Technology Committee

October
2001
Technology Committee Chair

While the California Community College System did not receive the requested Technology II budget for 2001-2002, all colleges have been actively involved in planning for the use of these funds, which we hope to receive in the 2002-2003 budget. As technology continues to play a greater role in the educational process, access to technology becomes an ever more important issue. One of the goals of the Technology Committee this year is to work with the Educational Policies Committee to respond to the Spring 2001 Plenary resolution, "Conduct research to investigate the impact of technology on student access and success in the California Community College System, particularly as it relates to ethnic and socioeconomic diversity and students with disabilities; and report back in a paper the research findings and recommended solutions to any problems identified." The importance of the access issue is reflected not only in the Academic Senate's concerns, but in the funding the Chancellor's Office has given for each college to hire a DSPS High Technology Support Program specialist to work with colleges to make sure that disabled students have access to assistive technologies and that websites are designed to work with assistive technologies.

Many of the members of the Technology Committee will also serve on Chancellor's Office advisory committees. The Distance Education Technical Advisory Committee (DETAC) has finished its five-year review of distance education programs and has submitted Title 5 language changes to the Consultation Council to formalize such changes as the "personal contact" to "effective contact" for teachers and students in distance education courses. The Technology Technical Advisory Committee (TTAC) will discuss systemwide technology projects and the budget. Your representatives on these committees will continue to ensure faculty input and instructional quality and integrity.

Finally, your Technology Committee will be working to bring breakouts to the fall and spring plenary sessions of the Academic Senate on such topics as technology and educational policy, demonstrations of individual faculty technology activities, and Chancellor's Office projects.