Spring 1999
Vol 7 Issue 2

IN THIS ISSUE...

Multiplied or Divided by Technology

Information Access at MCC

Access to Technology

Diversity and Technology

Unity Within Diversity

LEE: A Valuable Addition to Language Learning

Bag of URLs

Changing Face of Distance Learning Students

SEE ALSO...
The Forum

Assidere

Discussion

Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction

Access to Technology: An Open Door Makes a Difference
Ken Roberts, SMCC

South Mountain Community College (SMCC) has, since its founding in 1978, served a highly diverse student and community population. Today, South Mountain is one of Arizona's two public institutions of higher learning that serves a predominately minority student population. The student population is composed of approximately 16 percent African American, 45 percent Hispanic, 4 percent Native American, 2 percent Asian, 21 percent White, with the remaining students unidentified. The distribution of the student demographics reflects fairly well on the general community make-up of South Phoenix. South Phoenix continues to have an unemployment rate approximately three times higher than that of the metro area. These statistics are expected to change significantly as housing developments begin to appear on former agricultural plots. Population growth of 54% is projected by the year 2005. SMCC also serves the growing communities of Ahwatukee/Foothills which are comprised of middle to upper middle class White residents. This community continues to expand in numbers, but the composition of the residents remains fairly constant, middle to upper middle class White.

SMCC has established outreach centers to serve the residents in several locations. The Guadalupe Learning Center, located in the Town of Guadalupe, serves a community with the lowest per capita income in Maricopa County. The new Espiritu / NFL Center located in south central Phoenix serves as an instructional location supporting a large population of residents whose primary language is Spanish. In addition, SMCC provides instruction at the Keys Community Center and the Neighborhood House located in east central Phoenix to serve the diverse population of residents who cannot travel to SMCC.

A community survey of the service area of SMCC conducted in 1998 by the Behavior Research Center indicated major differences in access to technology between the Ahwatukee / Foothills communities and the South Phoenix community. Seventy percent of the Ahwatukee / Foothills residents reported they have a personal computer at home, whereas only forty percent of the residents of South Phoenix have a personal computer at their home. Of the South Phoenix residents whose primary language is Spanish, less than twenty percent reported owning a home computer. These data indicate that for many residents served by SMCC the college must provide their access point to technology.

To those students lacking personal resources, SMCC must serve as the location for needed access to technology. Like all district colleges, technology has become common on campus. However, SMCC makes continuing efforts to broaden the availability and open access to computers for both students and community members. Many people who have had no experience using technology come to the campus with fears and misunderstandings. Faculty and staff are dedicated to guarantee that all technology users, especially the first time users, receive needed support and attention to ensure their ability to effectively utilize the resources available to them at SMCC and in the community.

Technology is no longer an 'add on' or 'supplement' to a quality instructional environment. Nearly every course taught at SMCC, much like the District as a whole, has some form of technology support or resource to facilitate the learning agenda. If the technology is not directly present in the classroom, it is used by students in the lab, the library, or the learning center. Textbooks commonly contain web addresses to support textual materials. CD ROMs are standard supplements to the textbook. Access to, and the ability to effectively use technology, is tightly integrated with effective student learning. In an article in Change, Kenneth Green indicated that between 1994 and 1995 the percent of college courses using technology in one form or another nearly doubled. He further indicates that data reflecting the use of technology in a collegiate environment is finally breaking past the innovators and early adopters and into the ranks of mainstream faculty across disciplines.

The faculty and staff at SMCC are committed to providing the highest quality instruction and services to the diversified population of students. The integration of technology into both instruction and student services is a core value of the college. However, due to the economic conditions, it is critical that the college not only provides technology support to enrolled students but also to the diversified members of the community. SMCC strives to provide this access to technology for both of these groups.

The SMCC library is active in inviting community members to obtain a Community Borrower's Card that provides open access to computers and other resources within the library. This Community Borrower's Card is issued to young people in elementary school, to high school students, as well as to any community member. The card provides access to on-line catalog materials including books, videos, audiocassettes, the Internet and inter-library loans. Beyond mechanical access, community borrowers receive training and support from the faculty librarians and staff members. Community members make heavy use of the library and related technology. It is not uncommon to find young students, elementary and high school age, in the SMCC library completing homework assignments on a computer. Nor is it uncommon to find senior citizens accessing the Internet and using available computers to enhance personal interests.

The Learning Assistance Center also honors the Community Borrower's Card issued by the library to provide access to computers. Using the card, community members can access a range of software and video tutorials as well as use computers for word processing. Numerous area residents take advantage of this opportunity to use word processing software in creating or updating resumes and have secured employment as a result. In addition, the card insures community members have a location for Internet and E-mail access. All of these efforts are supported by training and assistance provided by the LAC staff.

The Early Outreach program at SMCC provides opportunities for access to technology outside of the elementary school environment to children in our immediate service area. The majority of the children who come to the Early Outreach program do have access to some type of computer at their local school. For many of the children the time spent on a school computer averages about 35 minutes a day three times a week, and most of this time is spend on skill building. Access to computers at SMCC provides opportunities for young students to explore the use of technology, complete homework, and refine computer skills. The Early Outreach program assists young children in learning how to use the technology available in the library to complete school assignments. These students are shown how to use the on-line catalog, search the web, and use a word processing program for writing a report. The library also maintains a diverse collection of CD-ROMs for children. Access to this level of technology for children in grades 1 to 8 serves as a great equalizer.

In a similar manner, the Open Computer Lab at the college also provides access to community members on a space available basis. The lab serves many people whose primary language is Spanish. Also, it serves senior citizens and young students. University students who live in the SMCC service area are also frequent users of the Open Computer Lab. Small business owners in the area benefit from the open door policy as they occasionally utilize the lab to create flyers, mailers, or promotional literature. Staff in the lab are available to provide support as needed by these users.

Efforts have been made to establish computer access points at a number of locations on campus. The Dynamic Learning Program, which prepares students for transfer into the ASU College of Education, has a dedicated lab to support the students. When the lab is not being used for instructional purposes, students can use the computers to complete homework, do assignments and access the Internet. This lab is extensively used since the great majority of the students do not have access to technology except for that which is provided by SMCC. Also, community partners who assist our Dynamic Learning students are frequently found in the lab working with our students and often accessing the Internet for their personal use. In a similar manner, the Mathematics, Science and Engineering Division has developed several small computer labs which are open for student use. These labs provide student access to technology outside of formal classroom or laboratory instructional periods.

The Continuing Education program at SMCC is based in many neighborhood settings. SMCC offers a range of courses at two high schools locations in the Ahwatukee/Foothills communities. In the South Phoenix community, classes are offered at a number of locations and have a strong focus on technology. At the Neighborhood House and the Espiritu/NFL Center, introductory computer and software use courses are offered in both credit and non-credit versions. When residents complete one of these introductory courses, they then have access on an as available basis to the computers at these locations. This approach insures that community members have the fundamental skills needed to use the equipment and have access to it. At the Keys Community Center SMCC has offered basic computer classes to center participants. These offerings are coordinated with job preparation programs offered by the City of Phoenix.

Generating opportunities for growth and development through easily accessible technology programs for the diversified community population fulfills an important part of SMCC's mission. This emphasis on technology results in better preparing students to be competitive in their continuing education at the university level or in the job market by providing contemporary computer skills. In fact, all members of the community; senior citizens, parents, and children, benefit from enhanced technology skills that are put to use at work, school, or in public access systems.