Talking Stick - September/October 2008 - (Page 58)

Reporting Out Reports and news from independent regional and national organizations and other groups with news relevant to ACUHO-I professionals Survey Finds VoIP Use Still Limited Learning Community Programs Benefit Community College Students A new study concludes that learning community programs benefit at-risk students at community colleges. The study – conducted by Cathy McHugh Engstrom, associate professor of higher education, and Vincent Tinto, professor of education, both at Syracuse University in New York – surveyed and tracked the progress of students at 13 community colleges in the United States. They compared about 16,000 low-income and academically unprepared freshmen who had been placed in learning communities and were taking remedial classes together to nearly 2,300 students who had not been placed in learning communities. The learning community members were more likely to report feeling engaged in their studies and more likely to report feeling they had intellectually progressed and received encouragement on campus. Learning community students were also significantly more likely to return to college as sophomores than were the other students. To be included in the study, the learning community programs had to focus on teaching basic skills and had to serve the full spectrum of students widely regarded as “at risk,” including those who had low incomes, members of minority groups, immigrants, or members of the first generation of their families to attend college. All of the community colleges had previously gathered some evidence demonstrating that the programs on their campuses were effective in helping academically unprepared students. Engstrom and Tinto summarize their findings in an article in the inaugural issue of Opportunity Matters: A Journal of Research Informing Educational Opportunity Practice and Programs. The new journal is published by the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education, the research division of the nonprofit Council for Opportunity in Education. To learn more and view the article, visit www.pellinstitute.org/journal.html. The number of colleges and universities that use Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) is growing, but use of the technology continues to be limited on the average campus, according to the latest member survey by the Association for Information Communications Technology Professionals in Higher Education (ACUTA) at their annual conference in May. Survey results showed that 66 percent of ACUTA member schools are using VoIP, as opposed to 43 percent in 2006. Despite this growth, four in five ACUTA members surveyed said their VoIP network still covers 25 percent or less of their campus, which is almost identical to the 2006 survey results. However, 62 percent of the schools say they plan to expand their VoIP networks within the next 18 months. Another 14 percent have longer-term plans, and 24 percent have no plans to expand at this time. When asked about the benefits of VoIP, 33 percent of members using it cited overall efficiency as their top response, followed by improved management (24 percent) and more end-user features and better use of staff (each with 19 percent). When considering the challenges of VoIP, 52 percent reported staffing issues as their top concern, while 38 percent said they were concerned about quality of service and emergency 911 issues and that implementing VoIP has been more complex than anticipated. Among schools not using VoIP, 36 percent say they plan to implement it within the next 18 months, while 55 percent say it is in their long-term plans. When asked why they had not yet switched to this technology, three out of four respondents said they were satisfied with their current networks, and more than half cited budget concerns. “Clearly, the interest in VoIP on campuses today is as strong or stronger than it was two years ago, and the technology continues to progress in terms of the number of schools using it, “ said Jeri Semer, executive director of ACUTA, in a press release. “But just as in 2006, this latest survey shows that our member institutions continue to be cautious and methodical about their migration.” For more information, visit www.acuta.org and click the ACUTA Press Room link. Submit Your Information Reporting Out includes information from regional and national associations that have information of interest to ACUHO-I members. ACUHO-I also encourages other organizations to submit news. Individual items vary in length but should not exceed 100 words. Shorter is better. We encourage contributors to submit relevant, professional-quality photos. Please send submissions and photos to camille@acuho-i.org. Reporting Out was compiled by editorial intern Meredith Whipple. 5 Talking Stick http://www.acuta.org http://www.pellinstitute.org/journal.html

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Talking Stick - September/October 2008 Contents Online Now Vision Just In Your ACUHO-I Transitions Res Life Facilities Business Calendar Safe Harbor Think Globally, React Locally Conversations First Takes Reporting Out New Members Snapshot

Talking Stick - September/October 2008

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