Running head: HISTORICAL MONOGRAPH: STUDENT TECHNOLOGY

Historical Monograph: Student Technology

Jeff Patty
Georgia Southern University

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Abstract
This historical monograph investigates the role of technology and how it has affected the
student. Technology has changed the landscape of the world, but how has the evolution of
technology in higher education affected the student over time? This research will look at the
first impact technology had on students, attempted uses of technology through the years, some
firsthand observations experienced in my career at Georgia Highlands College, the rollout of
distance education, and finally the current opportunities and challenges related to online
delivery of content. Student technology has evolved from the early days of VCR tapes being
mailed to students, to the first days the pc started arriving on college campuses, and then to a
growing world of online offerings. Students now sit in the drivers seat and their demand for
flexibility and new educational vehicles for access have put higher education on high alert.
Institutions are now scrambling to figure out and provide these latest leading edge technologies
to attract the new students of today and tomorrow. The question higher education must ask
themselves is how far do they go with offering this new technology, and still maintain control of
standards, accountability, and quality among many factors.

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Historical Monograph: Student Technology
Technology, or more specifically information technology, has forever changed the
landscape of the world in which we live. Technology basically now controls almost every facet
of our lives. For the most part this expansion has brought about marvelous inventions, increases
in productivity, an interconnected world, dramatic breakthroughs in many fields, and extreme
capabilities for the individual. This allows people to accomplish things in their lives that no one
ever dreamed about before. This is also true for the higher education sector and the individual
student.
Although early technology pioneers invented computers back in the late 1930s and
1940s, there is still debate about whether the Atanasoff-Berry Computer or the ENIAC was
really the first complete digital computer (Computer Hope, 2013). Most still feel the ENIAC
was the first truly complete all-electronic digital computer. Actually, two professors from the
University of Pennsylvania built the first computer between 1943 and 1945 that contained over
18,000 vacuum tubes (Kopplin, 2002). Schools utilized Mainframes and Microcomputers for
administrative purposes in the 1960s; it was not until the 1970s and 1980s that Apple
computers and pc computers started showing up in classrooms (Zimmermann, 2012). The
proliferation of computers would continue to avail themselves to students in classrooms,
computer labs, and even home use would continue to grow through the 1990s.
During this latter period, instruction in the classroom really started to take on new forms.
Although teachers still gave the typical class lecture, additional content was now accessible
through new computer software programs. Also, access to an array of educationally designed
multimedia became available. Additionally, assignments on the computer were now possible in
many classes. As the 1990s approached; a student typically would go to the library or

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computer lab to do research and assignments. Many computer-programming classes still used
connectivity back to mainframes at larger universities for students to crunch code and complete
assignments. Getting access was a challenge as schools struggled to keep up pace with the
demand, unless one was fortunate enough to have your own pc, software, printer, and modem at
home. For most this was likely not possible, especially if they were away from home at college.
Around 1994, with the commercialization of the Internet, access became more widely
available to all (Zimmermann, 2012). From here the Internet and computer access just
exploded. Students now had access to a world of growing information right at their fingertips.
More people now started having desktops and laptops in their homes, allowing them to
complete assignments more easily on their own timetables.
The middle to late 1990s were an interesting time at Georgia Highlands in regards to
technology. In 1992, Dr. H. Lynn Cundiff became the second president of the institution
(Georgia Highlands College, 2013). Dr. Cundiff was an avid supporter of technology and
decided the time was right for the creation of a new centralized computing department. During
the next several years, technology was on the upswing as staff grew, there were networks added
to join all employees and students, all employees began using email, and a new registration
system was installed. In 1997, things got very interesting for students. At the request of Dr.
Cundiff and Dr. Skinner, president of GHC and Clayton College and State University
respectively, both institutions began a joint venture to bring laptops to all students at both
colleges. This venture, named the ITP project, was short for Information Technology Project.
This required even more ramping up of college networks, and the creation of student helpdesks
to support this controversial pilot. Over the next several years, all students would be required to
pay for and use a college leased laptop computer. The initial fee was $200 per quarter, but with

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the University Systems conversion to the semester system, this fee changed to $300 per
semester. Regardless of what class the student was taking or whether they were taking one or
more classes, students would be assessed fees. While some students embraced the idea of
having their own laptop, for most this was a crippling addition of fees. Clayton State College
seemed able to endure this new mission due to their student demographic, but for GHCs more
non-traditional student, this did not go over well. Not only was the $300 too much for most to
pay, the requirement by Dr. Cundiff of having to learn to use the laptop in almost every course
was more than most were willing to endure. Enrollment during these next several years
continued to drop at alarming rates. Eventually some courses would be allowed exemption, and
others a partial proration. By the end of this program, enrollment was reduced to very low
numbers and faculty as well as students were less than enthusiastic with the program overall.
GHC dropped the program completely in 1999 (Cook, 2006). In addition to the drop in
enrollment and frustration, the college was now in significant debt from the investment in
technology and the leases on all the laptops. The laptops had a very short lifespan due to wear
and tear and barely made it to year four before needing replacement. The college was still on
the hook for the original lease and could not afford to extend them any further. Cundiff resigned
in 2000, with this failed pilot project largely considered among the top reasons (Georgia
Highlands College, 2013). The ITP project began to wind down at this time, but a few courses
still required laptop use at a reduced rate through about 2002. The learning experience for GHC
was that although all the technology challenges were successfully met, the financial
implications, and negative attitudes of employees and students devastated the institution. The
Interim President sent by the Board of Regents had to ask for the BOR to pay off the remaining
debt for the college in order to begin rebuilding budgets and student trust. It took several years

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for enrollment to begin creeping back up.
The next wave of technology was that of distance education. This came about in many
forms: VCR tapes, DVDs, television delivery, podcasts, and finally online delivery of content.
The idea of distance education was certainly not a new concept, with the earliest forms dating
back decades. During the 1990s and into the 2000s, however, greater use of this technology
started occurring in higher education. Among these offerings, the Electronic University
Network offered a Ph.D. through America Online in 1992; in 1994 CALCampus introduced the
first completely online curriculum (StraighterLine, 2013); and by 1999, a host of educational
tools were launched for online use by Blackboard, eCollege, and Smarthinking (Ferriman,
2013). By 2003, 81% of colleges were offering at least one online class. Between 2002 and
2008, there was a 187% increase in students taking online classes. In 2009, the number of
students that were taking at least one online course was 5.5 million (StraighterLine, 2013). For
many years, most viewed the value of an online degree less favorably; the thinking was that
students could not possibly gain the same type of education without sitting in a classroom and
receiving instruction directly from the instructor. By 2010, however, 83% of CEOs and
business owners in the United States viewed online degrees just as credible as traditional
degrees. Traditional universities offered online courses at the rate of 96% by 2012.
Additionally, the estimations are that, by 2014, the number of students taking at least one online
class will quadruple from 4.6 million to 18.65 million. Expectations for growth of
postsecondary online education are projected as an increase of 37% by 2015 (StraighterLine,
2013). As one can see, the growth of online education has and will continue to help the student
and put pressure on higher education to provide these services. Students can now choose how,
when, and where they pursue their education. Traditional schools must not only maintain

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technological capabilities, but also must compete with a growing external market.
This brings us to the present day. Online educational opportunities continue as the focus
of higher education. The University of Florida recently announced, due to a legislative
mandate; the UF will create an online baccalaureate program that expects to attract 24,000
students within 10 years (Schweers, 2013). Another technology began to emerge in the late
2000s and caused much alarm for institutions, as well. During this time, the world became
introduced to the MOOC, short for massive open online courses. MOOCs represent large
online classes consisting of short video lectures with minimal involvement by instructors.
Students can watch the lectures and then complete assignments; which either computers or
students then grade ("What you need," 2013). This model follows the flipped-classroom design,
which Bill Gates advocates on behalf of two-year colleges and remedial courses needed by
students. He believes everyone should take at least one MOOC course, as he has taken many
himself. "I'd be the first to say this is a period of experimentation, but we'll learn much faster if
people jump in and engage," said Gates (Mangan, 2013). The first MOOCs affecting higher
education have been several free courses offered by Stanford; edX, created by MIT; Coursera,
created by former professors from Stanford; Udacity, a company started by another former
Stanford computer-science professor; Khan Academy, a nonprofit organization founded by MIT
and Harvard graduate Salman Khan; and Udemy, a company that is charging a small fee that
they will split with the instructor ("What you need," 2013). Other for profit companies are
quickly unveiling new MOOC-enabled versions, such as Desire2Learn, Blackboard, and
Instructure, placing even more pressure on colleges and universities (The Chronicle of Higher
Education, 2013). Not only does this threaten the traditional college model that has been used
for centuries, it challenges the role of the instructor, the authenticity of curriculum, and

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challenges to academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and copyright law (EDUCAUSE Brief,
2013). Faculty are particularly frustrated by this encroachment. Recently, the Faculty Senate at
San Jose State has been considering a policy that would prevent the university from signing
contracts with outside vendors for delivery of such services as MOOCs (Kolowich, 2013). In
addition, there are the rising costs of technology to maintain. This creates increasing pressure
for institutions to keep pace with their competitors, both their sister institutions and the private
sector. Each week a new prestigious university announces their version of free online
coursework. This allows colleges to reach vast audiences of students. No one is making money
yet, and no one has figured out how to issue real college credit for the courses, but the day is
coming (PREZ-PEA, 2012). The competition has everyone in fear mode, and the race is on
as everyone scrambles to figure out this new technology and final impact.
What does all this mean for the student? Simply the student is increasingly in control.
This offers them one more opportunity to control their own destiny. Remedial students can
audit courses at no charge. Students can vie for the best course at the best price from practically
anywhere. Learning styles can then be adapted to a method that works best for the individual,
and possibly courses will start being assembled la carte or in a package that best suits each
student a coursework becomes unbundled. All of this makes everyone review the traditional
college model, including how their very structuring. The belief is that, by 2025, higher
education will certainly be a very different place than we have known for a very long time
(Baldwin, 2013). Quite possibly we are sitting at a precipice in time of evolution, if not
revolution.

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