Technology Program Administrator

Dalton State College Instructional Technology Center

Part A: Program Evaluation
Executive Summary
The Instructional Technology Center serves students and faculty at Dalton State
College. The center consists of two technology computer labs- one for students and
one for faculty. The faculty computer lab is located on the third floor of the Brown
Building in room 304. It includes 25 computers and one part-time employee who
can assist faculty members with technical projects. The student part of the
Instructional Technology Center (often referred to as the Learning Commons) is
located on the first floor of the Darrel C. Roberts Library. It includes a computer lab
with 50 computers, 3 printers and 1 scanner. It also includes a classroom for
teaching with 30 laptops and a presentation practice studio. The practice studio
includes a computer, webcam and projector and serves as a place where students
can practice presentations. Over 200 classes a year are taught in the classroom
with over 5000 students attending the classes. The Student computer lab includes
two full time employees. The faculty computer lab of the Instructional Technology
Center includes only one part-time employee. The Office of Computer Information
Systems (OCIS) is responsible for programs installed on the computers in both labs.
While the Instructional Technology Center is meeting most of its goals, budget cuts
over several years have affected the department- especially the faculty computer
lab- which used to have 3 full time employees and now has only one part-time
employee. In my recommendations at the end of this report, I suggest that the
faculty computer lab be moved next to the current student computer lab in the
Derryl C. Roberts Library. The faculty computer lab could be located in a large room
that will be vacated soon and that is adjacent to the student computer lab. The two
full time employees in the student computer lab could then help out with both labs
since they would be close together. See the Evaluation below for more details about
this transformation.
Organizational Chart

Methods
I used several methods to collect data for this report. I interviewed the Director of
Instructional Technology, Pat Horton, Technology Specialist of the Student Computer
Lab, Blake Gentry, and Computer Labs Coordinator, Jackie McGintis (See Appendix
A). I used a checklist to evaluate all parts of the Instructional Technology Center
(See Appendix B). I also reviewed the website and document:
Office of Instructional Technology Website
http://www.daltonstate.edu/instructional-technology/index.html
Instructional Technology Plan and Profile:
https://www.daltonstate.edu/institutional-research-and-planning/institutionaldocuments-and-resources/pdf/distance-education-profile.pdf

Center Context and Goals

The primary mission of the Instructional Technology Center is to develop and
enhance the college's ability to deliver education to students at remote locations
and to meet institutional distance learning goals. The Instructional Technology
center is also designed to facilitate collaboration among schools and departments to
deliver quality distance instruction, faculty and student services, and initiatives. The
Instructional Technology Center is divided into two parts: The faculty computer lab
and the student computer lab. The student computer lab was created in 2007 and
its objective was to support the technology needs of Dalton State students. The
student technology classroom was added in 2009 and a Presentation Practice Studio
was added in 2010. There are two employees in the student computer lab who
maintain a technology help desk and oversee the day to day operations of the
center. OCIS (Office of Computing and Information Systems) is responsible for
security and programs installations in the student computer lab. The Roadrunner
Card Office is responsible for the three printers in the lab. The student technology
center has a promising future due to its facilities- 20,000 square feet 50 desk top
computers, 30 laptop computers, 3 printers, 1 scanner and two full time employees
with seven more library employees available for back-up.
The faculty computer lab was created in 2002 and included three full time
employees, but today includes only one part-time employee. Due to staff reduction,
services in the faculty technology center are very limited. The faculty computer lab
has only 21 computers and one part time employee. I suggest that the faculty
technology center be moved to a current 900 square foot room in the library that is
adjacent to the much larger student computer lab. By having both computer labs
adjacent to each other the Instructional Technology Center would be able to
complete its mission of serving both faculty and students.
Center Activities
The Instructional Technology Center serves as a training facility for faculty and
students. The Instructional Technology Center also oversees the distance education
programs at Dalton State that are offered through GeorgiaView/D2L . The
Instructional Technology Center includes two technology centers- one for students
and one for faculty. Over 1000 students visit the student technology center every
day classes are in session. In the student technology center, over 200 classes are
offered a year on a wide variety of topics and the center uses libguides
(libguides.daltonstate.edu) to offer online training. Students can reserve the
presentation practice studio to practice for speeches and practice using technology.
The student part of the Instructional Technology Center has a technology help desk
where students can seek help with computer problems.
The faculty part of the ITC is a computer lab nearly one half mile away from the
student computer lab. The faculty lab includes 25 computers and a printer and

frequently does not have a person staffing the lab since there is only one part-time
person. Just four years ago faculty were offered dozens of training classes in the
center on topics such a video creation and online course creation. No classes are
currently offered, but faculty can use the computers in the lab.

Evaluation
The Instructional Technology Center is meeting its mission for serving students. This
is evidenced by popularity of the services provide by student technology center.
Over 1,000 students visit the center every day the college is in session. Over 200
classes are taught each year in the technology center classroom with over 4000
students attending those classes. The centers presentation practice studio is almost
always occupied by students using it to practice speeches.
Unfortunately, due to budget cuts, the faculty technology center is preventing the
Instructional Technology Center from succeeding in its mission to serve both faculty
and students. I recommend that the faculty center be moved from its current
location in the Brown Building to a new location next to the student technology
center in the library. Equipment could then be easily shared between the two labs if
they were adjacent to each other. Staff in the student technology center could also
easily help in the faculty technology center since they would be adjacent. There is
currently a soon to be vacant room next to the student computer lab that would be
a perfect location for the faculty technology center.

Appendix A: Interview Questions and Answers

Interview Instructional Technology Director
1. What is your title?
2. What are your job responsibilities?
3. What are the job titles and brief descriptions of key personnel who staff the
center?
4. What is the mission of the center?
5. What are the goals of the center?
6. Who are the stakeholders?
7. What activities or programs are carried out by the center?
8. What technology equipment is available for faculty?

9. What technology equipment is available for students?

10. What programs are installed on computers?
11. In your opinion, is the Instructional Technology Center currently able to carry out
its mission?

Appendix B
Items to be observed at the Instructional Technology Center
1. Evidence of Equipment Monitoring and Usage
2. Evidence of Computer Lab Usage
3. Evidence of Website Monitoring
4. Evidence of Updated Resources
5. Evidence of Instructional Technology Information for faculty
6. Evidence of attendance at workshops
7. Evidence of Digital Citizenship Promotion
8. Evidence of Technology Student Usage