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16 Administrative implications of Ubiquitous learning for nonprofit Colleges and Universities faye l. lesht This volume provides insights into the emerging field of ubiquitous learning. At the heart of the matter is how to best use the burgeoning number of technologies in meaningful ways to facilitate high-quality learning experiences throughout our lives. A critical aspect of nurturing the potential of ubiquitous learning is to take seriously the caution offered by Kalantzis and Cope in this book’s introduction, that “it will be quite some time before the vision of ubiquitous learning is realized if we find progress blocked by forces of institutional inertia and heritage senses of what education should be like.” In this chapter, I argue that administrative practices in nonprofit colleges and universities have and will continue to influence our ability to respond well to the challenges and opportunities inherent in ubiquitous learning. It is through these practices that we as a society constructively address the implications of ubiquitous learning, including the question: What happens when anyone can learn anything, anytime, and anywhere 24/7 just in time and on demand? Just as Nicholas Burbules notes in his chapter, “Meanings of ‘Ubiquitous Learning ,’” the opportunity for schools to serve as a “hub” for learners with “spokes” stemming from the hub enabling learners to make full use of ubiquitous learning opportunities, I suggest that the administration (working with others to achieve organizational goals) serves as the “axle” in facilitating order and continuity of the educational experience. In the best of academic worlds, that “axle” encourages creativity, innovation, and learning; in the worst, it squelches or limits these very tendencies. 190 . lesht As noted by L. C. Smith, professor and associate dean responsible for coordinating online graduate education in library and information science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (personal communication, May 15, 2007), “those wishing to facilitate ubiquitous learning need to consider barriers that students may encounter and how to reduce or eliminate them. Many of those relate to administrative factors and require active involvement of administrative units providing services for faculty and students.” What are these barriers? The following are four examples. First, on many college campuses today, debate continues as to whether online education, let alone ubiquitous learning, is a viable way to educate. Historical attitudes about how students learn best can present significant barriers to administrators attempting to keep their institutions viable, as well as to faculty and to students. Note, for example, the rise of the private, for-profit higher education sector (Tierney and Hentschke 2007). In their chapter, Cope and Kalantzis point to seven different modes of ubiquitous computing. Each of these has implications for learning and in turn for administrative processes in support of learners. Each also points to current barriers in the educational process. For example, “participatory computing” encourages faculty to incorporate multimedia in their courses. Today’s students expect to be “engaged” in meaningful ways. They will incorporate digital media in their assignments even if instructors do not use it in their instruction. Are those faculty who are interested in using media afforded the necessary time and resources to reshape their courses to make the best use of tools that can enhance student learning? Without administrative support for release time of this nature, students’ experience of technology-enhanced offerings in the classroom tends to be disappointing (Young 2004). To fully benefit from “temporal computing” or “anyplace/anytime” learning in substantive ways, more faculty should incorporate appropriate uses of educational technologies into their curricula. Technologies should be incorporated both as a means to enhance learning and to further engage those students who grew up with computing—so much so that it is intuitive for them, as suggested by Evangeline Pianfetti in her chapter. We want to adopt what is best about traditions of the past, while working for a future that recognizes the realities of the digital age. Administrative leadership is required to engage in fruitful discussions. Second, and related to the first barrier to more effective uses of ubiquitous learning, is the faculty reward system. It was only recently that colleges and universities began to formally recognize distance education, including online offerings, in the promotion and tenure process. To participate in any educational enterprise, faculty must know that their efforts are viewed favorably and that they will not be covertly punished for participating in these types of educational endeavors. This includes but is not limited to financial recognition. [18.119.131.72] Project MUSE (2024-04-25 01...

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