The students can select the house, view the house and tour the house online. The University of Dayton has also created a virtual dorm package, designed to attract students before they get to campus. First-year students can see representations of the rooms where they will live as well as communicate with their roommates and advisors. The virtual dorm also lets students communicate with first-year experience reading. The goal of the virtual dorm is to get students energized about campus before they arrive.

Physical space is the other kind of synergy that has been developed on the UD campus. The Ryan C. Harris Learning and Teaching Center was built to be an engaging, appealing and rich resource for the learning village. The Learning Teaching Center is not only the learning village administrative center, but also serves as a hub for technology innovation campuswide. The center includes a faculty development and service-learning center, learning assistance for students, an experimental classroom and a student-run espresso bar.

Human synergies include student immersive initiatives. Leveraging human synergies that make technology, living and learning a unique experience at the university is the focus of these initiatives. The more important goal, however, is to take what students learn and turn it into real-world, marketable skills.

The presenters also discussed the development of the IT certification program. The purpose of the program is to give the students the opportunity to gain computer competencies. Students choose from several modes of training. They can take traditional classes, training workshops, video training, and self-study. At the end of the certification processes the students have created portfolios of completed projects. The unique feature is that this certification is actually transcripted.

In order to continue to develop the learning village concept, the University of Dayton participates in several grant-funded initiatives. The center had made the decision to pursue mission-driven, market-focused initiatives, including a Pew Program grant for course redesign. They also participate in statewide initiatives such as the Ohio Learning Network Grant. In addition, the university has begun to look at ways to partner with the community. One example is an MCI grant to build a wireless computer lab for a grade school in a campus neighborhood. They have also partnered with a community college in the area to form an Institute for Technology Enhanced Learning.

Maintaining the Learning Village is not without problems. One ongoing issue is the need to create a learning community that is both civil and productive. Privacy issues and other electronic intrusions also need to be dealt with as students are living more of their lives online. In addition, curricular change is complicated. The Learning, Teaching Center is both pushing and being pushed by faculty. LTC is a facilitator and enabler of curricular change. Another problem is that students living in non-campus-owned houses don't have access to the network. Support is also a big issue ­ they need to have help desk staff available.

This session was informative and did a good job of addressing the challenges that occur as campuses become more wired. The session also demonstrated the possibilities that exist with a connected campus. The learning village is an excellent example of a campus providing universal access to network resources for all students. Learning and teaching are the most important. Technology is used to attract students. Then it is used by the students throughout their four years of undergraduate college, so that when they leave they have technology skills. The University of Dayton Learning Village appears to have got it right.

Integrating Digital Technology for Communication

This presentation discussed the experiences with digital technologies at the University of Minnesota. The university undertook a project to implement and integrate wireless technology at strategic locations throughout campus. With a population of 45,000 students and 30,000 faculty and staff, effective tools are needed to facilitate communication on campus. Because of funding issues, the information technology (IT) department needed to make the best use of available resources. Fortunately, within the last year additional funding for technology was made available by instituting student technology fees.

One of the projects supported by these fees was the implementation of information kiosks. The kiosks were placed in locations on campus where people were coming and going. These kiosks allow quick look-up of campus information and e-mail browsing. The kiosk project started with about one-third of the campus. The key to kiosk placement was to find locations that were available and where access was easy. The buildings also needed to have room for the cabinets. The information kiosk cabinet is a custom-made particle-board cabinet with a door and a lock that allows for a computer to be put in the cabinet and taken out for service. The cabinet also has a shelf where students can place books or backpacks. A local furniture company designed the cabinet specifically for the kiosk. The cabinets include computer-friendly features like a vent and a fan to allow airflow around the computer.

Each kiosk houses an IMac with 64Mg of RAM and a 1Gb hard-drive. The computers also were equipped with a trackball. It was important to have a trackball that was removable for cleaning. The kiosk computers are running IE 4.5 and MAC OS 8.6. A script is used to prevent users from changing settings. One issue that arose because of the equipment configuration was the size of a user's e-mail box because messages containing large attachments could cause the computer to freeze.

When looking for space to place the kiosks, access to power and data also need to be considered. Desirable locations are often near entrances of buildings. These are high traffic areas where students congregate. However, securing permission to place a kiosk at a building entrance may take some negotiation with whoever is in charge of facilities. For those involved in this project, it became important to know building supervisors. Facilities issues also arise if it is necessary to run conduit to the kiosk. In addition, kiosks have to meet building safety code requirements. It often takes time to get approval for placement of kiosks, and staff need to follow through on each step.

After the conduit is in place, networking and telecommunications technicians run ten base T connections to the kiosks. Each kiosk also has an ether jack on the side of the cabinet for laptop connections. Laptops can connect to the network using DHCP. However, the MAC address of every laptop has to be registered. This issue is resolved by having everyone ­ students and faculty ­ in a database that contains the username and password. Through a Web access form users add the MAC address of the laptop, then get response messages when they are connected to the server.

The cost of the information kiosk is significant. Cabinets are $1,000 each; IMACs and labor costs of writing the script, and the security software were an additional $1,000 per machine; and network wiring cost about $1,000 initially, plus monthly charges for the ether jack.

Upkeep issues also surface. For instance, because of the cabinet's configuration and the long hours the machines are running, occasionally a power supply may go out. Also, as a result of high usage, staff occasionally need to change keyboard or trackball. The kiosks are running from 6 a.m. to midnight; therefore staff needed to be available for maintenance during that time. In order to offset some of the costs of the information kiosk, the University of Minnesota allows local business or campus departments to place advertisements on the front panel of the kiosks.

Another area the project wants to extend is the use of wireless technology to increase availability of the Internet for campus users. Wireless technology is an effective means to go beyond kiosks. It can be used in places where traditional wiring is costly or problematic. For this project the IT department chose to use Apple airport hubs. As part of the implementation strategy they try to include airports in kiosks. The kiosk connections are already in place in high traffic areas, and those with wireless cards have access ready.

However, there are some problems with hubs. Airports use radio frequencies, which can bounce off hard surfaces and can be prone to noise. They may also have issues of how close to place the hubs. The best way to test most buildings is to place and configure hubs, then check what distances the signal travels. What worked best in most buildings was placing the apple airport hubs at distances between 50 and 100 feet, depending on variations within the space. These wireless hubs were placed in high traffic areas where people congregate, including the libraries.

Wireless access is also used when space is at a premium. At the University of Minnesota it is difficult to put in new labs and teaching spaces. The university set up a pilot project to test wireless options. They purchased 26 Dell laptops with Lucent wireless cards and installed three Apple airports in non-wired classrooms. The first class to use the wireless network was a geography class. In order to test the system, each student in the class was given a laptop, then asked to download a 3mg file. Students were able to complete the download in an acceptable amount of time. Download time will vary, but wireless networking does work in the classroom setting.

Accessibility at every level is another goal for the campus. In order to increase accessibility, the IT department began a laptop rental service. Though intended primarily for students, faculty also are allowed to check out preconfigured laptop computers. When embarking on a project like this it is important to set good specifications for the laptops. Maintenance issues, such as spillage or broken screen displays, also need to be addressed. As part of the purchase negotiation, the University of Minnesota asked for a complete care warranty. Then they purchased 50 laptops for the program. These laptops required storage space as well as space for staff to check out computers. Converting a 20' x 35' storage area into the laptop rental center satisfied the space requirement. Old computer shelves were used to store the laptops. The IT department also created a video to advertise laptop rentals.

The service point is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and laptops can be reserved in advance. Student assistants were hired to staff the computer rental program. Student users are asked to authenticate through a Visual Basic database to insure that they are eligible to check out a laptop. Each student signs a contract the first time he or she uses the computer rental service. A student assistant then fills out a form listing the equipment borrowed. Laptops are checked out for a day at a time.

Several issues arise with a laptop rental program. The first issue is how to prevent tampering. An effective solution that is fairly easy to manage is to adhere small pieces of paper to the access points. This allows the student assistant to do a quick visual check when the laptop is returned. Another issue is billing for the rental. Students are charged $3.50 per day. Faculty are charged $5.00 per day. Billing for the students is handled through the campuswide card reader system. Departments are able to use the standard university financial forms. Day usage limits some of the liability and security issues.

Staffing the checkout operation at the University of Minnesota requires one full-time staff person with four to five student assistants. The fte (full-time equivalent) manages the Visual Basic database that runs the checkout process, and maintains the schedules. Student assistants are used to make sure that each computer is re-imaged upon return. It seemed that this function for an fte would not be necessary in a library environment. Libraries are used to handling circulation of materials.

The University of Minnesota currently has 80 kiosks in 50 buildings over two campuses. The goal is to have 200 kiosks with 30 wireless hubs. Currently, there is one laptop service center. However, the costs associated with this program are high. Partnering with other campus departments can help reduce the cost. It is also anticipated that the laptop rental will result in some cost recovery. Physical space and campus politics are also issues with which to contend. In order to install kiosks, you have to work with building supervisors and "sell" the project. So far the project has been successful.

Rayette Wilder is Instruction Coordinator, Foley Center Library, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington. wilder@its.gonzaga.edu